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By A. Rejeb

ABSTRACT: This paper contributes to the study of underground structures in argillaceous media, especially Tournemire argillites (Aveyron, France). The basic results obtained over six years in two experimental drifts at the Tournemire site are presented. In situ measurements cover drift wall temperature, humidity and convergence. Delayed convergence represents around 50-65% of the total measured convergence. Analysis of the measurements has shown that delayed convergence is explained by the viscoplastic behaviour of the argillaceous formations. Lemaitre’s rheological model has been extended to the orthotropic case, as Tournemire argillite is naturally anisotropic. The triaxial creep test results on samples at different orientations enabled the parameters of the Tournemire argillite to be identified in terms of orthotropic viscoplastic law. A plane deformation model, using this rheological law and the initial stress field in the site, was developed to interpret the convergence measurements in the drifts. The computed results match the measurements well, especially during the excavation phase. KEY WORDS: Argillite, convergence, time-dependent behaviour, creep, viscoplasticity, modelling. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Der vorliegende Artikel ist ein Beitrag zur Untersuchung der unterirdischen Strukturen tonhaltiger Milieus, insbesondere der Tongesteine von Tournemire (Aveyron, Frankreich). Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse, die in zwei Forschungsstrecken am Standort Tournemine über einen Beobachtungszeitraum von sechs Jahren zusammengetragen wurden, werden hier vorgestellt. Gemessen wurden in situ Temperatur, Feuchtigkeit und Streckenkonvergenz. Von der insgesamt gemessenen Konvergenz sind etwa 50 bis 65 % auf zeitlich verzögerte Konvergenz zurückzuführen. Die Auswertung aller Messungen hat ergeben, dass die zeitverzögerte Konvergenz mit dem viskos-plastischen Verhalten des Tonsteinmassivs zu erklären ist. Aufgrund der naturgemäßen Anisotropie des Tongesteins von Tournemine wurde das rheologische Modell von Lemaitre auf den orthotropen Fall ausgedehnt. Triaxiale Kriechversuche bei jeweils unterschiedlicher Ausrichtung dienten der Ermittlung der einzelnen Parameter des orthotropen, viskos-plastischen Gesetzes. Zur Auswertung der Konvergenzmessungen innerhalb der beiden Strecken wurde unter Beachtung dieses rheologischen Modells sowie des ursprünglichen Spannungszustands vor Ort ein flächiges Deformationsmodell entwickelt. Die Rechenergebnisse zeigen eine gute Übereinstimmung mit den Messungen, insbesondere während der Vortriebsphase. SCHLÜSSELWÖRTER: Tongestein, Konvergenz, zeitlich verzögertes Verhalten, Kriechen, Viskoplastizität, Modellbildung. RESUME : Cet article est une contribution à l’étude des structures souterraines dans les milieux argileux, notamment les argilites de Tournemire (Aveyron, France). Les principaux résultats obtenus pendant six années, dans deux galeries d’expérimentation au site de Tournemire, sont présentés. Ces mesures portent sur la température, l’humidité et la convergence des parements des galeries. La convergence différée représente environ 50 à 65% de la convergence totale mesurée. L’analyse de l’ensemble des mesures a montré que la convergence différée est interprétée par le comportement viscoplastique du massif argileux. Etant donné que l’argilite de Tournemire est naturellement anisotrope, le modèle rhéologique de Lemaitre a été étendu au cas orthotrope. Les résultats des essais de fluage triaxial, sur des échantillons à différentes orientations, ont permis de déterminer les paramètres de la loi viscoplastique orthotrope. Un modèle en déformation plane, utilisant cette loi rhéologique et l’état de contrainte initiale dans le site, a été développé en vue d’interpréter les mesures de convergence dans les galeries. Les résultats des calculs sont en bon accord avec les mesures et plus particulièrement durant la phase de creusement. MOTS-CLEFS : argilite, convergence, comportement différé, fluage, viscoplasticité, modélisation.

