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By I. Dymov, W. Phillips

A process has been evaluated, on a continuous pilot plant scale, to treat refractory gold arsenopyrite/pyrite concentrates. The process consisted of biological leaching to partially oxidise sulphides, followed by pressure leaching for complete sulphide oxidation and arsenic precipitation, followed by liquor neutralisation and cyanidation of the autoclave residue for gold recovery. This paper provides a brief description of the treatment flowsheet and discusses some of the main parameters and results of the process. During integrated pilot plant campaigns, it was confirmed that acceptable sulphide oxidation and gold extraction of 96-98% could be achieved by a two-stage oxidation with BIOX® (4 days total retention time) followed by PDX (40 minutes retention time at 220°C). Only partial arsenic precipitation was achieved in the autoclave, followed by complete precipitation by neutralization under atmospheric conditions. The overall process could be significantly simplified, and capital and operating costs reduced, with a flowsheet modification allowing all of the BIOX® liquor to bypass the autoclave directly to the neutralization circuit.

Jan 1, 2004

By R. J. Hundhausen

"INTRODUCTION Preliminary examination of the Blue Ledge mine was made by O. H. Metzger, a Bureau of Mines engineer, in May 1943. A result of his recommendations; a Bureau of Mines sampling and exploration project was begun by J. R. Reynolds in October 1943 and continued to December when it was recessed for the winter. The project was resumed by the auther in May 1944 and was completed in November 1944. The Federal Geological Survey 3/ assisted by mapping the geology of the mine and logging the diamond-drill cores obtained from the Bureau's exploration Company maps, diamond-drill-hole records, several reports, and other data on the property were made available to the Bureau by D. C. Brown, of Towne Securities Corporation, owner of the Blue Ledge group of claims. E. A. White, general manager of the Tacoma Smelter of the American Smelting & Refining Co., supplied statistics for all ore that has been purchased from the Blue Ledge mine by his company."

Oct 1, 1947

By Dejan Petrović, Pavle Stojković, Jelena Ivaz, Saša Stojadinović

In spite of the fact that flyrock phenomenon represents the real threat for personnel and machinery, it still remains insufficiently investigated. There are efforts, in the mining community, to explain the causes of flyrock, but the models capable to accurately predict flyrock occurrence and define the flyrock distance still do not exist. This article is an attempt to establish such a predictive model. The model utilized the adaptive nature of artificial neural networks and combined it with the accuracy of numerical modeling of physical phenomena. Necessary data were collected by high-speed camera recordings of actual blasts at three different surface mines and processed for further use for artificial network training. The result was a neuro-numerical couple which was capable to predict flyrock occurrence, estimate the launch velocity of flyrock fragments, and calculate the maximum distance of flyrock fragments. The safe distance was then calculated by multiplying the flyrock distance with a factor of safety. The article explains the procedure for data acquisition and processing, artificial network construction, training, and validation. It also explains the principles of flyrock distance calculation and, finally, provides a definition of factor of safety and safe distance. The results showed that the prediction was satisfactorily accurate and reliable.

Oct 22, 2021

By Walter W. Kaufman

This Bureau of Mines manual for design of surface mine haulage roads covers such aspects of haulage road design as road alinement (both vertical and horizontal), construction materials, cross slope, and drainage provisions. Traffic control and design of proper lane widths to promote safe vehicle movement are included, as are suggested criteria for road and vehicle maintenance and for runaway-vehicle safety provisions. The aim of this publication is to provide those involved with surface mine haulage road design with a complete manual of recommended practices that, if implemented, will promote safer, more efficient haulage routes.

