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Some design and feasibility studies have been made into possible methods of economic recovery of sulphur from smelter gases emitted at Western Mining Corporation's Nickel smelter at KalgoorIie in Western Australia. The smelter discharges some 330 000 tonne/yr of sulphur dioxide in a stream of approximately 6 per cent by volume of S02.Three possible recovery methods have been considered:1. The manufacture of sulphuric acid using the contact process.2. The concentration of sulphur dioxide to a pure form using dimethyl aniline as an absorbing medium.3. The reduction to elemental sulphur using natural gas as the reducing agent.Design studies were carried out by final year chemical engineering undergraduate students at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in 1981 under the supervision of the author and other teaching staff of the chemical engineering department. These studies indicate that sulphuric acid manufacture is the economically preferred recovery route.Markets for sulphuric acid include several potential mineral processing applications and the established fertiliser industry.Sulphuric acid is currently manufactured in a number of plants located at coastal regions of Western Australia using imported sulphur. The sulphuric acid is then used for superphosphate or titanium dioxide pigment manufacture at adjacent plants.The possibility is considered of manufacturing superphosphate at Kalgoorlie from locally produced acid obtained from the smelter gases and from phosphate rock railed to the site from the coast. The advantages of such a scheme include improved scale and technology of operation compared with some existing coastal operations, use of a waste material to replace imported sulphur, and avoidance of costs and hazards associated with railing large quantities of sulphuric acid.

Jan 1, 1983

At the present time this plant is treating by direct cyanidation 1,000 tons of ore from Open Cut mining and dumps, and 1,200 tons of current flotation tailing obtained from the Sulphide Mill, per day.The following table shows the average analysis of the two feed products (see Table 1):Precipitation Process.-The pregnant solution obtained by the cyanidation of the above has the following general analysis:-Gold 0·600 dwt. per tonTotal Cyanide 0·050 %Free Cyanide 0·045 %Calcium Oxide 0·015 %KCNS 0·060 %Na2S20S 0·140 %CaS04 0·200 %Cu 0·050 %Zn 0·004 0/0K4Fe (CN) 6 NilThis solution, after standard clarification, is precipitated by means of zinc dust and a soluble lead salt.

Jan 1, 1939

By Gyimah Kasali

Rapid Load Testing was performed as part of an extensive drilled pier testing program for the University of California Berkeley Capital Improvement Program. The purpose of the program was to: (1) Verify the axial compressive design capacity values for the planned 24" piers, and to estimate the capacity of the existing 30" CIDH piers, and (2) To evaluate the seismic performance of the proposed drilled shafts. The Fundex PLT was used since the loading period of the PLT is very similar to the period of a seismic event, making it an ideal tool to model the pier response to seismic events. "Performance-based design" of structures subject to seismic loads has been of particular interest to UC Berkeley Seismic Review Committee and the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center. The comparison of static tests to Rapid Load testing also provided valuable correlations. The program represents one of the most comprehensive drilled pier test programs on the West Coast. The testing program consisted of Rapid Load Testing using the Fundex PLT on 6 drilled piers. Rapid Load Tests were followed by conventional static compression and tension tests on selected piers, followed by another cycle of rapid load tests on the statically tested piers. The piers featured extensive instrumentation to allow detailed interpretation of the test result. Correlations were drawn to compare static load test result to that of the PLT in the particular soil profile, and the PLT also provided the data to analyze the ultimate seismic capacity of the piers. The load test results indicate that the ratio of interpreted failure load from the PLT data to the corresponding load from the static load test data is about 1.2 to 1.3 for the clayey soils underlying the test site. The results also indicate that the PLT offers an economical approach to defining the stiffness of drilled pier foundations subjected to seismic loads for use in performance-based design.

