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By Rong. G., T. Q. Lin, W. Du

Based on analysis of the evolutionary history of the valley in Baihetan, the mechanism of asymmetrical evolution, gradual migration-incision evolved from left bank to the right, is revealed in Baihetan river valleys. The process of in-situ stress evolution is carried out by using the Universal Distinct Element Code (UDEC). Consequently, the numerical results which indicate the main regulations of that stress field are as follow: (1) The phenomenon termed "high in-situ stress fold" appears in the bottom of the valley. With the maximum principal stress being 28-34 MPa, the stress increases significantly at a vertical depth of approximately 130 m. (2) The in-situ stress presents zonal distribution along the bank slope. It is apparent that the in-situ stress field consists of stress relaxation zone (SRZ), stress concentration zone (SCZ) and original stress zone (OSZ). The horizontal depth of stress relaxation zone varies from the left bank (roughly 200 m) to the right (about 120 m). Furthermore, the stress evolution of the left bank slope is studied. As a result, it is found that asymmetrical erosion contributes to the difference of the in-situ stress distribution as a critical factor, between the left bank and the right. And for an asymmetrical valley, the evolutionary process of in-situ stress field is a circular procedure, which includes the incision of valley, the accumulation of landslides and the migration of valley.

Jan 1, 2015

By Z. Yang, M. J. Collins, N. E. Tuffrey, R. J. Kalanchey, I. M. Masters

The high elevation of China Western Mining Company (WMC)' s Ganhe refinery, and the high iron content of concentrates produced by the WMC mines, were key factors in the selection of pressure leaching by WMC for their new zinc refinery. This paper describes the results of pressure leaching test work conducted by Sherritt in Fort Saskatchewan with a sample of WMC concentrate from Qinghai Province in China. Results from batch pressure leach tests and a four-day pilot plant campaign are reported. The pilot plant campaign included continuous operation of a two-stage pressure leach circuit, as well as neutralization and iron removal steps, resulting in the production of iron-free zinc sulphate solution. Greater than 98% zinc extraction was achieved in pressure leaching, while producing solution containing about 9 g/L H2SO4 and 2 g/L Fe. Following neutralization and iron removal, the solution contained about 170 g/L Zn and less than 10 mg/L Fe. Overall recovery of sulphur in the zinc concentrate feed to elemental sulphur byproduct was about 85%, while 75 to 80% of the indium in the feed was recoverable from the neutralization residue. The test results highlighted the technical and economic advantages offered by the Sherritt Zinc Pressure Leach Process and provided the required data for the engineering design.

Jan 1, 2008

By N. Pajunen, R. Mäkikoskela

"The current state of environment has been achieved by acting linearly. At the same time, we know that transition towards circular economy cannot be made the same way that we have used to, trusting only a market economy and economic growth. Environmental improvements have been promoted, some progress has been made, but major steps towards sustainability have not been taken. Industry is now facing significant change, from process related environmental thinking to product-based environmental thinking.Engineers make decisions which have lifelong influence and even longer on environment and society. Material engineers in case of saving natural resources and increasing material cycle, have an important role to play in the transition towards sustainability. Best knowledge of minerals and materials is in the material development phase. If we want to increase the cycle of different materials, it is vital to make decisions towards circular economy in early phase of product´s life cycle.The target of this study is to promote circular economy; to increase material efficiency; to save natural resources; and to extend product lifecycles in process industry via product design and material development. In this study we have a new kind of cooperation. We combine two disciplines, engineering science and fine arts. We promote sustainability via breaking out the silos. We bring the cyclic artistic thinking into engineering science and environmental research. The new research combination makes the existing information visible in a new way, and it will change attitudes and ways to act by means other than traditional linear rationality.We have tested the new working method via the industrial case study with the chosen product: the sandwich panel of construction industry. The target of the study was to create something new from the chosen product with artistic thinking. The working method will be presented in this paper."

