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By S. R. Mitchell, M. C. Fuerstenau, A. M. Gaudin

The two principal attributes of a thickener pulp are its settling rate and the ultimate pulp density of the thickened mud. Testing for evaluation of thickening attributes of a pulp has usually been done batch-wise by placing the pulp in a one-liter glass graduated cylinder and noting the position of the boundary between clear liquor and mud as a function of time. Refinements in testing have included repulping a thickened mud to various dilutions and evaluating the settling rate on these various repulped muds. This is considered to make possible an estimate of the settling rate as a function of pulp density and therefore to pinpoint the slowest settling pulp which ought to be critical from the standpoint of thickener plant design. Finally, tests are sometimes made with model-size continuous thickeners of arbitrary size. In batch tests it is generally accepted that the behavior of a pulp is described by a curve such as the one shown in Fig. 1, in which the position of the boundary between clear liquor and mud (the mudline) is plotted against time. It has also been assumed that the initial settling rate (the slope of the line segment AB) is descriptive of the pulp and independent of the size and shape of the container. Where the settling rate is slower and clearly a function of time (portion CD of the settling curve), it has been assumed that the data are not of much use because of the intrusion of compacting phenomena. The next important datum is the height. PE, which is a measure of the so-called ultimate pulp density. This quantity is assumed to be characteristic of the pulp and independent of the container. When actual data are recorded, results are rarely exactly according to this theory and numerous deviations may be noted. For example, some pulps seem to require an appreciable delay before beginning to settle, as in line AF. This is spoken of as representing the need for an induction time for flocculation. It has seemed desirable to explore thickener data with a more sensitive charting tool than is afforded by the coordinates of Fig. 1. Instead of relating the position of the mudline to time, it has seemed desirable to relate the rate of descent of the mudline to time. This, in effect, amounts to charting the slope of the line in Fig. 1, or the derivative of its ordinates, against the same abscissas. Fig. 2 shows the new chart for the curve ABCDE of Fig. 1. When this new tool was applied to data obtained, for example, with sized clay pulps, astonishing differences appeared. Apparently the traditional tool conceals differences instead of revealing them, whereas the new method emphasizes them. It seems, also, that both charting methods have their uses. In this article attention is focused on the effects of pulp density and container height as they affect the settling behavior of flocculated suspensions of a sized kaolin. The thesis by M. C. Fuerstenau' gives more details than this summary, as well as some information about the effect of other variables. Sized fractions of kaolin were used, supplied through the courtesy of S. C. Lyons of the Georgia Kaolin Co. Large batches were made by agitation in a flotation machine and in a glass jar equipped with a mixer. The settling vessels were 2, 4, and 6-in. diam glass cylinders of various heights. Pulp Dilution: The effects of pulp dilution on sedimentation behavior are shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Fig. 3 shows data on pulps ranging from 2.44 to 16.7 pct solids initial pulp density, flocculated with Separan and charted in the traditional manner. At least two of the lines appear nearly straight in their early sections, but neither of the others does. Each of the curves in this figure includes a region labeled

Jan 1, 1960

By Russell C., Fleming

FOK, many years the officials of the Magma Copper Co. mine at Superior, Ariz., have had to contend with adverse conditions underground in the form of high rock temperatures, hot water, and high relative humidity. These conditions in the mine have been such that working the mine would have been impossible were it not for the constantly expanding and improved sys- tem of ventilation to produce bearable conditions in the working places. Results that have already been achieved make an interesting study of what can be done along those lines. From the time the mine was first opened in 1910 it has been hot. An idea of the conditions that have persistently been encountered can be obtained from parts of the mine that are not being worked at present or that do not yet have sufficient ventilation. Virgin rock temperatures as determined in drill holes at the faces range from 104° to 116°*. An observation made at the face of No. 5 West footwall drift on the 2800-ft. level.