Jan 1, 2002

At the treatment plant of the Broken Hill South Limited, Broken Hill, the zinc concentrates, with water, are pumped out to a more or less level area, and stored in dams to dry by drainage and evaporation.In-the construction of these dams a clay bank is first thrown up around the proposed dam site. The concentrate and water mixture are then run in from the perimeter, the solids being continuously shovelled up to increase the bank height, while the clear water is drained off at the centre and returned to the treatment plant.These dams vary in size up to 57,000 sq. ft. in area; when completed the banks are about 12 it. high, and the capacity for the largest dams is about 350,000 cub. ft., say, 20,000 tons.The survey office is called upon for a monthly survey of these dams, generally three of which are in process of building or refilling. The puggy nature of the material prohibits walking beyond the bank of the dam, therefore the following method of estimating concentrates was evolved. No originality is claimed, but as the need is for a true survey, and the results have shown the accuracy of the method, a description is warranted. The dam site is first laid out into 10-ft. squares with a theodoliteand 150-ft. steel tape, the outside lines being placed about 15 ft. from the clay bank - 15 ft. is the maximum convenient distance from the bank for working with the levelling staff mentioned later.As the dam is rarely rectangular in plan, the outside points pegged out are not always the corner of a square, but are placed to give the greatest convenience in later work, that is to say, there may be triangles and irregular figures. The plan (Fig. 1) and photographs (Figs. 5 and 6) will give the general idea of the layout. At each point is driven a 3 ft. 6 in. round iron peg about 3 ft. into the ground. This peg is to permanently mark the point, and is not liable to be...

Jan 1, 1925

By D. H. Gurinsky, D. G. Schweitzer

The empirical equilibrium constantsd the heat of reaction for the reduction have been determined from 300° to 500°C. The mechanisms of the oxidation of uranium and magnesium from dilute bismuth solutions have been investigated. The kinetics of some of the reactions were affected by air adsorbed on the uranium oxides. THE Liquid Metal Fuel Reactor studied at Brook-haven National Laboratory uses a solution of uranium in bismuth as the fuel. Corrosion and stability problems require that the fuel solution contain corrosion inhibitors and deoxidants. Of the additives tested, magnesium has been found to be the best deoxidant and zirconium the best corrosion inhibitor in bismuth. Some experiments1 indicate that magnesium may play a secondary role in increasing the effectiveness of zirconium in inhibiting corrosion. The work reported here was intended to determine the relative concentrations of Mg and U required to prevent oxidation of the uranium fuel in the event of an air leak. In addition, an attempt was made to identify some of the mechanisms of the oxidation and reduction reactions occurring in the liquid bismuth solutions. EXPERIMENTAL Apparatus and Procedure—The equipment shown in Fig. 1 was designed so that the reaction kinetics could be studied as functions of temperature, melt composition, pressure, and flow rate. At the start of a run, the 10-liter bell jar (F) is removed by opening the bottom Dresser fitting (L), and the bismuth and additives are placed in a pyrex crystallizing dish (I). The bell jar is replaced, the system is evacuated to 10-5 to 10-6 mm Hg and then the heater (J) is turned on. When the selected temperature is reached, the oxidizing gas is admitted to the system to the desired pressure as read on the manometer (D). Gas is introduced through the slide tube (Q) which has a pyrex frit (R) sealed to its bottom. Stirring is accomplished by immersing the end of the tube in the melt. To maintain a constant pressure under flow the input and evacuation rates must be equalized. To obtain this condition stopcock (C) is closed and flowmeters (B) are matched. The reaction is "stopped" by closing the inlet flowmeter and quickly evacuating the system. To obtain a liquid metal sample, the system is evacuated with the sampler positioned near the surface of the liquid. The sampler, Fig. 2, is then immersed until its thermocouple reading matches thermocouple (G) Fig. 1. The system is then pressurized with helium which forces the solution through the frit. Twenty to 30 min elapsed between the time the system was evacuated and sampled. During evacuation and pressurization of the system, the temperature variations did not exceed ± 5°C. While bubbling occurred the temperature remained constant to within 1/2 oC. The volume of the equipment was determined by adding a known volume of air at atmospheric pressure to the evacuated system and noting the resulting pressure.