Jan 1, 2016

By L. V. Chugaev, Y. M. Shneerson, P. V. Zaytsev, I. V. Fomenko, M. A. Pleshkov

"Pressure oxidation (POX) is one of the most common and reliable methods of processing gold-bearing sulfide concentrates. However, when processing concentrates that contain natural carbonaceous matter, substantial gold losses occur due to autoclave preg-robbing. The latter involves formation of gold chloride complexes under typical POX conditions (high temperatures, high acidity and high ORP) and subsequent sorption of these complexes by carbonaceous matter. Naturally, chloride ion plays a significant role in the process of autoclave preg-robbing; its concentration in POX solution has a well-marked effect on subsequent gold recovery during cyanidation of POX residue. The previous research done by SRC Hydrometallurgy showed that autoclave preg-robbing of gold could be significantly inhibited by the addition of mercury(II) compounds to POX slurry. The positive effect of mercury(II) was well pronounced both at high (>20 mg/L) and low (<5 mg/L) Cl concentrations in POX solution. The successful bench-scale laboratory testing was followed by pilot plant trials at Ore Test Facility in Blagoveshchensk, Russia. The present paper provides the results of these trials. The bench-scale testing results were verified; the optimum oxidizing parameters and reagent dosage were specified. The behavior of mercury (II) at POX pilot plant was found to be in good consistency with industrial practice described in the literature.INTRODUCTION Pressure oxidation (POX) is one of the most common, reliable, and commercially proven methods of processing gold-bearing sulfide ores and concentrates. However, when processing double refractory materials that contain natural carbonaceous matter, POX technology advantages are compromised by autoclave preg-robbing of gold. The latter occurs when natural organic carbon and soluble halides are both present in autoclave feed. Strongly oxidizing conditions of POX (high temperature, oxidation-reduction potential or ORP, and acidity) favor formation of gold-halide (mostly, gold-chloride) complexes, which tend to bond with carbonaceous matter. The exact nature and mechanism of this bonding is unknown, but as the result of this, cyanide is unable to leach gold from POX residue and the precious metal is lost to the tails (Axenov et al., 2014; Dimov, Chryssoulis, & Sodhi, 2003; Fomenko, Zaytsev, Pleshkov, Chugaev, & Shneerson, 2013)."

Jan 1, 2017

By D. F. Malan

"This document highlights some of the topical problems associated with the design and support of deep tabular excavations in hard rock. The displacement discontinuity boundary element method has been used for at least five decades to analyse stress and displacement distributions around narrow width excavations with complex plan outlines. The assumption is made in most cases that the rock mass surrounding the excavation is perfectly elastic. Although this approach works well to minimise stress concentrations in practice, it has limitations as important parameters, such as the effect of mining rate, cannot be investigated. Recently, a limit equilibrium model has been studied as a means to enhance standard layout design exercises by including an interactive on-reef damage model. This approach can include explicit energy release dissipation computations. A second problem faced by engineers in the mining industry is the evaluation of pillar and remnant stress. The paper highlights two aspects namely the effect of element size in displacement discontinuity modeling on pillar stress and the difficulty to estimate the effect of total closure on the regeneration of stress in old mining areas. Regarding the support of the tabular excavations, current efforts are focussed on providing improved aerial coverage using hangingwall bolting and temporary nets. An unresolved issue is the installation of permanent mesh in low stoping width areas. INTRODUCTIONSince 1886, more than 50 000 tons of gold has been mined in the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa (Hartnady, 2009). The nearby platinum mines also saw significant growth in recent years and more than 80% of the world’s platinum group metal reserves are contained in the Bushveld Complex of South Africa (Nell, 2004). Apart from the economic aspects, the mines served as an outstanding rock engineering “laboratory” for many decades owing to the deep, tabular nature of the excavations. The period from 1960 to 1980 was especially lucrative in terms of research and world-renowned researchers investigated the support and rockburst problems (e.g. see Cook et al., 1966; Salamon, 1968; Bienawski, 1973; Wagner, 1984). Many of the rock-related problems nevertheless persist up to the present day and this paper explores some of these problems and recent progress. The production of gold declined substantially in recent years (Hartnady, 2009) and well-directed rock engineering research can play a meaningful role to slow this trend. The objective of the document is to highlight critical areas requiring additional research and not to discuss the topics in detail. The reader is referred to the many references for additional information. The paper only focuses on three areas namely numerical modelling, pillar stress estimation and aerial support. Although these are diverse topics, it is included in one paper to illustrate the many unsolved and practical problems associated with deep tabular excavations."