Jan 1, 1930

By E. W. Davis

DURING late years, the proportion of beileficiated iron ore shipped from the Lake Superior District has increased very rapidly. By benefication is meant washing, screening, drying, sintering or any process by which the grade or structure of the crude ore is improved before shipment. In 1915, only 3,000,- 000 tons, or 9 per cent, of t6e total Minnesota shipment was beneficiated ore, compared with 13,500,000 tons, or 35 per cent, of the total Minnesota shipment in 1925. This increase is, of course, due to the fact that iron and steel can be made more cheaply after beneficiating these ores than they could have been had these ores not been so treated. Fundamentally, however, several causes contribute to the necessity for beneficiating iron ores, such as depletion of the reserves of high-grade ores, the iron ore leasing systems and taxation methods and, at the smelting plants, a better understanding of blast-furnace operations, increased operating costs and increased sulfur content of blast-furnace coke. As economic conditions change, it is by no means certain that the proportion of beneficiated ore shipped each year is going to continue to increase. Undoubtedly some of the beneficiation operations are not economically sound at the present time and what the future has in store for the iron ore industry is problematical. Generally speaking, the cost of fuel for blast-furnace operations will increase as time goes on and in order to continue to produce cheap iron and steel, some of the other costs must be lowered. Freight and labor rates probably can- not be reduced. The cost of producing iron ore cannot be reduced much below the present price. It therefore appears that the best opportunity for maintaining iron and steel prices at their present level in spite of in- creased costs of labor and raw materials is to use. less or cheaper raw materials. This, of course, contemplates an improvement in metallurgical processes all along the line and, as a matter of fact, we can confidently expect these improvements because scientific investigations will undoubtedly be even more productive in the future than they have been in the past.

Jan 1, 1926

By John Wellington Finch

In August, 1927, the writer examined certain copper deposits in New Mexico1 which occur in beds of sandstones and shale, and in connection therewith reviewed the literature upon deposits of this type. Such deposits are known and have been reported upon at various points in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, but in New Mexico they have been given more development than elsewhere and apparently occur there more conspicuously than in the other states. Some 25 years ago the writer examined deposits of similar origin in northern Arizona and more recently other deposits in western and southwestern Colorado, and these examinations have led him to realize how widely scattered are the deposits and how generally noncommercial they are. On superficial development, to one without a comprehension of their geologic nature, they are alluring on account of occasional small amounts of high-grade ore and much misplaced capital has been expended upon them. This paper, therefore, aims to present briefly certain theories of genesis, some details of which may possibly be new, and to lead up to practical conclusions which may be useful to other geologists and engineers. A bibliography of the more important literature upon such deposits is given below.2 Coffin's Bulletin upon the Radium, Uranium and Vanadium Deposits of Colorado, published in 1921, is a particularly clear discussion. The most comprehensive recent statement is Butler's.

Jan 1, 1928

By AIME AIME

DURING my senior year at college a professor said to his class that a student who failed to obtain a passing grade in that certain subject could not graduate with his class and that his diploma would be withheld until the failure had been removed. In that way for four years a diploma had been made to appear to us as the objective in attending college. We grew up to think that a diploma was the means of providing employment; consequently, a diploma could not be jeopardized and, heeding the professor's remarks, we resolved to put forth special efforts and make good. During one of our class periods this same professor digressed briefly from his prepared lecture in metallurgy and advised the boys to join a national technical society. He spoke with earnestness and sincerity. After class we students discussed those remarks. We concluded that the professor had not convinced us. We were already members of technical societies at school and saw no need of joining another. In fact, even up to that moment a society had never indicated to any of us that joining it had any relation to landing a job, and we were fully aware that joining another society meant paying out more money, for fees and dues, which money we then needed to buy food, clothes, and perhaps a new slide rule. Furthermore, we knew that joining a society was not part of the curriculum and, therefore, the diploma could not be withheld if we did not follow the advice. Our conclusion was that we would not join but would concentrate on our work that assured getting our diplomas.