Jan 1, 1962

By T. P. Mucho

Strata behavior and support performance were evaluated in a longwall tailgate test area at the Eagle Nest Mine near Van, WV. The mine operates in the Eagle coalbed which ranges in height from 4 to 6 ft (1.2 to 1.8 m) on the mine property. Rugged topography results in rapid changes in overburden which ranges from 200 to 1200 ft (61 to 366 m). The immediate roof at this mine transitions from sandstone to shale. In some areas the sandstone appears to be massive while in many locations it is highly laminated, fossilized, and interspersed with coal streaks. Horizontal stress levels appear to be sufficient to create instabilities in the roof in some locations, especially where the roof is thinly laminated. Traditionally, hardwood cribs have been used at the mine to provide secondary support for longwall tailgates; Strata Products' Hercules cribs are installed on 8 ft (2.4 m) centers staggered left and right in the tailgate entry. In a 250 ft (75 m) tailgate test area, however, cable bolts were installed in lieu of cribs. The bolts were 12 ft (3.6 m) long tensionable cables anchored with 5 ft (1.5 m) of resin. Four cables were installed across the entry and rows were spaced on 6 ft (1.8 m) centers. Primary roof support was maintained in the vicinity of the test area using 42 in (1.1 m), grade 60, No. 6 (19 mm diameter) resin bolts installed on 4 ft (1.2 m) centers through T-2 channels. The cable test area was located under a stream valley in an area of relatively shallow overburden. Strata instabilities consistently had been associated with the stream valley in both the Eagle and the overlying Powellton coalbeds. In an effort to further expose the cables to the most difficult stress conditions available at the time of the test, the specific site chosen was directly beneath a barrier pillar remaining in the upper Powellton mine (approximately 150 ft (45 m) of interburden separates the two coalbeds).

Jan 1, 1996

By Glenn Norris, Tyler Buckingham

"Gold recovery gains in the order of one to two percent have been realized in 2009 due to changes in the operation of the grinding circuits at Barrick Gold Corporation’s Hemlo - Williams Mill. The initiative known as “split milling” involves milling low grade open pit ore in one grinding circuit and higher grade underground ore in the other grinding circuit under different conditions.The philosophy of split milling involves processing higher grade underground ore at a lower throughput rate and a finer grind while milling lower grade open pit ore at a higher throughput rate and a coarser grind. Bench scale tests showed that the recovery relationship for underground ore sources was much more grind sensitive than that of open pit ore. This relationship proved to hold in the plant. The gold recovery gain due to finer grinding of the higher grade ore is much greater than the recovery loss due to coarser grinding on the lower grade ore. Since the majority of gold is being recovered at a higher rate, this results in higher overall plant gold recovery when compared to the traditional operation philosophy of blending the ore sources.The challenges for achieving the maximum benefits of split milling were two fold; the need to increase throughput on the open pit ore milling circuit and a means of grinding finer on the underground circuit. The former was met with an increase in SAG (Semi-Autogenous Grinding) mill ball charge, a basic “drill to mill” blasting campaign and changes to the primary gyratory crusher. The latter was met with a reduced SAG mill ball charge and a higher milling density. The resulting benefits in additional gold recovered are in the order of $3-5 million per annum.INTRODUCTIONThe Williams Mill processes ore from three different ore sources, the David Bell Mine (DB), the Williams Underground Mine (WUG) and the Williams Open Pit (OP). All three ore sources are located within the Hemlo camp in Northwestern Ontario adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway. The Williams Mill was built in the mid 1980’s at which time it was designed to process 3,000 dry metric tonnes per day through a 22’ SAG mill in series with a 16’ ball mill. In 1988 a Mill expansion doubled the mill capacity by adding a second identical grinding circuit. A photo of the current grinding circuit can be seen in Figure 1. Today the Williams Mill processes an average of 8,000 tonnes per day of which approximately 60% is from the Williams Open Pit."