Jan 1, 2015

By H. Wotruba, L. von Ketelhodt, M. Kowalzcyk, M. Robben

ABSTRACT Decreasing reserves, water shortages, increasing energy costs, and environmental and social constraints are challenges to the gold mining industry that must be met with innovative machines and methods. This paper introduces the principles of sensor-based sorting and installations that demonstrate the technical and financial viability of the method. The scenarios discussed highlight the potential and advantages of this dry processing technology that requires little infrastructure. Case studies are presented for different ore types using optical- and X-ray transmission–based sorting. Current research is discussed in terms of the potential of near-infrared spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence sorting for gold applications.

Jan 1, 2013

By Dwayne D. Tannant

The Adra tunnel near Naramata BC experienced a fire in 2010 that burned timber sets within the tunnel and caused severe spalling of rock from the roof and tunnel walls. The nature of the damage is documented and efforts completed to rehabilitate and open a portion of this tunnel to the public are described. The use of shortcrete and rock bolts is a technically and economically superior support system to timber sets as well as being far more fire resistant.

Jun 1, 2012

By Roger V. Pierce

IN the last few years, much study has been devoted to increasing stoping efficiency. The reasons for this are shortage of manpower, shorter working hours, operating regulations, and shortages of essential materials. More efficiency in mining methods is needed to offset these adverse factors. In the past, attention has been centred upon haulage, hoisting equipment, mill flow-sheets, etc., but recently the spotlight has been focused on the cost of stoping and the cost of handling materials. Scrapers and scraper hoists have thus assumed greater importance. In order to make it possible for certain orebodies to be mined at a profit, it has been necessary to apply assembly-line practices to the streamlining of mining methods. All cycles of the mining operation must balance, and the sooner broken ore is removed from the working face, the sooner another round can be started. Since the introduction of scraper hoists in metal mines more than thirty years ago, much progress has been made in their design and application. Alert operators are now constantly watching for methods in which to apply scrapers. The saving of manpower in development work and the changing of mining methods that once employed manual handling of materials are increasing vital wartime tonnages. Essential ores from newly discovered orebodies are moving rapidly from stopes to reduction plants-because it is now possible to develop an orebody and place it in production with a minimum of manpower and development work. Today, speed is one of the prime essentials o mining. Everywhere, there is a concentrated effort to use experienced miners in breaking rock, in timbering, and in carrying out the various phases of mining that require many months of training. Much effort is being made to mechanize the working places because experienced men naturally prefer to work where the majority of materials are handled mechanically. In line with this policy, many new men are being taught the details of scraper work, because even green men can quickly become acquainted with scrapers and thereby release older heads to perform the more skilled phases of mining.