Jan 1, 1936

By J. Mizrahi, A. Brillantshtein, A. Mitzmager, O. Schächter

The separation of synthetic mixtures of heavy minerals by hindered settling classification and jigging was comparatively tested in water and five organic heavy liquids, of various specific gravities and viscosities. It was found that in the hindered settling classification process the separation efficiency was directly proportional to the concentration criterion, the liquid viscosity being a minor factor. There is therefore a decisive advantage in using heavy liquids as classification medium. In the jigging process the advantage of using a heavy liquid is masked by the detrimental effect of a higher liquid viscosity, which, in this case constitutes an important factor. Considerable interest has been aroused lately by the development of mineral beneficiation techniques 1,2 using TBE (tetrabromoethane), a heavy liquid of specific gravity of 2.96, which has been made available for industrial use by a new process3 producing TBE directly from the Dead Sea brines at a reasonable price. Most of the applications investigated until now were based on the sink-float separation of minerals in a heavy liquid of intermediate specific gravity. The TBE can be conveniently diluted with many organic solvents, and thus sharp separations are possible in a wide range of specific gravities up to 2.96. Although this maximum specific gravity is sufficient on most cases for the elimination of the bulk of the barren gangue and the production of marketable concentrates, some practical problems came up for investigation in which the separation of two (or more) minerals, heavier than TBE, was required.* *Among the cases studied in the IMI Laboratorles which fall into this category we can mention: alluvial deposits, such as heavy minerals in sea sand, tin deposits, or ground coarse-grained rocks, such as pegmatites. In such cases where, due to the petrographic structure, further fine grinding is required in order to achieve the liberation of the heavy components, the

Jan 1, 1964

By Hannon, J. W. G.

Silicosis is today's most important industrial disease and probably dates back to the Stone Age. Since the industrial revolution, increasing attention has been paid to those occupations where mineral dust is present in the air breathed by the workers. For many years it was assumed that the inhalation of all mineral dusts was hazardous. but investigations conducted in several countries pointed the statistical finger of guilt at free silica in any of its numerous physical forms as a dust of outstanding toxicity. Recognition of silica as the chief hazard has resulted in widespread use of the term "silicosis." Depending upon the concentration of finely divided silica dust to which the individual is exposed and the duration of exposure, silicosis may become a disabling condition in from one to thirty years. The structure of the lung and respiratory passages is such that only minute particles of silica can gain entry to the air cells in the lung (5 microns or under are most toxic). When these minute particles gain entry to the lung tissues they stimulate certain protective cells in the lung to multiply at an excessive rate. The cell's undergo inflammatory changes which result in nodular scars and a low-grade inflammation of the lung tissue. These progressive changes in the lung structure gradually encroach

Jan 1, 1949

By R. A. Wagstaff

Since the time of the early Egyptians, the use of copper: has been a boon to the life of most of the civilized world. Its use has been varied; in many connections, the art by which it attained its greatest usefulness has been lost. In this paper an endeavor will be made to take into consideration some of the many changes that have occurred during the last 40 years of copper-smelting operations. During that period the copper blast furnace has been almost forced out of existence by new methods of ore concen-tration—first, gravity concentration, and then flotation. These new methods of concentration introduced many new factors into the metallurgy of copper. The product was wet, it was fine and it was high grade. To overcome all these factors many changes have been necessary throughout the smelting agenda. New equipment has been necessary for transportation, unloading, sampling, bedding and moisturing in all smelting plants, especially the custom smelter' During the early days of "flotation," little was known about filtering or the use of an alkaline circuit; often the concentrate going to the smelter contained 2' to '5 Per cent moisture. It is easy to imagine the difficulty arising with a product of this nature when it had to be shoveled by hand labor. To meet these conditions, mechanical unload- ing and sampling devices were soon developed. In many instances such good progress was made that actual costs for handling this unfavorable product were lower than those formerly incurred on the old product. Today most sampling of copper ores and concentrates is being done by mechanical sampling, pipe or augur sampling, or shovel sampling. Where concentrates are uniform in metal content, a great many of the plants now use pipe or augur sampling. For spotty ores, the old shovel sample with cone and quartering during the final stages is still in' use. Where big tonnages are handled, mechanical sampling of concentrates is being done, with satisfactory results. To curtail slow and tedious cutting and mixing procedure, mechanical mixing boxes, splitters and cutters are used to cut down labor costs. Milling As crude ores become scarcer, the use of milling operations increases. The few crude ores that are still smelted are used as fluxing types. To use these ores finer grinding has been found advantageous. This has made for better bedding and fluxillg conditions, which in turn makes for faster smelting, lower fuel consumption and better metal recovery. The degree of fineness is more or less determined by the nature of the product. Most plants have set a standard of through 3/8-in. mesh screen for roaster -reverberatory smelting and through 3/4-in. mesh screen for converter fluxes. For some refractory Ores, even finer grinding has been found to be advantageous for good reverberatory smelting-