Jan 1, 2010

How the Australasian and Canadian Codes (VALMIN and CIMVal) approach mineral property valuation is described. Brief comment is also made on the International Valuation Standards CommitteeÆs interest in a global valuation standard for Mineral (Extractive) Industries and the South African SAMREC initiatives to adopt a VALMIN-like Code. The conventional tripartite classification of valuation approaches into those that are Market-based, Income-based and Cost-based is outlined. It is best practice to use as many of these approaches as possible (and as many methods as reasonable in the particular circumstances), given the quantity and quality of the data available on the Mineral Asset (which depends upon the state of development of the mineral property). The use of specific methods must satisfy the basic considerations of logic and reasonableness and the purpose of the valuation. The competence, judgement and repute of the valuer are critical factors, since all valuations are time and circumstance specific. What constitutes æMarket ValueÆ in the different jurisdictions is discussed and definitions are given. Challenges facing the globalisation of a VALMIN-type Code for the international Minerals Industry are the influence of real estate valuers and the US jurisdictional idiosyncrasies. This is mainly due to a fixation on real property rights with a preference for using real estate-like comparative sales techniques (Market Approach) to the exclusion of Income-based approaches; a regulatory reluctance in the US to accept that Resources have considerable value; and the International Accounting Standards BoardÆs preference for Historical, rather than Current Value, accounting.

Jan 1, 2002

By Kiseong Hyeong, Young-Tak Ko, Gee Soo Kong

"The benthic environmental impact experiment addresses environmental impacts at a specific site related to deep-sea mineral resource development. For such a purpose, since 2010 we have carried out essential environmental research at both the BIS and a preservation site. We have acquired several tens multi- or box core samples at 32 sites within the BIS especially between 2011 and 2013, aiming to examine the basic properties of surficial deep-sea sediment as the potential source for deep-water plumes.In this study, we present physical the properties such as water content, shear strength and also geochemical properties such as major elements, rare earth elements (REEs), heavy metal contents at the BIS. Such proxies vary distinctly according to the Facies association. The lithology of all core sediments in the BIS corresponds to both Association Ib (Unit I/Unit II) and Association IIIb (Unit I/Unit III) on the basis of the KORDI classification (KORDI, 2004); Unit I is watery mud and dark grayish brown (10YR4/2) to dark brown (10YR4/3). Unit II is highly bioturbated mud and brownish yellow (10YR6/6). Unit III is very dark brown (10YR3/2) to black (10YR2/1) mud. Physical properties of these sediment types show that Association Ib is distinct from Association IIIb. The vertical profile of water content changed more sharply in Association IIIb probably due to compaction; water contents varied from 230 to 300% in Association Ib and changed from 200 to 250% in Association IIIb. The vertical profiles of shear strength are also quite different between Associations; the profile curve in Association IIb is much more gentle due to bioturbation."

Sep 1, 2014

By William R. Yernberg

The Fifth International Heavy Minerals Conference (HMC) was held Oct. 16-19, 2005, at the Marriott Sawgrass Resort in Ponte Vedra, FL. With SME as sponsor, the 2005 conference marked the first time that the HMC was held in North America. The conference is held every two years and provides an important forum for professionals in the heavy minerals and related industries to meet and discuss issues related to heavy mineral exploration, mining, processing and marketing. Previous locations included Australia and South Africa. The conference consisted of technical presentations, field trips to heavy mineral operations, a trade show and social activities. It was appropriate that Ponte Vedra was selected as the location for the conference. Ponte Vedra, located on the Atlantic Coast 17 km (10 miles) southeast of Jacksonville, FL, is the birthplace of heavy minerals mining in North America. Ponte Vedra beaches were mined from 1916 to 1929 in what was then called Mineral City. Though Ponte Vedra is now a golf and beach resort, there are still four heavy mineral mines operating within an hour’s drive. Today the Ponte Vedra Country Club and Golf Course is situated in the center of the former mining site.

Jan 1, 2006

By Craig Hartley

? A helper stands beside a continuous miner as the operator is at the controls. The operator means to push the stop button but hits the drum rotation start button by mistake. The drum begins to turn and the bits catch the helper's clothing. He is thrown violently to the ground and suffers multiple contusions. ? A farmer's wife helplessly watches her husband drawn into the claws of farm machinery while she frantically and unsucessfully searches for the control to stop the machine. ? A mechanic on the night shift replaces plugs in the lubrication systems of all three engines of an airliner following routine maintenance. In doing so', he fails to notice that "0" ring seals have not been mounted on the plugs. A few hours later, as the fully loaded airliner is cruising high over the ocean, oil pressure on one engine drops precipitously. The pilots quickly shut down the engine and turn for home. Almost immediately, the two remaining engines lose their oil and fail.