Jan 1, 1943

By G. N. A. Senhorinho, J. A. Scott, C. A. Laamanen

"Closed mine sites are widely regarded as a negative asset due to their legacy of environmental impacts. These sites are often characterized by waterbodies with elevated metal concentrations and low pH that are traditionally considered to have little or no value. These sites are potential sources of beneficial biocompounds produced by microalgae in response to environmental stresses. A bio¬prospecting program found that certain microalgae from waterbodies near historical mine sites exhibited higher antibacterial activity than any microalgae previously reported in the literature. There is potential for the mining industry to be involved in examining features such as tailings ponds at mine sites for high-value compounds, including ones that might help mitigate rapidly growing microbial resistance to current antibiotics. ¦ KEYWORDS Antibacterial, Closed mining sites, Metabolites, Microalgae, Stressed environments RÉSUMÉ Les sites miniers clôturés sont généralement considérés comme des actifs négatifs en raison de leurs répercussions sur l’environnement. On trouve souvent sur ces sites des étendues d’eau affichant de fortes concentrations en métaux et un pH faible, généralement considérées comme ayant peu, voire pas de valeur. Ces sites sont des sources potentielles de biocomposants bénéfiques produits par des microalgues en réponse aux perturbations environnementales. Un programme de bioprospection a permis de déterminer que certaines microalgues trouvées dans ces étendues d’eau à proximité de sites miniers historiques présentaient une activité antibactérienne supérieure à celle mentionnée dans toute la docu¬mentation existante. L’industrie minière pourrait bien participer à l’examen de particularités telles que la recherche de composants à haute valeur dans des bassins de décantation des résidus sur des sites miniers, notamment des composants qui pourraient aider à atténuer l’augmentation rapide de la résistance micro¬bienne aux antibiotiques actuels. ¦ MOTS CLÉS antibactérien, environnements perturbés, métabolites, microalgues, sites miniers clôturésINTRODUCTION The mining industry is one of the largest economic drivers in the world. Within Canada, for example, it contributed 2.8% (C$57.6 billion) of the 2016 gross domestic product (Marshall, 2016). Canada also has the highest non-ferrous exploration budget worldwide (Marshall, 2016); therefore, it is likely that mining operations, mine waste disposal, and the number of closed sites will continue to grow in Canada. The environmental impact of mining operations stems from the volume of tailings produced, which can be up to 97–99% of the total volume of ore processed at a mine (Adiansyah, Rosano, Vink, & Keir, 2015). In 2010, mining was the world’s largest industrial producer of waste at a total of 65 billion tonnes: 51 billion tonnes of waste rock (mine overburden) and 14 billion tonnes of tail¬ings (Jones & Boger, 2012)."

Jan 1, 2019

By G. M. Ritcey, A. W. Ashbrook

"This paper summarizes the optimum leach conditions for each Of several cobalt-containing arsenical feed materials, describes the solution treatment prior to purification of cobalt recovery, and discusses the plant operation on one feed as well as the treatment of effluents.IntroductionDuring the period 1962-1964, when the demand for uranium was low, Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited (Eldorado Nuclear Limited) made a decision to undertake a three-year diversification program. One area chosen in this program was that concerned with the processing of cobalt-nickel materials. Many such materials were evaluated over the three-year period, ranging from tailings, residues, ores, concentrates and speiss to metal scrap. Cobalt feed materials, on which much of the effort was concentrated, were those containing arsenic together with other metals such as silver, copper, nickel and iron. This paper describes the treatment of arsenic-bearing feed materials (ranging from 0.3 to 570/0 As) and the subsequent purification stages required before the separation and recovery of high-purity cobalt. Because of the current interest in treating cobalt ores, it seemed appropriate that the information on the treatment of various cobalt feeds should now be made available . Although a large amount of data were generated during the research and process development program, a complete scientific correlation and understanding could not be achieved. Nevertheless, the data may provide a guide to others involved in processing not only cobalt, but other arsenical ores."

Jan 1, 1981

By Stephen G. Mlot

The evaluation of mineral projects involves the identification, mitigation and management of significant uncertainty. Benchmarking is an essential and effective way of increasing confidence and reducing uncertainty associated with input parameters and assumptions. Comprehensive and detailed benchmarking will ensure ?best practice? technologies, methods and systems have been considered and that the appropriate practices can be identified and incorporated into the project. In conjunction with the involvement of experienced industry practitioners, benchmarking is best employed throughout project evaluation to enable early identification of ?errors?, producing more accurate and predictable outcomes. Considerable time and effort is required to gather data and information, which should be benchmarked by the project evaluation team. There is a history of mining projects underperforming, on production, on costs and on return to the investors. The quality of mine plans and feasibility studies, and the quality of the input data is being questioned in many ways. Benchmarking assists sound project evaluation practices, by providing a database of actual results, to validate project inputs and outcomes, ensuring they are realistic and achievable. Benchmarking also provides unbiased, statistical support as the basis for sound investment decision making and ensures well considered decisions are made resulting in a more efficient study process. The evaluation of the quality of projects which are the subject of transactions also benefits from the use of real data obtained from a benchmarking database. Vendors are quick to highlight the benefits of their projects, and conceal the flaws, inflating the value. Buyers will want to quantify the potential of a project through the due diligence process relying on actual results from benchmarking. For the reasons broadly outlined above, benchmarking should be considered as an essential component of effective Project Evaluation.