Jan 1, 1977

By M. J. Duggin

Structural similarities between the E, X, and iron carbides are illustrated. Experimental evidence regarding phase transformations occurring during ternpering reactions in finely divided carbides, thin-film carbides, and carbides which occur in steels is considered and possible mechanisms for the E — x and x — 9 transformations proposed. HOFER1 has shown that within the appropriate temperature ranges carbon monoxide will react with finely divided a iron to form either iron carbide or x iron carbide. He has shown that at an elevated temperature the E iron carbide will transform to the x iron carbide (Hagg carbide) which, upon further elevation of temperature, will transform to 9 iron carbide (cementite). Jack,2,3 using X-ray diffraction methods, has observed that during the tempering reactions occurring in steel the E iron carbide formed in the first stage of tempering passes into two-dimensional platelets of 0 iron carbide during the second stage of tempering. The three-dimensional form of the 0 carbide is formed during the third stage of tempering. Jack suggested2 that the two-dimensional platelets of 0 carbide could be related to the faulted x iron carbide. Okada and Arata4 investigated a Swedish steel containing 1.05 wt pct C and approximately 1.0 wt pct Mn using permeability measurements at low field strength. A Curie point of 360°C was observed in the quenched steel, which indicated the presence of E iron carbide. On tempering at 400°C the specimen developed a Curie point at 230°C, indicating the presence of x iron carbide, and on tempering at 700°C the specimen developed a Curie point at 190°C which was assigned to 0 iron carbide. The carbides were extracted electro-lytically and the use of X-ray diffraction techniques4r5 indicated the carbide with a Curie point of 230°C to be x iron carbide. The Curie points of the carbides are 10 to 22°C lower than the accepted values which is probably due to the presence of manganese in the carbides, since it has often been observed (e.g., Ref, 6) that a partial substitution of manganese for iron in cementite will lower the Curie point of this carbide. Hofer' summarizes additional evidence of the tempering reactions in steel in which E iron carbide, formed during the first stage of tempering, transforms to x iron carbide during the second stage of tempering. During the third stage of tempering, the x carbide disappears as the 0 carbide is formed. By carburizing thin iron films in a CO gas stream, ~a~akura' has been able to produce the E, X, and 0 iron carbides. He found that below 250°C the E iron carbide was formed; between 250" and 350°C the x iron carbide was formed and above 350°C the 0 iron carbide was formed. He has shown that the E iron carbide transforms to form x iron carbide at 380" to 400°C and that the x ir°n carbide transforms to form the 0 iron carbide at approximately 550" C; both of these phase transformations are irreversible. Hofer' presents a review of evidence to show that the sequence of reactions occurring during tempering processes subsequent to the formation of E iron carbide formed by the direct carburization of finely divided a iron is the same as the sequence of reactions which occur during the tempering processes subsequent to the formation of E iron carbide in steel during the first stage of tempering. It is evident from Nagakura's work that identical tempering reactions are found in thin films of iron which have been carburized to form iron carbide. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the structural similarities between the E, X, and 0 carbides and to suggest a possible mechanism by which regions of the E carbide, formed during the first stage of tempering, may transform to the x carbide during the second stage of tempering. For the finely divided or thin film carbides a mechanism will be proposed for the transformation of the x carbide to the 0 carbide during the third stage of tempering, although it will be suggested that there is evidence that such a transformation may not occur in steels. STRUCTURAL DATA OF THE E, X, AND 0 IRON CARBIDES € Iron Carbide. It is evident from X-ray diffractions and electron diffraction', investigations that the metal atoms in the E iron carbide form an hcp structure with lattice constants ah = 2.752A, ch = 4.3534, using electron diffraction, reports the lattice paramet$rs of the superlattice cell to be a = 4.767A, c = 4.354, c/a = 0.9134. He finds that the carbon atoms occupy the octahedral voids in the metal atom structure so as to form a hexagonal stacking sequence with its basal plane parallel to that of the metal atoms. Considerable long-range disorder occurs in the positioning of the carbon atoms, however, which is in agreement with the possible range of composition Fe2C-Fe3C discussed by Hofer.' Barton and ale" have made X-ray diffraction measurements on a sample of E iron carbide extracted from a catalyst in an organic process. Although there were few reflections recorded on the obtained X-ray powder diffraction pattern, they have proposed that the structure could belong to one of the three possible space groups p3m1, P63/mmc, or Pbcn if one assumed the composition to be Fe2C. Nagakura, using electron diffraction data, suggests a space group of P 6322 for a specimen of c iron carbide of apparent composition Fez.&. x Iron Carbide. The x iron carbide has been studied by Duggin and Hofer" and by Jack and wild,' who