Jan 1, 1983

By C. L. Dake

AN insistent and steadily growing demand is evident for the broadening of undergraduate curricula in engineering. Among suggested additions are training in public speaking, report writing, business law and contracts, accounting, finance, money and banking, scientific management, economics, social and labor problems, psychology, and ethics. The demand for these subjects comes from the older engineers and from the industries that employ our graduates. Of course, many of the men who suggest such changes are influenced largely by their personal needs and contacts, but the demand is sufficiently widespread to merit serious study by educators. In fact, many educators themselves concur in the proposals for broader training. These matters were examined intensively a few years ago in an exhaustive study of engineering education. Opinion at that time was rather strongly against any profound change. Since then, however, the whole economic system has undergone violent disruption. Even if recommendations made a few years ago were appropriate to the conditions then- obtaining, the enormously changed conditions of the present make advisable a further careful study of this problem. In recent years, mergers, to reduce costs, have sharply limited the number of engineers employed and have thereby intensified the struggle to secure positions. In this stiffer competition, engineers with the most adequate training undoubtedly fare the best.

Jan 1, 1934

By Thomas E. Brown

Commercd explosives have evolved through this century f?om dynamite through ANFO to the current lines of Water Gels and Emulsions. Water Gels and Emulsions evolved to counter the lack of water resistance and density of ANFO yet maintain its low cost position verses dynamite. Today, explosives must be safe and inexpensive and perform under a wide range of temperatures, function efficiently in wet or dry boreholes and have a good shelf life. Emulsions meet this criterion, which is why they are the current trend products worldwide.

Jan 1, 1998

Mercury has been used by mankind since prehistoric times. It has been, and is now, widely used in industry and medicine and has unique properties which make direct substitution difficult or impossible. At present its principal uses are for electrical apparatus, control instruments, electrolytic soda preparation, mildew-proofing paints, pesticides, and medical and dental preparations. Deposits of mercury are less common than those of other base and precious metals, but some of the deposits are very large and have been ample to meet the world's past demands. The price of mercury has had many sharp fluctuations, but in general, the limited number of producers has resulted in a more stable price structure than that of many other commodities. The United States has been one of the main producers of mercury, and from 1850 to 1961 produced 3,247,704 flasks. Yearly production since World War II has varied from 4,535 to 38,067 flasks. An estimate of domestic resources of mercury producible at various price ranges was prepared for each mercury mine by combining specific knowledge of mercury mineralization with estimates of potential, based on geologic information and past production history. The sum of the individual estimates for each price range is shown in a table. A parallel estimate of nationwide production potential was made from a study of past price and production relationships. These were analyzed by plotting yearly production figures against the previous year's price, expressed in dollars of constant purchasing power. An equation was fitted to the data by mathematical means and was used to extend the curve into areas of higher than historic prices. Potential production rates at various price levels were taken from this graph. The estimated yearly production rates were used to make an estimate of total potential based on the premise that production rates and reserves have a proportionate relationship. The rate of developing mercury reserves during the period from January 1944 to January 1962 is considered, and it is shown that if this rate can be continued, the mercury resources of the United States, at a constant dollar price of $500 per flask, are adequate to support a production of 60,000 flasks per year for 30 or more years. This publication contains a history and description of the mercury industry in every State which has had production and individual descriptions of all mercury properties which have reported significant production. Accompanying tables give the important facts about all known mercury occurrences.