Aug 1, 2013

By E. V. Konopleva, H. J. McQueen

"The isothermal bainite transformation kinetics of low- and medium-carbon alloy steels after hot deformation and the rmocycling treatment (TC) has been studied by the magneto - metric method. Deformation was produced by rolling at 800°C-1000°C. TC included three cycles of rapid (30°C/s) electro-heating up to 900°C-1000°C followed by quenching.Hot deformation retards bainite transformation in the lower part of bainite range (<400°C) and accelerates it in the upper part (>400°C). The effect is greater for higher strain and lower deformation temperature. Deformation also diminishes the overall bainite fraction below 400°C and increases the completeness of reaction above 400°C.Thermocycling provides more uniform ultrafine austenite grains with average size of 3 µm -4 µm compared to 12 µm -14 µm after conventional heating. The transformation rate after TC was almost the same as after conventional heating in low-carbon steel but was faster in medium-carbon with no change in the completeness of reaction. The degree of acceleration increased with rise of transformation temperature.There are a number of factors which are responsible for a change in bainite transformation kinetics in austenite deformed at high temperatures or subjected to TC. One of the most important factors is the refinement of structure, another one is structural and chemical inhomogenity of austenite due to deformation or to rapid heating. To estimate the contribution of these factors, ?-transformation was studied after different austenitizing conditions (low-temperature heating at 850°C- 950°C; high-temperature heating at 1100°C; step treatment – austenitizing at 1100°C, then cooling to 950°C-850°C). The results obtained make it possible to conclude that the structural and chemical inhomogeneity of austenite activate the bainite reaction while the grain refinement retards it. Intensity of the effect produced by each factor depends strongly on the steel composition."

Jan 1, 1997

By Harold J. Rose

"A VETERAN newspaperman once summed up a lifetime of observation and experience in these words:""What man can imagine, man can do"".That statement might well serve as the theme of a talk on research potentials of the coal industry or any other industry. It is not my intention today to make a series of predictions of things to come. Experience of the past few decades has shown that long-range predictions made be-fore engineering groups usually fall short of the mark; that is, the actual technical achievements in any period tend to surpass the boldest predictions that any responsible engineer would have made, say twenty years earlier.Instead, I will point out some recent accomplishments or refer to research that is in progress or now being planned in order to suggest important trends to be expected in the next few years. Based on this rapidly increasing tempo of achievements you can make your own extrapolations into the future."

Jan 1, 1959

By K. C. Corin, Z. G. Song, J. G. Wiese

In the present study the effect of using different grinding media, viz, ceramic balls, forged steel balls, 15% Cr steel balls, stainless steel and mixture of stainless steel and 15% Cr steel balls (50:50) on the flotation performance of a Platinum Group Mineral (PGM) UG2 ore was investigated. Test work was conducted using a laboratory scale horizontal tumbling mill and a batch flotation cell. Power draw to achieve a specific P80 was determined for each media type. Changes in flotation behaviour were evaluated in terms of particle size distribution, water recovery, solid recovery and valuable mineral recovery. pH, Eh and DO levels were also measured. Grinding products of five different media produced similar solids and water recovery, which is indicative of the froth characteristics, but the grades and recoveries of PGE and chromite were different. The product obtained when using ceramic media showed the best flotation performance, producing the highest PGE recovery and the lowest Cr2O3 recovery. The products obtained when using stainless steel balls (SS) produced the lowest PGE recovery and highest Cr2O3 grade and recovery. The paper proposes possible reasons to explain these observations which may have significant importance for the operation of a PGM concentrator.