Jan 1, 1944

By AIME AIME

A MODERN copper reduction works has both a genera1 chemical laboratory for control work and a research laboratory for the study of improvement of present processes and better working-up of by-products. The division of work in the general laboratory would naturally differ in different plants. The following statement to the writer from a chemist in one of the works will give a good idea of the type. of work in the general laboratory :

Jan 1, 1929

By C. Chamberlain

The Telfer Project, Australia's newest, largest, and most remote gold mine treats 480 kt of ore grading 9.33 g/t derived from open pit mining operations. Coarse gold is recovered by gravity concentration with jigs and further upgraded wing a continuous strake launder table, and by amalgamation. Remaining gold is recovered in a cyanide circuit and incorporates flat bottom air agitators, counter current decantation (CCD) and stellar filters for clarification and precipitate removal. Overall recovery into a bullion averages 98%. The mill incorporates a number of design features that allow for maximum efficiency and security wing a minimum number of operation personnel.

Jan 1, 1983

By H. LIVINGSTONE LMAN

A GOOD DEAL of information concerning flotation has come out during the patent litigation of recent years, and the legal situation has cleared considerably, to the satisfaction of Minerals Separation, Limited. Hence, Mr. H. Livingstone Sulman, one of the originators of the successful process of that company, felt at liberty to explain, on Thursday, Nov. 20, his experience and his views in a "Contribution to the Study of Flotation," before the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy. He did not give technical details. He dealt with the physical problems, so simple, as he remarked, that he had wanted 96 pages to express his views. He presented much data, partly new and based on observations of his own, bearing upon the very complex flotation phenomena in an instructive wav and made frequent references to the valuable researches especially of Prof. Edwin Edser and Mr. Emil Hatschek.

Jan 1, 1920

By Arthur Mitchell

POSSIBLY in no other of the non-ferrous mining districts of this country has the use and develop-ment of mechanical loaders been carried to such an extent as in the "lead belt" of Southeast Missouri. It has become apparent to the four mining companies in the district that it is imperative to apply satisfactory mechanical methods to the chief remaining stage of the entire operations-mining, milling, smelting and refining-in which manual labor is still largely used to handle material in process. With increasing wages and with the reduction of the metal divisor by the extension of mining into lower-grade orebodies, the shoveling cost per ton of lead produced has become relatively so large that in an effort to reduce it there is ample justification for considerable capital expenditure. Hand shovelers load about 18 tons of ore per shift and the average grade is less than five per cent. lead. Further, the ore is relatively heavy, about 21 cu. ft. to the ton when broken, and is often so coarse and so closely compacted after shooting that it requires much more block-holing, sledging, and muscular effort to shovel than, for example, does the cherty and more granular ore of the Joplin district or the finer ore in the headings of a drift mine. No mining company desires to pay for mere back muscles if it be economically feasible to avoid it, and labor saving machinery should be susceptible of operation by older employees, who are no longer capable of the more strenuous manual occupations.