Jan 1, 1969

By N. S. Stoloff, J. N. Mushovic

Age hardening response of a Mg-Th-Zr alloy has been studied at temperatures in the range 60° to 450°C. Transmission microscopy revealed clustering of thorium atoms at low aging temperatures, supporting a previous report of GP zone formation. Peak strengthening, which is observed at 325°C, is due to the formation of a coherent, ordered, DO19 type superlattice structure, of Hobable composition Mg3Th, as plates parallel to the matrix prism planes. These plates later reveal a Laves phase structure of composition Mg2Th. The equilibrium Mg4Th phase begins to precipitate in two different forms at an early stage, competitively with the Mg2Th plates. RECENT work on the Mg-Th system indicated that, unlike most magnesium-base alloys, complex precipitation phenomena may be occurring. The partial phase diagram of the Mg-Th system indicates that an equilibrium phase, Mg5Th, is the sole intermediate phase.' sturkey,' however, has reported, using X-ray and electron diffraction techniques, that a metastable fcc Laves phase, Mg2Th, precedes the formation of the equilibrium compound, which he identified as closer in composition to Mg4Th. Murakami et al.3 reported that the equilibrium phase precipitates preferentially on grain boundaries and dislocations in a Mg-1.7 wt pct Th alloy; Kent and Kelly4 aged a more dilute alloy, Mg-0.5 wt pct Th, for 4 days at 220°C and found similar results. In addition, they reported that a platelike phase with a structure close to that of the magnesium matrix forms perpendicular to the basal plane and is probably ordered. Research on a Mg-4 wt pct Th alloy by electrical resistance measurements and transmission electron microscopy has suggested that GP zones may form at low aging temperatures.3 However, the electron micrographs purporting to show this phenomenon were not conclusive. In view of the fragmentary evidence concerning the nature of the precipitation processes in the various Mg-Th alloys, an aging study was undertaken to clarify the characteristics of the various precipitates which form and to correlate the mechanical properties of the system with the direct precipitate-dislocation interactions. The latter results are presented elsewhere.' The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to discuss the precipitation sequence in this system. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Sheet stock (0.060 and 0.010 in. thick) of a commercial Mg-3.93 wt pct Th-0.42 wt pct Zr alloy (designated HK3lA) similar to that studied by sturkey2 was supplied through the courtesy of Dr. S. L. Couling of Dow Metal Products Co. Zirconium does not enter into any precipitation reactions,' but is present primarily as a grain refiner. The alloy was chill cast, warm rolled to 0.090 in. thick stock, and then finally reduced by a combination of hot and cold rolling. The alloy chemistry is given in Table I. This material was solution treated at 580°C for 4 hr in a dry CO2 atmosphere, and then water quenched. Material in this condition was fairly clear of precipitate particles and was fully recrystallized. Aging at temperatures less than 200°C was accomplished by immersing the alloy in a silicone oil bath; for higher temperatures, aging was done in a salt pot. Age hardening treatments were conducted at 60°, 80°, 105°, 135°, 160°, 250°, 325°, 350°, and 450°C for times ranging from 5 min to 400 hr. Hardness tests were performed on chemically polished 0.060-in.-thick blanks of solution treated material which were aged at the various temperatures for increasing lengths of time. For aging temperatures above 150°C the Rockwell Superficial 30T scale was employed, while samples hardened at temperatures below 150°C were monitored with the 45T scale. Each data point consists of at least three separate readings. Yield stresses also were measured at room temperature on both 0.060 and 0.010 in. sheet specimens aged at 325°C. The aged foils were thinned by the window method in a solution of 80 pct absolute alcohol and 20 pct concentrated perchloric acid (70 pct) maintained at 0°C. A stainless steel cathode was used and the applied voltage was 10 to 15 v. Thinned samples were rinsed in distilled water and pure methanol. After the me-thanol rinse the thin foils were quickly dried between filter paper. Foils prepared by the above method were examined in a Hitachi HU11B electron microscope operating at 100 kv. RESULTS A) Hardness. The hardness data are depicted in Figs. 1 and 2. Peak strengthening occurs at 325°C after aging about 6 min, see Fig. 1. Significant strengthening is achieved also at 350°C, but aging at 450°C produces only softening. The stepped curve at 250°C indicates that a complicated precipitation process may be occurring at that temperature. Fig. 2 suggests that at least two hardening mechanisms exist since the lowest temperature hardness peaks are displaced to the left of the peaks obtained at 135° and 105°C. A great deal of scatter is observed at long times in all cases due to magnesium surface degradation caused by the silicone oil bath. B) Identification of the Strengthening Precipitates. The structure formed atlowagingtemperatures (c10O°C) was not clearly resolvable by transmission microscopy. The only bright-field evidence for a change in structure was a mottled appearance which could be observed at extinction contours, as shown in Fig. 3(a), and the disappearance of this effect when dislocations produced under the influence of the electron beam passed through the matrix, as noted in