Jan 1, 2015

By Pizhi Zhao, Jingwei Zhao, Zhenshan Liu, Yiheng Cao

"A new Al-Mg-Si-Zn alloy designed for automotive outer panel was trial-produced with industrial procedure. The final product shows a strong planar anisotropy. X ray diffraction analysis shows such strong anisotropy is caused by the dominating cube texture component in the final product. The reason for such high cube texture component was investigated by tracing texture evolution starting from the hot roll slab. It is found that certain cube texture components already exists in the hot rolled slab. The density of cube texture component shows as a wavy change through the following1st cold rolling, inter-annealing, 2ndcold rolling and solution treatment. This study shows that the cold rolling in the laboratory can well represent the texture evolution during the industrial production. The results obtained by lab rolling hints that change of second cold rolling reduction has weak effect on the planar anisotropy, when the gauge of hot rolled slab and final sheet are fixed.INTRODUCTIONWith the rapid progress of light-weighting in the automotive industry, aluminum sheets get more and more application as closure panel and structure parts. Recently the dominating alloy for outer panel is 6xxx series, containing the main alloy elements Mg and Si. The popular gradesareAA6016,AA6111, AA6022, and AA6014. These alloys still cannot satisfy the various requirements from automotive manufacturers. Most suppliers of automotive aluminum sheets are developing their own specific grades according to the customer’s demand. To increase the baking response, anew Al-Mg-Si-Zn alloy was designed, concerning the high combination energy between Zn solutes and vacancies formed during the quenching stage of automotive sheet manufacture. This combination is helpful to the precipitation of ß”phase during the paint baking (Wang, 2015,2016; Yan, 2014).The plastic strain ratio (r value)is a key index of the formability of automotive body sheet. A high r value means a good formability. The r values in different directions can be used to evaluate the planar anisotropy of the metal sheets. The trial produced Al-Mg-Si-Zn sheet shows a strong planar anisotropy with respect to r values. Since the r value is tightly related with texture, the texture evolution from hot roll slab (HRS) to final T4P temper was analyzed with X ray diffraction (XRD) to find the reason for the high anisotropy. Besides, the cold rolling reduction (CRR) was varied in the laboratory to modify the texture distribution, i.e., the planar anisotropy."

Jan 1, 2018

By K. Reipas

"Westmin Resources Ltd. operates the 3300 TPD H-W underground copper/zinc mine on Vancouver Island. Ore storage underground is handled in a 6000 tonne coarse ore bin and a 3000 tonne fine ore bin. Both of these bins have experienced significant wear since excavation and construction in 1985. Wear problems have included both deteriorating rock walls as well as worn out steel liners and concrete at the discharge points from the bins. Extensive rehabilitation work was completed in 1993.The basis o/this paper is the rehabilitation work done on the coarse ore bin. The design and installation of ground control measures are discussed. The bin access methods used to allow the work to proceed quickly and safely are also presented. This involved the use of a Tekfoam safety bulkhead to protect workers.IntroductionMine DescriptionThe H-W mine was commissioned in 1985. Mine access is by vertical shaft with most production areas at a depth of about 500 m. Host rocks are composed of andesite and rhyolite. Mine capacity of 3300 tonnes per day is achieved mainly by longhole open stoping methods, complemented by room and pillar mining. Metals recovered from the massive sulphide ore are copper, zinc, gold, and silver. Mineable reserves at January I, 1994 were 9.7 million tonnes."