Jan 4, 1923

By F. B. Plummer

PETROLEUM ENGINEERING deals with the production, transportation, and refining of crude oil. Refining is chiefly the work of the chemical engineer; production, that of the petroleum engineer. Production engineering only is discussed in this paper. Petroleum production engineering is closest related to and, in fact, is a branch of mining engineering. Formerly, many petroleum engineers were trained as mining engineers or mining geologists. The profession is related also to mechanical and civil engineering to about the same extent that mining engineering is. Petroleum production draws upon the mechanical branch for drilling and pumping machinery and upon civil engineering for the construction of transportation lines, water supplies, and water-disposal plants. Fundamentally, petroleum production engineering deals with the removal of the oil from the reservoir rocks, just as mining is concerned with the removal of ore. The process of oil production demands a specialized knowledge just as distinct from mechanical and civil engineering as mining is distinct from operating a Diesel engine. Even though the chief tools of the petroleum engineer are the drill and the pump, these may be of little avail, and certainly not efficient, if their selection and use is not based on a knowledge of the physical chemistry of oil, the geology of the formations, the structure of the oil sand, the hydrodynamics of the reservoir, and the interrelation of all these many factors.

Jan 1, 1936

By Thomas L. Kesler

I all of the 14 million tons of kaolin produced in Georgia through 1949 had been mined from a single deposit 20 ft thick, it would represent a mined-out area of less than 1 sq mile. This measure of depletion is in such strong contrast with the large size of the area shown in Fig. 1, from which most of the output has come, that there has developed an optimistic outlook concerning future supplies of kaolin equal in grade to that already mined. Dozens of mines are widely but not evenly distributed within this area, which consists mostly of parts of Twiggs, Wilkinson, and Washington counties. There are scarcely half a dozen kaolin mines elsewhere in the state that have been appreciably productive, although the areas in which they occur may have good possibilities. Most of the efforts to find new deposits, therefore, will be confined to the area shown in Fig. 1, for it is here that the industry has established its facilities, and prospecting is encouraged by relatively numerous outcrops and opened deposits of kaolin. The Ocmulgee and Oconee rivers drain the area. They and their main tributaries have flat, swampy floodplains covered with alluvium and for the most part thickly wooded. The divides between these streams are intricately dissected by the minor tributaries, which are spring-fed in steep-walled, cirque-like heads. Gullying and under-cutting are active along the streams but are partly controlled by unusually dense vegetation. The mean altitude is about 350 ft above sea level, and locally the relief ranges up to 200 ft. The area is near the inner margin of the Coastal Plain, and is underlain by Cretaceous and Tertiary formations. Its general location is shown in black in Fig. 1. The division between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont plateau is actually a very sinuous line, the fall line, marking the extent to which erosion has stripped the Coastal Plain sediments from the southeastward-sloping surface of the crystalline rocks of the Piedmont. Cretaceous Host Formation The kaolin deposits, which are described in the succeeding section, occur sporadically in lenslike bodies in a thick series of poorly sorted clayey sands constituting the lowermost of the Upper Cretaceous formations, the Tuscaloosa. The basis for this correlation has been reviewed by Cooke.1 The same formation has been termed the Potomac group by Ladd2 and the Middendorf formation by Smith' in reports on the kaolin deposits. In another report, Veatch4 called the formation the Tuscaloosa but correlated it with the Lower Cretaceous. The Tuscaloosa in this area consists of fine to very coarse sands, commonly cross-bedded, which contain widely different proportions of white, pink, and yellow kaolin and considerable white mica. A few of the coarser beds contain quartz grains up to 3 in. in length, with bodies of pure white kaolin of equal size that appear to have been formed by the weathering of feldspar grains in place. In the kaolin-producing area, gravel and cobbles occur mainly at the base of the formation. Fig. 2 shows the relations of the Tuscaloosa and its kaolin deposits to the adjacent formations. Its base, on the eroded surface of the crystalline rocks, dips southeastward 50 to 60 ft to the mile, according to LaMoreaux.5 The upper surface of the Tuscaloosa is also an unconformity,