Jan 1, 1970

By E. A. Devuyst

Metallurgical processes involving the use of cyanide such as gold cyanidation, metal plating and flotation, generate effluents containing cyanide and cyanide in complex combinations with heavy metals in quantities exceeding those regarded as being safe for discharge into streams. A new process for destruction of free and complexed cyanide and related-species in wastewaters has been developed at the Inco research laboratories using sulfur dioxide, air and lime. High reaction rates are obtained in the presence of a small amount of copper which acts as a catalyst. Cyanide species can be reduced to as low as 0.1 mg/L in a very short treatment time. Examples of treatment of gold mill effluents and barren slurries, plating rinse waters and flotation liquors or tailing slurries are given.

Jan 1, 1982

By J Young, S Yu, P Moyo, M Powell, A Musunuri, B Bonfils, S Kanchibotla, P Yaroshak, V Jokovic

The appropriate design of liners continues to be an issue on many mills worldwide. Loss of milling capacity especially at liner change, uneven wear lives along the mill, substantial scrap on worn liners, excess mill down-time, undesirably short and unreliable wear lives are all common issues. This paper presents a designed approach to liner optimisation that follows a logical path of initial design and step-wise improvements based on liner wear monitoring. The target is to have a good liner design from start-up, then tune the profiles, heights and thicknesses based on wear monitoring. This is conducted as a team of liner specialist, site personnel and liner supplier. The application to the Pustynnoye SAG mill of JSC Altynalmas in Kazakhstan is presented. The increase in liner life by around 50% along with increased mill throughput of over 20% illustrate the huge benefit of the cooperative triumvirate approach through the gains that can be made in productivity and reduced liner costs.CITATION:Powell, M, Kanchibotla, S, Jokovic, V, Hilden, M, Bonfils, B, Musunuri, A, Moyo, P, Yu, S, Young, J, Yaroshak, P, Yalcin, E and Gorain, B, 2018. Advanced mine to mill application at the Barrick Cortez mine, in Proceedings 14th AusIMM Mill Operators' Conference 2018, pp 177–196 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 29, 2018

By Oliver C. Ralston

The nonmetallic minerals work of the Bureau of Mines started with the organization of the Mineral Technology Division in 1912. A special experiment station devoted to the mining, preparation, and processing of nonmetallic minerals was established in 1923 at New Brunswick, N. J., and concentration problems on nonmetallic minerals of all kinds also were studied at the Mississippi Valley Experiment Station at Rolla, Mo. In July 1936 the Nonmetals Division was organized, and in May 1937 the Nonmetallic Minerals Experiment Station at New Brunswick, N. J., was moved to and made a part of the new Eastern Experiment Station at College Park, Md. At present the Nonmetals Division operates at three points: The Eastern Experiment Station, College Park, Md., which is headquarters for the division chief; the Southern Experiment Station, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; and the Northwest Experiment Station, Seattle, Wash., where coal washing and preparation studies are included with those on nonmetallic minerals. Sand, gravel, and aggregate work is carried on by the Mining Division, as sand and gravel preparation are intimately associated with mining methods. The Economics Branch of the Bureau of Mines also prepares occasional papers on nonmetallic technologic subjects in connection with the presentation of statistics on a particular industry and reviews of the mineral industry in foreign countries for use in the monthly publication, "Mineral Trade Notes."

Jan 1, 1937

By W. W. Adams

[Sales of explosives - permissible explosives5/ other high explosives, and black blasting powder - in the United States during the calendar year 1937 reached a combined total that slightly exceeded the quantity sold in 1936. A larger output was reported for permissible and other high explosives but a smaller for black powder. Production of the three classes of explosives totaled 404,744,294 pounds, more than 3 percent over 1336. The total quantity produced included 49,579,441 pounds of permissible, 288,924,253 pounds of other high ex- plosives, 36,403,950 pounds of black powder in pellet form, and 23,836,550 pounds of black powder in granular form. Sales of granular black powder declined 26 percent compared with 1936 and of pellet black powder 12 percent; gales of permissible explosives increased nearly 4 percent and of other high explosives 10 percent]