Jan 1, 1995

By B. G. Cousins, L. Racine, R. S. MacPhail

"FLEX 31 is a chemically enhanced sodium isopropyl xanthate that has shown improved collection properties over SIPX for copper-bearing and copper-activated minerals. Characteristics such as improvement of recoveries with lower dosages and high pyrite and pyrrhotite rejection capabilities have all been exhibited by FLEX 31.The most improved results have been seen insphalerite flotation. Plant trial work carried out in the zinc circuit at the Louvicourt Concentratorin northern Quebec has produced data showing superior grade and recoveries from rougher concentrates that previously had not been attain-able with other reagents effectively. The improvement over SIPX adds up to an almost$1,000,000 annual improvement on the mine’s bottom line at present zinc prices.IntroductionSodium Isopropyl Xanthate (SIPX) is one of the most popular flotation chemicals on the market today. Somewhat more specific than amyl xanthates, SIPX is used in a variety of ores like copper/zinc, lead/zinc, arsenopyrite/pyrite, and many others (Melis et al., 1991). An investigation carried out by Tennants Research Technology Applications (TRTA), a division of Charles Tennant & Co. (Canada) Ltd., produced a chemically enhanced SIPX that has shown all the advantages of normal SIPX along with improved recoveries of copper and copper activated minerals. The new product has been named FLEX 31. Currently, FLEX 31 is manufactured at the Prospec Chemicals, another division of Charles Tennant & Co. (Canada) Ltd.A large amount of laboratory testing pro-grams have been carried out with FLEX 31 todate (MacPhail and Cousins, 1995; Cousins and MacPhail, 1996). One of the minerals that has a defnite affinity to improved fotation is sphalerite (ZnS). Once activated with copper sulphate, sphalerite has produced some of the most spectacular test work when FLEX 31 is compared directly to SIPX. Plant trials of FLEX31 at Aur Louvicourt Inc. carried out in 1995show that FLEX 31 is far superior to SIPX for activated sphalerite flotation."

Jan 1, 1997

By J. C. Gibson, C. H. Stockwell

"The San Antonio gold mine is at Bissett, Manitoba, on the north shore of Rice lake, 100 miles northeast of Winnipeg. Gold was discovered on the property in 1911, but intensive exploration was not undertaken until 1926. Milling commenced on May 1st, 1932. Total amount of ore milled from that time until the end of 1946 was 1,766,670 tons, having a value of $18,378,317.GENERAL GEOLOGYThe rocks in the vicinity of the mine are Precambrian and include three groups, namely, the Rice Lake series of volcanic and sedimentary rocks, basic and acidic intrusions, and a younger formation of sediments known as the San Antonio formation (Fig. 1). The lower part of the Rice Lake series, consisting of flows of rhyolite, trachyte, and andesite with interstratified beds of agglomerate, occupies an area extending southward from Rice lake. The lake itself and the country to both east and west of its northern end is underlain by the next succeeding beds of the series, which are chiefly tuffs, arkose, and conglomerate, but include a thin band of basalt. Northward from the lake, these are succeeded by the upper beds of the series, first a thin band of basalt and, overlying this, porphyritic andesite flows interlayered with beds of volcanic breccia or agglomerate.The Rice Lake series has been invaded on the east side of the lake by a body of basic rock ranging in composition from gabbro to diorite and quartz diorite, now much altered. This is cut by younger sills and dykes of basic rock, probably diabase, the original texture of which is largely destroyed by alteration. Numerous dykes of feldspar porphyry, quartzfeldspar porphyry, and a few of a rhyolite-like rock, occur south of the lake, but are uncommon to the north. They cut the diabase and older rocks.Extending westward from Rice lake and lying with marked angular unconformity against all of these rocks is the San Antonio formation, consisting of cross-bedded, arkosic quartzite."

Jan 1, 1954

By D. W. McDonald, N. A. Duke, R. L. Hauser

"Abstract- The NERCO Con Mine is situated in the amphibolite facies aureole of the Western Plutonic Complex overprinting the Yellowknife Greenstone Belt. Metamorphic grade of the upright monoclinal basaltic succession decreases from hornblende-amphibolite facies along the border of the batholith to greenschist facies. Metamorphic isograds, subparalleling the faulted margin of the batholith, transect volcanic stratigraphy and coincide with major gold­ bearing shears.Gold mineralization is confined to north-striking, west-dipping shear zones where hanging­ wall amphibolite facies mineral assemblages retrogress to chlorite-carbonate-sericite-sulfide bearing schists hosting multiple generations of quartz-ankerite veins. The gold-producing portions of the Con and Campbell Shears occur where these structures transect an east trending thermal corridor. The corridor is defined by granitic plugs and a number of related breccia bodies, that can be traced outwards from the batholith across the greenstone belt.Prograde reactions of greenstone during amphibolitization effectively liberate fluids that partition metals. With retrograde reactions at shear zones, gold is precipitated with quartz due to the destabilization of sulfide and arsenic complexes. The coupling of regional prograde metamorphic and restricted retrograde metasomatic overprints suggest mineralization is temporally related to emplacement of the Western Plutonic Complex. Economic gold concentrations within the intrusive corridor indicates enhanced metamorphic overprint of hornfelsed greenstones enveloping satellite intru sives peripheral to the main batholith."