Jan 1, 2003

A new system for granting access to mineral rights is proposed in the recently released White Paper, ?A Minerals and Mining Policy for South Africa?. Official policy states that ?Government?s long-term objective is for all mineral rights to vest in the State for the benefit of and on behalf of all the people of South Africa?. In order to achieve this objective, government is presently investigating the feasibility of imposing a financial or tax-related disincentive to holding mineral rights. The paper aims to present the pros and cons and to examine the alternatives which will cause minimal disruption to the minerals industry in the period during which mineral rights are transferred to the State. South Africa is a country whose economic and political history is embedded in the development of its mineral resources and has inherited a system which cannot simply be wished away. Hasty or radical decisions will compound the problem, rather than provide a lasting and widely acceptable solution. Mineral rights ownership and its impact on access to mineral deposits are discussed. Taxation as a possible economic disincentive is also evaluated. Finally, the value of mineral resource related information as a prerequisite to mineral policy decisions and as an alternative to mineral rights taxation is emphasized.

Jan 1, 1999

By K. C. Armstrong, A. B. Cron, L. A. Melis

"The Johnny Mountain gold mine in northern British Columbia, owned by skyline Gold Corporation, has been in operation since August 1988. Mill operating difficulties at the start of the operation resulted in a depleted cash flow situation and quick improvements were required to generate a self-sustaining financial basis of operation. In October 1988, Melis Engineering Ltd. was contracted to identify metallurgical difficulties, implement necessary modifications, and undertake mill operations and personnel training in order to achieve production targets.This paper presents the operating difficulties which existed at start-up and describes the methodology used to overcome production problems. Metallurgical testing results are described along with the modifications made to the milling circuit to suit ore metallurgy. Plant changes led to the operation of a simple gravity/flotation circuit to recover gold as bullion and in a copper concentrate. Operation of the originally installed cyanidation circuit was discontinued. This contributed to substantial savings in operating costs and virtually eliminated environmental problems. PROPERRTY LOCATION ANR DESCRIPTIONThe Johnny Mountain mine site is located in northern British Columbia along the Iskuit River about 60 km east of Wrangell, Alaska and 275 km north of Terrace, B. C.. A location map is presented in Figure 1 and a site plan is shown in Figure 2. The complex is located on a mountain plateau about 3, 600 feet above sea level. The plateau is flanked to the north by Johnny Mountain and surrounded on the other sides by steep cliffs."

Jan 1, 1990

By S. Nikolic, G. M. Stieper, D. P. Mallah, B. J. Hogg, P. B. Voigt

Copper feed materials processing is becoming more challenging, due to an incremental increase in the mineralogical and compositional complexity of these feeds. These complex and polymetallic feeds are now becoming more common and many sites have been forced to re-evaluate their operating strategies to process these materials at cost competitive rates, whilst meeting ever more stringent environmental regulations. Most operations must first evaluate the merits of pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical treatment routes. Although there are multiple copper smelting technologies available, only top-submerged lance (TSL) technology, supplied by Glencore Technology as ISASMELT™, has been applied in the real world to consistently and successfully smelt complex materials in integrated metallurgical facilities such as Glencore’s Kazzinc Ltd. operation in Kazakhstan, Umicore Precious Metals Refining in Belgium and Aurubis AG in Germany. Glencore Technology also offers hydrometallurgical processing, through the Albion Process™ technology, opening up viable flowsheet options previously not possible for these complex feeds. This paper describes a number of real world process flowsheets at global operations and Glencore’s own operations at Mount Isa and Kazzinc Ltd., which process complex feeds. These flowsheets integrate the ISASMELT™, Albion Process™, ISACONVERT™, ISAKIDD™ Tank house, and bottom blown oxygen cupel (BBOC™) technologies to provide an effective process solution for the treatment of complex polymetallic feeds to produce metallic copper and associated by-products. INTRODUCTION Traditional smelters and those built in recent times within the bulk smelting hubs of the world have been designed to treat standard/clean concentrates. In recent years the processing of complex polymetallic sulfide concentrates and the recycling of secondary copper and derivatives of waste electrical and electronic equipment, such as e-scrap, have become a focus for numerous companies (Alvear & Nikolic, 2013). Processing of these complex feeds, characterized by relatively high levels of minor elements (over 5% of elements such as arsenic, antimony, bismuth, lead and zinc) is more challenging. Facilities not designed for these types of materials may require significant modifications or a change in smelting technology to treat them. Often operations find themselves re-evaluating the merits of pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical treatment routes for their sites through a number of factors:

Jan 1, 2019

To allow routine measuring of the exposure of underground workers to N02 from diesel engines and residual gases from blasting. The Approach: A miniature sampler absorbs NO2 which can be measured using a simple method adaptable to both multiple automatic analyses or individual on-site analysis. How It Works: The NO2 sampler is encased in a plastic tube approximately half the length of an ordinary ball point pen and clipped to an underground worker's hard hat. Removal of the end cap activates the personal sampler. Air from the working place enters the open end and diffuses at a controlled rate down the tube interior. The diffusion rate is dependent on tube dimensions (ratio of cross-sectional area to length). The closed end of the tube contains stainless steel mesh which is coated with triethanolamine (TEA) for absorbtion of all NO2 reaching it. Other oxides of nitrogen are not absorbed. The amount

Jan 1, 1975

By R. N. Chakravorty, K. K. Feng

"There is growing evidence that modern methods of mining coal increase the risk of spontaneous combustion. Seemingly unimportant at this time, this hazard could prove to be a barrier to growth and development of the coal industry in some areas of Canada. The paper presents bedrock knowledge on spontaneous combustion gathered by scanning and evaluating current technical and research literature. Special efforts have been made to identify significant coal and environmental factors and to establish criteria for susceptibility. In addition to the state-of-the-art knowledge, preliminary results from on-going studies are discussed."

Jan 1, 1973

By Ian Gordon Hall

El presente texto describe el proceso de recuperación de las partículas ultrafinas de casiterita en los relaves de la mina San Rafael a través de diversas pruebas metalúrgicas, donde se usaron dos tipos de concentradores centrífugos, los cuales indicaron la posibilidad de una recuperación de 50%, produciendo concentrados de 50% Sn. Asímismo, se instala una planta piloto donde se verifica el proceso de las distintas configuraciones y combinación de equipos, como el efecto de las cargas circulantes. Paralelo a ello, se realizan pruebas para aumentar la ley de los concentrados primarios y así obtener concentrados finales a través de concentración gravimétrica.

Sep 12, 2005

By David Clarry

?The issue ?reduction requirement ?Planning abatement steps ?Energy Management & Energy Efficiency ?Energy Recovery / Utilization ?Alternative Energy Professional Services Overview ?Capital Projects and Construction ?Project Development and Planning ?Engineering ?Project management ?Construction management ?Consulting ?Process ?Business ?Environmental ?Technology ?Operational Services ?In-house engineering services for operations

May 1, 2009

By K. Oraee

A comprehensive, harmonic and sustainable development has always been a real concern of state policy makers. To reach such development, regional planning is an approach which is widely applied. This paper deals with policies adopted by a given country with rich mineral deposits, in order to accomplish a mining growth as well as economic development in relatively poor regions. In this regards, first, some worldwide experiences belonging to China, with large scale mining operations and Nigeria with a small scale mining industry, are studied. The mining industry in Iran is then considered as a case study. The study continues by categorizing and prioritizing Iranian regions based on their mining potential and the degree of development, using statistical analysis and Taxonomy and AHP techniques. Results obtained serve to provide recommendations as to where capital investments in the mining industry would produce highest returns. The approach used, together with the practical policies suggested in this paper, can be used to adapt appropriate strategies for mining development in a way that contributes to regional development and a more effective income distribution.

Jan 1, 2012

By Gerry Houlahan

The east span of the 3.5 km long SF-Oakland Bay Bridge is supported by different types of foundations along its span. Starting from the west, its first 460 m section comprising twin concrete box-girders is supported by sands and rock on Yerba Buena Island. A 620 m long steel suspension span then bridges a 25 m deep channel that is formed in sediments overlying rock. Twin concrete box girder structures, each 2.4 km long, complete the stretch over the remainder of San Francisco Bay to the engineered earth fill landing at its east end. For most of its length, the Skyway bridges water 3 to 10 m deep over soft surficial Young Bay Mud. The foundation types include spread footings with hold-downs, steel and concrete piles that are set in drilled rock sockets up to 3 m in diameter and 2.5 m diameter steel tubular piles driven to penetrations of up to 100 m. The design and construction-related considerations are presented. The different foundation types, influences of the site geology and earthquake demands on the substructures are discussed. The seismic motions of the bridge superstructures and substructures, as well as the depth-varying soil motions, influenced the foundation design. Together with performance-based design criteria, including post-earthquake footing displacement limits, these seismic demands influenced various aspects of the foundation design, including the use of battered and vertical piles.