Jan 1, 1938

By Y. Héroux, A. Chagnon, M. M. Savard

"Résumé- Le gîte de Pb-Zn de Gays River s'accompagne d'anomalies des propriétés de la matière organique (MO) et des assemblages de minéraux d'argile (AMA). L'association entre la minéralisation, la distribution de la réflectance de la MO et des AMA suggère que ces traceurs peuvent servir à l'exploration des sulfures de métaux de base dans cette région.A l'emplacement du gîte, la réflectance varie considérablement (0,80% à 1,88%), pouvant même afficher une baisse avec l'enfouissement, ce qui est interprété comme une altération chimique de la MO. Les valeurs les plus élevées s'accompagnent localement de quelques textures en mosaïque et délimitent une anomalie thermique au centre sud de la région. Parmi les minéraux des argiles identifiés, l'illite et la chlorite sont terrigènes alors que la smectite, la kaolinite et la corrensite sont authigènes et, à l'instar de l'altération de la MO, résultent des nouveaux équilibres chimiques créés suite à la précipitation des sulfures.Abstract- The Gays River Pb-Zn ore deposit is associated with anomalies defined from the characters of the organic matter (OM) and from the clay minerals assemblages. The relationships be­ tween these anomalies and the mineralization at the mine suggest that these parameters can be used as new guides for the exploration for base-metal sulfides in this area.The vitrinite reflectance (RJ shows a wide range of values (0.8% to 1.88%) and exhibits an anomalous suppressive effect with depth of burial at the mine site, suggesting a chemical alteration of the OM. The highest R, values are associated with mosaic textures and outline a thermal anomaly at the south-center of the studied area. Among the identified clay minerals, illite and chlorite are terrigenous, whereas smectite, kaolinite and corrensite are authigenous and, like the alteration of the OM, are due to the new chemical equilibria resulting from the precipitation of the sulfides."

Jan 1, 1994

By GORDON H. FISHER

During the year 1945, the drilling pace in West Texas increased above that in the year 1944, and represented the highest number of well completions since 2941. The 1680 new wells drilled 8,287,958 ft. of hole for a per well average of 4933 ft. This depth is approximately 30o. ft. deeper than the average for the year 1944. Although the deepest well drilled in West Texas (Phillips Petroleum Company's Ada Price No. 1, in Pecos County) was completed during the year. 1944 to a depth of 15,279 ft. and tested the Ellen-burger horizon, the producing depth record for West Texas was set during the year 1945 with the completion of Amerada Petroleum Corporation's Jones No. I-A, in the Jones Ranch field, Gaines County, which now is producing at 11,422 ft. from the Devonian formation.