Jan 1, 1952

By William B. Plank

ENROLMENT data given in this report of the seventh study of the schools by the Mineral Industry Education Division reveals the critical situation in the mineral engineering schools of the United States. Complete figures for the year 1942-43 show that at that time, about one year after Pearl Harbor, the enrollment of mineral engineers was 6385 or 30 per cent less than in 199441. By October 1943, however, enrollment had dropped to 2050, as reported in the Journal of Engineering Education of January 1944. This was a further reduction of 68 per cent in one year, or 77 per cent in three years. With accelerated programs in effect during the current year, with many graduations since last October, and with the military forces taking practically all the high school graduates, the present enrollment is, of course, much lower than the 2050 above given. There are no late data on the exact situation. In Canada, the same situation exists in the mineral engineering schools, only

Jan 1, 1944

By AIME AIME

IT IS impossible in this short sketch to give a detailed description of each part of the plant at Bethlehem, therefore, only such facts will be touched on as are necessary to give a general idea of the works. The extent of the plant, and the fact that the units making up the various departments are located in different parts of the works, make it impracticable to mention the departments in any regular order with regard to their location. They are, therefore, mentioned approximately in the order of their relation to each other with reference to their functions in the making of the various products.

Jan 1, 1924

By James E. Howard

AT the request of the Council of the Institute, I have the honor to submit the following remarks upon the Program of Tests under which the current work of the Watertown Arsenal Testing Laboratory is carried on, which comprises, among other items, the tests of steel ingot metal and derivative shapes. The intended scope of the tests may be illustrated by extracts from the descriptive part of the program as submitted by the Laboratory under date of April 17, 1907, and subsequently approved by the Chief of Ordnance, U. S. A. Under Item 1, Ingot Metal-Open hearth, acid and basic; Bessemer, acid and basic; crucible; fluid compressed and uncompressed-descriptive remarks were made as follows ; " A thorough, fundamental inquiry into the physical properties of steel necessarily begins with the ingot metal. Investigations, having for their object the improvement of steels, should also begin with the ingot. A knowledge of the ingot structure is essential for judging of the subsequent behavior or appearance of the metal. Under ordinary conditions, so little information is obtained from the ingot in individual cases that practically none of importance is acquired. These remarks have particular reference to the state of physical and structural soundness of the steel. Questions of chemical composition, segregation, piping and the grosser cavities have frequently been given attention. Defects of continuity of structure, which manifest themselves in the working; of the metal, and at the final stages cause distrust in the finished forging, have generally been neglected. ? The range in physical properties in a given composition of metal, as shown in Tests of Metals, 1902 and 1903, is very great. Tests are there found which, when the results are