Jan 1, 2005

By Janne P. Isohaka, Anssi M. Laaksonen

"Abstract In Scandinavia the use of steel pipe piles in bridge foundations started in the mid-1980s and has increased steadily since. As the piles driven in soft soils are slender, they can fail by buckling. Buckling usually requires taking into account the second order effect in structural and geotechnical design.The purpose of this paper is to derive formulas for demonstrating the theory behind the formulas given in literature for the second order effect of initially bent piles.IntroductionIn Scandinavian countries solid bedrock usually lies at moderate depth. If the bridge site is in an area where the soil above the bedrock is soft, the bridge is usually founded on end-bearing piles resting on the bedrock.The main purpose of the piles is to transfer axial forces into bearing soil. Like columns, piles can lose their stability by buckling when surrounded by soft soil. When axial compression on a slender, initially straight, pile reaches a particular value called the critical load, the pile is subjected to lateral deflection and loses stability. The soil around the pile suffers a corresponding deformation. This soilstructure interaction increases the critical load compared to a pile without surrounding soil.It is very unlikely that piles are ideally straight. Initial curvature along with curvature and deviation caused by the installation of piles causes bending moments to the pile when normal force is applied. These lateral displacements increase when normal force increases. This increase of moment is called asecond order effect.Eurocode and literatureEurocode 7 includes guidelines for the design of piles (Eurocode 3, section 5 includes design of steel piles). However, there are no clear guidelines for considering the second order effects related to piles surrounded by soil. Eurocodes advise doing structural design of piles the same way as in the case of columns. With columns, the second order effect is taken into consideration by multiplying the first order moment with the factor shown below (SFS EN-1992-1-1, 2005):"

Jan 1, 2014

By J. L. Konchesky

The technical feasibility of gasifying powdered, noncoking, low-rank coal with steam in an externally heated tube has been demonstrated. The tube, 112 ft. of alloy-steel tubing shaped into a helix, served as an electrical conductor of electricity used for heating. The effects of the following variables were studied: Residence time of coal in reactor, average reaction temperature, steam concentration, and rank or geologic age of coal. Reaction pressure was maintained in the range 19-26 p.s.i.a. High carbon conversions and large yields of synthesis gas were obtained with low-rank coal. In one test, for example, about 88 pct. of the carbon in a subbituminous C coal was gasified at 1,910* F. with a residence time of 1 sec. The gas contained 58 pct. H2, 19 COD 15 CO, and 3 CH4; the yield was 30 cu. ft. (at 32' F. and 14.7 p.s.i.) of synthesis gas (CO + H2) per pound of dry coal.

Jan 1, 1960

About MAC ? The national organization of the Canadian mining industry ? Mining, smelting and refining of base and precious metals ? Mining of iron ore, diamonds, uranium, oil sands, coal and industrial minerals ? Many associate members ? www.mining.ca

Aug 1, 2013

By D. Randolph Berry

Foster-Miller Associates has developed a set of guidelines to permit hoist manufacturers, mine owners, and MESA mine inspectors to design, purchase, install or inspect a safe and effective Emergency Escape Hoist, as required by the Coal Mine Health and Safety act of 1969. A series of surveys were carried out to determine: 1. The attitudes and local needs of the MESA District Managers. 2. Current escape hoist installations. 3. Equipment available for future designs. 4. Foreign methods and equipment for mine rescue. From these survey studies, preliminary guideline objectives were developed.

Jan 1, 2012

By Robert E. Hershey

1. Estimates of reserves were made for three coal beds in Hamilton County the - Lantana, Sewanee, and Richland. Nine coal beds have been mined at one time or another in the county, but not enough information was available to estimate reserves in any beds other than the three given. 2. Known measured and indicated reserves for all beds, based on a minimum thickness of 14 inches and on 1,800 short tons per acre-foot of coal in place, are estimated to be 53 million tons as of January 1, 1954. Of this total 35 million tons is in beds 28 inches and more thick. Areas in each bed were omitted from the estimate because available data relative to the bed characteristics were insufficient for making an estimate conforming with the definitions of measured and indicated coal adopted for this study. Should future drilling or development prove re-serves in these areas, such reserves should be added to the total estimated reserves determined by this investigation.