Jan 1, 1946

By E. J. Nielsen, P. R. Strutt

A study has been made of the progressive changes in the distribution of etch-pit structures occurring during high-temperature creep in copper + 7 wt pct Al single crystals oriented with a [113] tensile axis. The two equally stressed glide systems with the highest Schmid factor would be expected to form subboundaries of the type predicted by Kear.2 The alignments of etch-pits on sections parallel to different (111} planes consistent with these types of boundaries were not observed. However, they were consistent with planar subboundaries (on a macroscopic scale). From an analysis of Amelinckx1 it may be shown that stable cross-grid dislocation boundaries may form in the primary slip planes. These boundaries form when dislocations with a Burgers vector not in the slip plane move into the plane by combination of climb and glide. THE geometry of subboundaries formed by the interaction of dislocations of two glide systems has been analyzed by Amelinckx,1 and the particular types produced by deforming fee crystals are predicted by ear.' In this paper types of boundaries which may be formed when climb as well as glide occur are discussed as this is relevant in high-temperature creep. It is assumed in the present investigation that the etch-pits observed in Cu + 7 wt pct A1 on surfaces parallel to {111} planes delineate the sites of dislocations. Although there is no direct evidence for this previous work on a-Cu/Al single crystals by Mitchell, Chevrier, Hockey, and Mon-aghan,3 would show this assumption to be reasonable. The alignments of etch-pits which form during creep are studied on sections parallel to each {111) plane. It is then deduced that these alignments are consistent with a specific type of planar subboundary. The Cu + 7 wt pct A1 single crystals had a [113] tensile axis and Fig. 1(a) shows schematically the relation of the slip planes and slip directions (as represented by tetrahedron ABCD) with reference to the tensile axis. The two equally stressed glide systems with the maximum Schmid factor namely ß-AD and (a-BD, from the analysis of Kear,2 would be expected to form the boundaries shown in Fig. l(a) and (b), also Fig. 5(a) and (b). EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The a-Cu/Al single crystals were grown and annealed in a "gettered" argon atmosphere. Chemical analysis showed the aluminum content to be uniform in each crystal and the difference between crystals was maintained to an accuracy of ± 0.25 wt pct. The initial dislocation density and mean subgrain diameter after annealing was -106 cm-2 and 250 µ, respectively. Surfaces parallel to (111) planes were produced by specially developed electrolytic machining processes. The {111} faces were next electropolished for 5 min in a solution consisting of 25 g chromium trioxide, 113 ml glacial acetic acid and 40 ml water; the applied potential was 8 v. Dislocation etch-pits were revealed using l an etchant described by 1 ml bromine, 45 ml HCl, and - 250 ml water. RESULTS In crystals strained into secondary creep at higher stresses (443 and 750 g - mm-2 at 650° C aligned rows of etch-pits parallel to slip plane traces were evident in sections parallel to the (1111, (ill), and (111) planes, see Fig. 3. As well as the longitudinal alignments in Fig. 3, well formed randomly oriented arrays indicative of an equiaxed subgrain structure are evident. At the lower stresses (100 to 230 g . mm-2) only an equiaxed structure formed during creep. The sections in Fig. 3 are from a crystal crept for 70 hr at 650°C with a CRSS of 443 g.mm-2. Two identically oriented crystals were also deformed at the same temperature and stress for 5 min and 4 hr. In the crystal crept for 5 min, the etch-pits were randomly distributed with no tendency for directional alignment, see Fig. 2(a). As shown in Fig. 2(b) aligned arrays were evident after 4 hr creep but they were not nearly so well defined as in Fig. 3. The alignments (parallel to the arrows) in Fig. 3 are consistent with the existence of boundaries in the two main slip planes a and ß. The way in which this is deduced is seen by reference to Fig. l(c), where the existence of boundaries in the a and ß planes is verified by sectioning parallel to a,ß, and d. The (111) and ß(111) planes intersect the d(111) plane along BC [101 ] and AT [011] and alignments parallel to [101] and [011] are clearly evident in Fig. 3(c) in a section parallel to the d(111) plane. Similarly the a, and ß planes in Fig. l(a) intersect each other along DC [110] and hence there will be an alignment parallel to [110 ] in sections parallel to the a-plane and the ß-plane; this is evident in Fig. 3(a) and Fig. 3(b). It is interesting to note that alignments of etch-pits consistent with the boundaries predicted by Kear2 were not observed; see Figs. l(a) and l(b). The geometry of boundaries in {111} planes as shown in Fig. l(c) is discussed later. In Fig. 4(a) the individual etch-pits are resolved and the alignments are exactly parallel to the slip trace direction [101]. However, in some areas alignments deviate away from the slip trace direction by as much as 10 to 15 deg, this is evident in Fig. 4(b), and in Fig.

Jan 1, 1969

By S. D. Thompson

An AIME transaction by P.L. Allsman (1960), "Analysis of Explosive Action in Breaking Rock," contains many useful concepts applicable to blast design. Of special interest was the derivation of a heave blasting burden formula, which is important in establishing the maximum burden. Unfortunately, its derivation contains a fundamental error and then a compensating one. This formula was: [ ] The derivation used the impulse-momentum principle, with a 0.3 m thick (1 ft thick) radius of rock mass being acted on by an explosive impulse. However, the rock weight was not converted to mass by dividing by the gravitational constant. This mistake can be verified by checking the units in the formula, which resolve into m%-sec instead of meters. Adding the gravitational constant corrects this: [ ] If the minimum velocity is now taken as 0.3 m/sec (1 ft per sec), as was recommended, excessively large burdens result. Any appropriate rock velocity should be capable of throwing the rock mass a minimum distance so that the swell needed for breakage can occur. Unless the burden is extremely small and the bench height is very high, it is unlikely that a velocity of only 0.3 m/sec (1 ft per sec) will be sufficient. A review of the literature indicates that average rock velocities observed by camera studies typically range from 15 to 30 m/sec (50 to 100 ft per sec) (duPont deNemours and Co., 1977; Tansey, 1979). On this basis, a minimum rock velocity of about 15 m/sec (49 ft per sec) would be expected and not 0.3 m/sec (1 ft per sec). When a velocity of 15 m/sec (49 ft per sec) is inserted into the corrected formula, the results approximate those of the original formula with a velocity of 0.3 m/sec (1 ft per sec). The errors were approximately self-compensating [ ] References Allsman, P.L., 1960, "Analysis of Explosive Action in Breaking Rock," Transactions, AIME, Vol. 217, pp. 475-476. E. I. duPont deNemours and Co., 1977, Blasters' Handbook, 175th Anniversary Edition, Dupont, Wilmington, DE, pp. 233. Tansey, D.O., 1979, "The DuPont Sequential Blasting System," CIM Bulletin, Vol. 72, July, p. 80. Thompson, S.D., 1981, "Critical Review and Revision of Surface Blasting Practice," MS thesis, West Virginia University, pp. 308-316.