Jan 1, 1993

By H. Huang, H. M. Chen, W. B. Xie

Cu-0.8Cr-0.1Zr alloy were prepared by atmospheric melting. the microstructure and properties of the CuCrZr alloy after first cold rolled, solid solution, second cold rolled and aging treatment were analyzed by using optical microscope, electrical conductivity analysis and Vickers hardness tester. The results show that with the increase of the first cold rolled deformation, the grain breakage becomes more serious, and the cold hardening becomes more obvious and the hardness increases. The conductivity and peak hardness of the first cold rolled (reduction of 30% and 60%) alloys after solution, secondary cold rolled and aging treatment reaches 81 %IACS and 187 HV, respectively. However, the conductivity in the CuCrZr alloy with a higher rolling degree (reduction of 90%) after solution, secondary cold rolling and aging treatment is significantly higher, and the conductivity and peak hardness is 85.8 %IACS and 178 HV, respectively. INTRODUCTION CuCrZr alloy has been widely used in domestic industry for its excellent comprehensive properties such as high strength and high conductivity, especially in the contact wire and lead frame of high-speed railway (Sun, Tao, & Lu, 2015; Mishnev, Shakhova, Belyakov, & Kaibyshev, 2015; Zhang et al., 2016; Fu et al., 2017). In recent years, a lot of research has been done on how to improve the strength and conductivity of CuCrZr alloy. However, the high strength and high conductivity of copper alloys are contradictory characteristics. On the one hand, the addition of alloying elements is conducive to solution strengthening and aging strengthening; on the other hand, too much alloying elements in copper alloys cause defects in the lattice of copper matrix, resulting in a serious decline in the conductivity of copper alloys (Martienssen & Walirmont, 2005). How to obtain high strength and high conductivity at the same time is the main problem. At present, the main research methods are adding microalloying elements, thermomechanical treatment and severe plastic deformation to study the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of CuCrZr alloys. For example, Xie et al. (2011) added trace Ag to the Cu-0.26 wt%Cr-0.08 wt%Zr alloy, and the size of precipitated phase Cr and Cu4Zr became smaller and the mechanical properties of the alloy were improved. Su, Dong, Liu, Li, & Kang (2004) found that the addition of trace Mg in CuCrZr alloy inhibits the growth of precipitated phase and reduces the internal stress around the precipitated phase. At the same time, the size of precipitated phase becomes smaller and the peak aging strength of the alloy is improved. Pang et al. (2013) found that adding trace Ni and Si to the CuCrZr alloy could improve the peak hardness, softening resistance and precipitation morphology of the alloy. Experiments shows that the grain size was significantly refined by equal channel angular extrusion combined with aging treatment, while the strength of the alloy was increased, and the electrical conductivity of the alloy did not decrease (Vinogradov, Patlan, Suzuki, Kitagawa, & Kopylov, 2002; Saray, 2016); Kermajani, Raygan, Hanayi, & Ghaffari (2013) showed that the strength of CuCrZr alloy can be improved by rolling at 500 °C. After 150 minutes of aging treatment, the strength and conductivity of the material increased to 431 MPa and 81 %IACS, respectively. Takata, Ohtake, Kita, Kitagawa, and Tsuji (2009) noted that the strain hardening, uniform elongation and tensile strength of the nano-precipitates produced by the mechanical heat treatment process can be notable enhanced. The mechanical and electrical properties of CuCrZr alloy can be improved by combining large plastic deformation with aging treatment in the test process (Gao, Huttunen-Saarivirta, Tiainen, & Hemmila, 2003; Huang et al., 2003; Xia et al., 2012; Zel’dovich et al., 2014).

Jan 1, 2019