Mar 1, 1908

By L. E. Snow, L. F. Pett

AT the Utah Copper Pit of Kennecott Copper Corp. a versatile mobile drill unit has been developed and tested. Through increased drilling speed and additional available drilling time, an improvement of 233 pct in drill performance has been realized. Operators using drill power can quickly and easily convert the unit from a vertical to a toe hole drill. Drilling is done with the machine in line with the unit or at right angles to it. Table I covers the 1950 drill record at the mine, showing the types of machines used and the footage obtained. Development of the new units was prompted by a desire for solution of the following problems: 1—The ever-expanding operations within the Utah Pit, requiring some 65 miles of transmission pipe lines radiating from a central compressed air plant, have now taxed this compressor plant beyond capacity. While 100 lb per sq in. pressure is maintained at compressors, transmission losses from innumerable small leaks result in low terminal pressure at the drills. Fig. 1 illustrates that while terminal pressure varies according to size of air hose and fittings used, the average drill is operating on air pressures within the 60 to 70-lb range. The compressor plant is operated primarily for air rock drills. All drilling is done on day shift, but it is necessary to run two of the three 3720 cu ft capacity compressors during night shift in order to prevent drastic loss of pressure through leaks. On day shift all three compressor units are operated at capacity, so that there is no reserve safeguard available for extensive repairs to any compressor. The calculated volume of compressed air required for operation of 25 drills is but 33 pct of three day-shift compressors. While compressed air is being used to a minor extent for purposes other than drilling, it is felt that satisfactory substitute facilities could be pro- vided in the event that air lines were no longer available. 2—Drill performance has increased beyond the capacity of present 3-in. drifter machines. 3—The installation, maintenance, and moving of air lines in routine mining is a growing problem. The 2-in. level lines are placed outside electrification towers and must be moved to new location upon completion of each shovel cut. In addition to these moves it is often necessary to dismantle level lines so that excessive shovel spillage, or material covering track following a blast, can be pushed in the clear with bulldozers. Where level room is limited, it is often necessary to remove air lines in giving bulldozers room to prepare grades for wagon drills. In spite of precautions taken, many level lines become buried, twisted, and constricted, with excessive air loss resulting. Excessive back break in blasting often leaves several sections of air line suspended in mid-air. Occasionally air lines come in contact with defective electric transmission towers, so that holes are burned through pipe. 4—Rail-handling of drilling equipment such as wagon drills from one location to another requires considerable locomotive crane crew time. Any new unit developed should travel under its own power. 5—Present practice requires accessory material including hose, water pressure tanks, water barrels, drill steel, and bits to be transported by means of push cars when drill locations are changed on any level. 6—In order to supply numerous drill locations with material, many stock piles of new drill rods, drill bits, and other essentials must be left at strategic points, usually in the vicinity of powder magazines. This practice makes for poor housekeeping and contributes to the loss of supplies. Planning the Unit It was felt that a mobile drill unit which would rectify the foregoing problems should meet certain demands: 1—It must furnish compressed air to operate a 4-in. rock drill at a pressure of 90 to 100 lb.

Jan 1, 1953

By L. E. Snow, L. F. Pett

AT the Utah Copper Pit of Kennecott Copper Corp. a versatile mobile drill unit has been developed and tested. Through increased drilling speed and additional available drilling time, an improvement of 233 pct in drill performance has been realized. Operators using drill power can quickly and easily convert the unit from a vertical to a toe hole drill. Drilling is done with the machine in line with the unit or at right angles to it. Table I covers the 1950 drill record at the mine, showing the types of machines used and the footage obtained. Development of the new units was prompted by a desire for solution of the following problems: 1—The ever-expanding operations within the Utah Pit, requiring some 65 miles of transmission pipe lines radiating from a central compressed air plant, have now taxed this compressor plant beyond capacity. While 100 lb per sq in. pressure is maintained at compressors, transmission losses from innumerable small leaks result in low terminal pressure at the drills. Fig. 1 illustrates that while terminal pressure varies according to size of air hose and fittings used, the average drill is operating on air pressures within the 60 to 70-lb range. The compressor plant is operated primarily for air rock drills. All drilling is done on day shift, but it is necessary to run two of the three 3720 cu ft capacity compressors during night shift in order to prevent drastic loss of pressure through leaks. On day shift all three compressor units are operated at capacity, so that there is no reserve safeguard available for extensive repairs to any compressor. The calculated volume of compressed air required for operation of 25 drills is but 33 pct of three day-shift compressors. While compressed air is being used to a minor extent for purposes other than drilling, it is felt that satisfactory substitute facilities could be pro- vided in the event that air lines were no longer available. 2—Drill performance has increased beyond the capacity of present 3-in. drifter machines. 3—The installation, maintenance, and moving of air lines in routine mining is a growing problem. The 2-in. level lines are placed outside electrification towers and must be moved to new location upon completion of each shovel cut. In addition to these moves it is often necessary to dismantle level lines so that excessive shovel spillage, or material covering track following a blast, can be pushed in the clear with bulldozers. Where level room is limited, it is often necessary to remove air lines in giving bulldozers room to prepare grades for wagon drills. In spite of precautions taken, many level lines become buried, twisted, and constricted, with excessive air loss resulting. Excessive back break in blasting often leaves several sections of air line suspended in mid-air. Occasionally air lines come in contact with defective electric transmission towers, so that holes are burned through pipe. 4—Rail-handling of drilling equipment such as wagon drills from one location to another requires considerable locomotive crane crew time. Any new unit developed should travel under its own power. 5—Present practice requires accessory material including hose, water pressure tanks, water barrels, drill steel, and bits to be transported by means of push cars when drill locations are changed on any level. 6—In order to supply numerous drill locations with material, many stock piles of new drill rods, drill bits, and other essentials must be left at strategic points, usually in the vicinity of powder magazines. This practice makes for poor housekeeping and contributes to the loss of supplies. Planning the Unit It was felt that a mobile drill unit which would rectify the foregoing problems should meet certain demands: 1—It must furnish compressed air to operate a 4-in. rock drill at a pressure of 90 to 100 lb.