Jan 3, 1985

By Lloyd B. Underwood

In the event of a sudden nuclear attack upon the United States, it is imperative that vital command and control centers have a high probability of survival. One such vital facility is the North American Air Defense Command Combat Operations Center at Colorado Springs, Colorado. Known briefly as NOW, this installation when completed will be housed in large chambers excavated out of granite beneath the eastern slope of Cheyenne Mountain (Figure 1). The NORAD COC, a U. S. Air Force sponsored project, will serve as the primary collection and evaluation center for data concerning unknown aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, which might bring destruction to North America. The data will be fed into high-speed computers and electronic equipment from outpost sources - radar, ballistic missile early warning stations and picket ships throughout the world. Electronically controlled display boards will make it possible to evaluate the tracking data instantaneously and to take appropriate defensive action1.

Jan 1, 1965

By Frank Pepe, Nestor Garavelli

The 2023 Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference (RETC) will be held in Boston, MA and will include the presentation of 133 papers divided into 20 technical sessions during the 3 day conference that were selected from over 200+ papers that were submitted to the committee. The selected papers are included within this book to provide a comprehensive recap of the conference while also providing a source of reference for contractors and engineers in the future. The selected papers will include contributions from all divisions of the tunneling industry plus risk management and best contract practices. Boston is known to the tunneling industry for its complex and difficult tunneling history, specifically of recent memory the Central Artery/Tunnel Project also know as the “Big Dig” of the 1980s and early 1990s. The selection of Boston as a host city was fitting from a historical perspective and as avenue for the city to present its upcoming tunnel projects. RETC began in 1972 with the idea of sharing ideas, design and project construction experience, and new technology, between contractors, designers, owners and suppliers. The ability to provide a single location every other year for all facets of the tunneling industry to gather and discuss the aforementioned was and still is viewed as a way to help the tunnel industry grow. The lessons learned from completed projects, the advancement of technology which could be implemented into design and the presentation of new projects by owners/designers and contractors allows for the limits and complexity of upcoming projects to be expanded beyond our current capabilities. Our industry has never been as busy as it currently is, and we are seeing more future projects coming out for solicitation across all business sectors. With the good fortune that all of us have been blessed with one of the biggest challenges that we have been faced with is the shortage of future management on all levels for our projects including the labor force. We all want our industry to continue to grow and succeed, our most important assets are the people that we employ. Investing in the education and continued training of our work forces to be up to date with the latest technology and methods is the key to our success. This also includes develop, recruiting and mentoring of young students graduating college to join our industry so that we can all continue to grow. We hope that all those attending the conference will have the ability to attend as many sessions as possible and to expand their network within our industry. As in past years, scholarship students will be in attendance and we encourage all to offer these students an opportunity to visit jobs, attend learning sessions or future internships to expand their interest in our industry that needs an injection of young engineers to contribute and lead our future Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conferences. The program chairs wish to thank the session chairs, co-chairs, authors, and other members of the RETC Executive Committee for their dedication to this conference. Last but certainly not least, we give special thanks to the SME staff for their hard work and enthusiastic support in making this conference possible.