Jan 1, 1965

Mercury has been used by mankind since prehistoric times. It has been, and is now, widely used in industry and medicine and has unique properties which make direct substitution difficult or impossible. At present its principal uses are for electrical apparatus, control instruments, electrolytic soda preparation, mildew-proofing paints, pesticides, and medical and dental preparations. Deposits of mercury are less common than those of other base and precious metals, but some of the deposits are very large and have been ample to meet the world's past demands. The price of mercury has had many sharp fluctuations, but in general, the limited number of producers has resulted in a more stable price structure than that of many other commodities. The United States has been one of the main producers of mercury, and from 1850 to 1961 produced 3,247,704 flasks. Yearly production since World War I1 has varied from 4,535 to 38,067 flasks. An estimate of domestic resources of mercury producible at various price ranges was prepared for each mercury mine by combining specific knowledge of mercury mineralization with estimates of potential, based on geologic information and past production history. The sum of the individual estimates for each price range is shown in a table. A parallel estimate of nationwide production potential was made from a study of past price and production relationships. These were analyzed by plotting yearly production figures against the previous year's price, expressed in dollars of constant purchasing power. An equation was fitted to the data by mathematical means and was used to extend the curve into areas of higher than historic prices. Potential production rates at various price levels were taken from this graph. The estimated yearly production rates were used to make an estimate of total potential based on the premise that production rates and reserves have a proportionate relationship. The rate of developing mercury reserves during the period from January 1944 to January 1962 is considered, and it is shown that if this rate can be continued, the mercury resources of the United States, at a constant dollar price of $500 per flask, are adequate to support a production of 60,000 flasks per year for 30 or more years. This publication contains a history and description of the mercury industry in every State which has had production and individual descriptions of all mercury properties which have reported significant production. Accompanying tables give the important facts about all known mercury occurrences.

Jan 1, 1965

By S. L. Aaroe

"TYRETHANE PRODUCTSTyrethane® is the family brand name which has been adopted by The W. S. Tyler Company of Canada, Limited to identify its polyurethane products. Since we have been manufacturing Woven Wire Cloth for over one hundred years and have been the innovator for most of the product improvements and developments of that industry, it is only natural that our first and primary efforts involve the use of Tyrethane® as a screening medium. The product is ideal for application in the mining industry and other operations where the rate of wear on existing media is exceptionally high.In the event that you have already had some experience with polyurethane it should be poirted cut that there are many grades of the material. The polyurethane used in Tyrethane® Products will be compounded in a variety of chemistries and different heat treatments will be used to develop best mechanical properties to handle specific applications. However Tyrethane® will not be a ""cure all"" but when it is properly applied as a screening medium it will assist by lowering the unit cost for screened materials.Prior to an explanation of the advantages of Tyrethane® let's review the conventional screening media whose applications may be considered as good candidates for replacement by Tyrethane®.1.,Woven Wire Cloth.2.,Perforated metal screens.3.,Rubber faced perforated metal screens.4.,Perforated rubber screens.5.,Cast steel screen segments and weldiments.6.,Profile wire.In most cases a Tyrethane® section is designed for a one for one replacement of the material now being used. It is rarely necessary to modify the screening equipment to enable you to install the Tyrethane® Product although it may be desirable to take some steps to improve the service life of hold down components such as Clamping Strips or Tension Members. Those parts can be encapsulated in polyurethane if necessary.To fabricate the Tyrethane® section we have three basic building blocks. They are: (1) Small molded segments having square or slotted openings, (2) Reinforcing material and (3) the raw liquid polyurethane."

Jan 1, 1976

By William J. Purdy

Successful design, operation and completion of a surface waste management facility for a diamond mine located in Canada?s northern environment requires careful planning to minimize short and long term environmental impacts. As part of the mine development application process, best practice standards were applied using conventional engineering to reduce the environmental effects of the mine waste facility at the Snap Lake Diamond Project. This paper presents the design criteria, site conditions, material characteristics and engineering management objectives considered for optimization of the development plan. Insight into the engineering analyses, development alternatives, monitoring program and reclamation strategy plan to be undertaken during mine operations to provide opportunity for adaptive management and to minimize environmental impacts is provided.

May 1, 2004

Remote sensing methods have been used to evaluate vegetative growth patterns for many applications, though relatively little work has focused on tracking mine reclamation progress. For coal mines in Central Appalachia, reclamation approaches that include production of biofuel feedstocks are increasingly attractive, as these may yield significant post-mining land values and contribute to carbon-neutral energy supplies. To optimize productivity, the influence of reclamation parameters must be well understood ? which necessitates tracking biomass production over long time periods. Satellite-based estimations may offer low-cost alternatives to conventional biomass appraisals, and also the potential to provide critical input for carbon accounting at varied spatial scales. In this paper, we use biomass production experimental plots on reclaimed mine sites established by the Powell River Project (PRP) for a comparative study between satellite measurements of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and inventory estimates of biomass under a variety of conditions. The PRP is a unique public-private partnership in the coalfields of southwestern Virginia dedicated to enhancing beneficial use and environmental protection of mined lands.