Jan 1, 1956

By V Morand, W R. H Ramsay

Structural, mineralogical, and textural data from the Tarnagulla Goldfield demonstrate that the area has undergone three significant phases of deformation. The first phase of deformation (D1) predates the intrusion of the Tarnagulla pluton, which has been dated using K/Ar as 391 ¦ 5MY. We regard this pre-granite deformational event as the major regional deformation. Gold-bearing quartz veins have been deposited in dilational sites on west-dipping reverse faults. These sites demonstrate a geometry related both to faulting associated with D1 and the plunge of the F1 fold axes. This evidence, together with chronology of unmineralised ? D2 and D3 faults, the absence of quartz veining associated with D3 events, and the deformation of carbonate-quartz-biotite-sulphide aggregates within Sl by later S2, lead us to conclude that the bulk of the mineralisation was essentially syn- or late D1 . d18O values for fluids in equilibrium with vein quartz from Central Victoria have indicated equivocal support for either a magmatic or metamorphic origin. Our evidence supports a pre-magmatic origin for mineralisation at Tarnagulla and hence tends to favour a metamorphic fluid source.

Jan 1, 1995

By Gregory J. Chekan

This Bureau of Mines report presents three methods for designing bulkheads to impound water underground: (1) thin and thick plate design; (2) South African plug design; and (3) single and double bulkhead seal design. Related areas critical to the long-term effectiveness of underground water impoundments are also addressed. These include bulk-head anchorage, concrete specifications and placement, the grouting of permeable strata, and the sizing of barrier pillars. A case study involving hydrostatic tests conducted on a single bulkhead seal constructed in the Safety Research Coal Mine of the Bureau's Pittsburgh Research Center is presented in an appendix.

Jan 1, 1985

By E. O. Ávila-Davila, F. R. Barrientos-Hernández, I. A. Lira -Hernández, Miguel Pérez-Labra, M. Reyes-Pérez, J. Antonio Romero-Serrano

Slag from smelting reduction processes were characterized by chemical analysis, XRD, SEM-EDS and XRF. The results revealed Ag concentrations of 362 g/t of slag, the slag mineralogical characterization by XRD and SEM-EDS showed mineralogical species oxidized complex containing Pb, Zn, Ca, Si, Fe, As, S in its structure, silver was found in globules associated lead in the slag and the furutobeite specie. The leaching study was conducted to evaluate process variables such as NaCN concentration: from 7.8x10-3M - 1.26x10-1M, temperature: 25-50°C, particle size: +140 mesh to -400 mesh, stirring speed of 750 rpm - 900 rpm. All studies were performed with a NaOH concentration of 0.2 M. The optimal values of silver recovery encountered in conditions of 7.8x10-3M NaCN, agitation rate of 750 rpm, temperature of 35°C and with a treatment time of 240 min. We also observed that a particle size -400 mesh will have optimum recoveries compared to +140 mesh, +200, +270 and +325.

Jan 1, 2015

The Mahakipawa gold deposit is located 21 km northwest of Blenheim. It became the site of a small hardrock gold rush in 1889 following nearby alluvial gold discoveries in 1888. The study investigates the geology of the area of hard rock mining in the vicinity between Cullens and Waikakaho Creeks. The Marlborough Schist which hosts the gold depos, it consists of polydeformed greenschist facies quartzofeldspathic psammitic, pelitic and volcanigenic schist.

Jan 1, 1993

By J. J. Dowd

1. The Pittsburgh bed is the most important bed in Brooke County and virtually the entire production of coal in the county comes from this bed. 2. Known measured and indicated reserves in all beds, based on a minimum thickness of 14 inches and 1,800 tons per acre-foot of coal in place, are estimated at 191 million short tons as of January 1, 1954. Of this total, 190 million short tons are in beds 28 inches and more thick. Areas in each bed were omitted from the estimate because available data relative to the bed characteristics are too meager to make an estimate that conforms with the definitions of measured and indicated coal adopted for this study. Should future drilling or development prove reserves in these areas, such reserves should be added to the total estimated reserves.

Jan 1, 1955