Dec 1, 2023

By Y Öztas, S McKinley, T Baker

The Kisladag Mine, Turkey, is a large porphyry gold deposit which is mined by open pit methods. In operation for over ten years, Kisladag provides an excellent example of how attention to a geologic feature, namely hydrothermal alteration, became a very effective predictive geological tool for planning and operation. The alteration domains were initially used as a geological tool to assist with establishment of resource model domains and to guide delineation drilling, but they were soon recognised to be correlative to geotechnical characteristics (affecting pit slope angles) and metallurgical performance (heap leach recoveries). Recent developments in spectral processing allow the systematic quantification of complex overlapping alteration phases and have greatly improved the ability to rapidly define internally consistent alteration domains for geotechnical and geometallurgical purposes.Alteration at Kisladag comprises a central core potassic (K-feldspar-biotite) zone, a tourmaline-white mica enveloping zone, an advanced argillic lithocap on the deposit’s eastern side and an overprinting pervasive argillic zone. These alteration zones and their distribution were based initially on strictly qualitative, visual mineralogical logging of diamond drill core. With the need for more accurate and consistent identification of the alteration mineral suites, particularly the phyllosilicate phases, logging was augmented by systematic measurement of spectral data using a Terraspec instrument.Recently the Kisladag spectral database (over 85 000 readings) was reprocessed by the newly developed methodology (aiSIRIS™) that allows relative quantification of the spectrally-responsive minerals. Visualising this transformed spectral mineralogy at various mineral concentration thresholds using implicit modelling software (Leapfrog®) led to the creation of consistent mineralogical and alteration domains that are used for the definition of geotechnical and geometallurgical parameters. An implicit modelling workflow enables these domains to be easily updated as new data is collected while maintaining geological integrity of the model.CITATION:McKinley, S, Baker, T and Öztas, Y, 2017. Alteration at Kisladag gold mine, Turkey – a progressive study in geology, geotechnics and geometallurgy, in Proceedings Tenth International Mining Geology Conference 2017, pp 51–62 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 20, 2017

By L. M. Adams

Experiments in reclaiming acidic surface-mined coal lands with raw fly ash from bituminous-coal-fired powerplants were conducted by the Bureau of Mines at two sites in northern West Virginia. Plots at both sites were treated with varying tonnages of fly ash from three area powerplants and were planted with a variety of grasses, legumes, trees, and shrubs. Eight grasses and seven legumes were investigated. Greatest promise for growth under harsh soil conditions was shown by Kentucky 31 fescue, rye and red top grasses, and birdsfoot trefoil, a legume. Survival of trees and shrubs was negligible. Addition of fly ash to the spoil increased the pH to a range tolerable to some types of plant growth, improved the texture of the soil, and increased the available water of the resulting mixture.

Jan 1, 1971

By Venugopal B, M Kumaran, Thomas John, Vetriselvan A

The initial pile load tests are conducted to ensure the geotechnical capacity of the pile in a particular site condition. Normally kentledge method is adopted for the compression pile load tests. In this method the entire kentledge load is loaded above secondary beams which are supported by concrete blocks above the Natural Ground Level. So, it is important to ensure the SBC (for shear and settlement) of the natural ground. In one of our projects initially it was decided to go with kentledge system for initial compression load test on 56m long 1200mm diameter BCIS pile. The test load and total kentledge load were 2160t and 2700t, respectively. The soil strata mainly consisted of clay with low SPT N value and water table almost at ground level. It was suggested to replace top soil using Granular Sub-base (GSB) with good compaction in order to avoid excessive settlement of concrete blocks placed to support the kentledge weight. When the kentledge loading started, even before reaching 10% of total kentledge load, excessive settlement on the GSB layer was observed. This paper describes the problems faced during normal kentledge method and how it was overcome using the liner pile system for initial compression load tests in this particular site condition for higher test load.

Nov 1, 2022

By F. Turatti

Rio Tinto is one of the world's largest mining companies, involved in every stage of metal and mineral production, producing aluminium, copper, diamonds, coal, iron ore, uranium, gold and industrial minerals. Operations are in more than 50 countries in multiple continents and vary in location between large urban centres, regional industrial complexes and remote regions. A risk-based strategy was developed by Rio Tinto to manage its air quality impacts on a global scale. The strategy consists of three objectives ? improving air quality performance, developing industry leading practices and engaging and influencing in air issues. This paper discusses three major successes achieved this approach. Firstly, how air shed resources are managed in constrained air sheds. Secondly, how financial modelling is used to value air quality constraints, and thirdly, how a rigorous and comprehensive e-learning course is used to improve the overall level of air management knowledge of Rio Tinto?s environment managers.

Feb 27, 2013