Feb 27, 2013

By Christopher J. Pacitto

This paper presents a case history of an engineered, monitored, and tested program that provided an effective and satisfactory basis for the completion of pile foundations for Twin Dolphins 1 at La Peninsula Condominiums located in the Isles of Capri in southwest Florida, U.S.A. An 8-story building (withl-story parking underneath) along with recreational facilities (such as a swimming pool and tennis courts) had been planned for final construction. Following an evaluation of various foundation alternatives, a precast prestressed concrete (PPC) pile-supported system was selected. The building foundations were designed for pile capacities of 445kN (50 tons) and 890kN (100 tons) in compression and 133kN (15 tons) in uplift. A test pile program was performed to provide site-specific pile driving data, verify design assumptions, determine production pile lengths, and evaluate pile driving criteria. A total of 24, 356 mm (14-in.) square, 19.8 m (65 ft) PPC concrete piles were driven and dynamically load tested utilizing a Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA) within the building limits. Dynamic monitoring during probe pile installation and restriking was performed to estimate the ultimate capacity of the piles and to evaluate driving stresses during installation. CAPWAP analyses were preformed on PDA data to better estimate pile capacity, resistance distribution, and predict pile freeze (increase in pile resistance with time) and thus optimized the production pile lengths. Upon completion of probe pile installation, 12 of the probe piles were tested using the Pile Echo Tester (PET) function of the Pile Integrity Sonic Analyzer (PISA). PET testing was performed to evaluate the integrity of piles which had exhibited high driving stresses during PDA testing. Information gathered during the probe pile driving program was effectively utilized as part of the overall quality control program to install a total of 539 PPC piles (including 24 probe piles) within the building limits at the project site to depths ranging from 9.1 to 19.8 m (30 to 65 ft) below the existing ground elevation as part of the foundation support system. Prior to installation of probe or production piles, a termination criterion was established using 1-dimensional wave equation analyses in addition to the design pile embedment requirement. The predicted pile capacities compared very well with the capacities from the CAPWAP analysis for probe piles. Use of geotechnical instrumentation and PDA assisted technology enabled each foundation support element to be constructed to its optimum capacity and at optimum cost. Furthermore, by using PDA the consultant was able to quantify a difficult to measure geotechnical phenomenon termed "pile freeze" which eliminated costly overdriving and unnecessary splicing of piles.

Jan 1, 2002

By S. A. H Tyrrell, R. Rotzinger

"Taseko Mines Limited recommenced operation of the Gibraltar copper-molybdenum mine in 2004 and embarked on series of development projects to modernize the mine and increase throughput capacity. The Gibraltar Development Plan 3 (GDP3) project included a second stand-alone copper-molybdenum concentrator, a stand-alone molybdenum separation plant and associated services. Ausenco was contracted to commence the detailed design in 2Q2011, commissioning commenced in 4Q2012 and first ore was processed in 1Q2013. This paper discusses the design, implementation and commissioning of the GDP3 Concentrator.INTRODUCTION The Gibraltar Mine (Gibraltar) property is located in the Cariboo Region of south central British Columbia, approximately 360 kilometers northeast of Vancouver. The site is accessed via an 18 kilometer paved road from the town of McLeese Lake, which is located on the province’s main north-south highway between the cities of Williams Lake and Quesnel. Gibraltar was originally developed by Placer Development and commenced production in 1972. Gibraltar was acquired, while on care and maintenance, by Taseko Mines Limited (Taseko) in 1999 during a period of unusually low metal prices. Taseko recommenced operations at Gibraltar in 2004, and embarked on series of development projects to modernize the mine and increase throughput capacity. The 1972 Gibraltar process flowsheet incorporated two-stage crushing followed by rod and ball milling and flotation. In 2008 Gibraltar completed their first development stage that included the installation of a SAG mill, converting the existing rod mills to ball mills and adding additional flotation capacity. Gibraltar continued development with the installation of an in-pit primary crusher, expansion of the bulk regrind circuit, expansion of the cleaner flotation circuit, replacement of the tailings pumping system and replacement of the concentrate filters and dryer."

Jan 1, 2014