Jan 1, 1953

By L. E. Snow, L. F. Pett

AT the Utah Copper Pit of Kennecott Copper Corp. a versatile mobile drill unit has been developed and tested. Through increased drilling speed and additional available drilling time, an improvement of 233 pct in drill performance has been realized. Operators using drill power can quickly and easily convert the unit from a vertical to a toe hole drill. Drilling is done with the machine in line with the unit or at right angles to it. Table I covers the 1950 drill record at the mine, showing the types of machines used and the footage obtained. [ ] Development of the new units was prompted by a desire for solution of the following problems: 1-The ever-expanding operations within the Utah Pit, requiring some 65 miles of transmission pipe lines radiating from a central compressed air plant, have now taxed this compressor plant beyond capacity. While 100 lb per sq in. pressure is maintained at compressors, transmission losses from innumerable small leaks result in low terminal pressure at the drills. Fig. 1 illustrates that while terminal pressure varies according to size of air hose and fittings used, the average drill is operating on air pressures within the 60 to 70-lb range. The compressor plant is operated primarily for air rock drills. All drilling is done on day shift, but it is necessary to run two of the three 3720 cu ft capacity compressors during night shift in order to prevent drastic loss of pressure through leaks. On day shift all three compressor units are operated at capacity, so that there is no reserve safeguard available for extensive repairs to any compressor. The calculated volume of compressed air required for operation of 25 drills is but 33 pet of three day-shift compressors. While compressed air is being used to a minor extent for purposes other than drilling, it is felt that satisfactory substitute facilities could be provided in the event that air lines were no longer available. 2-Drill performance has increased beyond the capacity of present 3 ½ -in. drifter machines. 3-The installation, maintenance, and moving of air lines in routine mining is a growing problem. The 2-in. level lines are placed outside electrification towers and must be moved to new location upon completion of each shovel cut. In addition to these moves it is often necessary to dismantle level lines so that excessive shovel spillage, or material covering track following a blast, can be pushed in the clear with bulldozers. Where level room is limited, it is often necessary to remove air lines in giving bulldozers room to prepare grades for wagon drills. In spite of precautions taken, many level lines become buried, twisted, and constricted, with excessive air loss resulting. Excessive back break in blasting often leaves several sections of air line suspended in mid-air. Occasionally air lines come in contact with defective electric transmission towers, so that holes are burned through pipe. 4-Rail-handling of drilling equipment such as wagon drills from one location to another requires considerable locomotive crane crew time. Any new unit developed should travel under its own power. 5-Present practice requires accessory material including hose, water pressure tanks, water barrels, drill steel, and bits to be transported by means of push cars when drill locations are changed on any level. 6-In order to supply numerous drill locations with material, many stock piles of new drill rods, drill bits, and other essentials must be left at strategic points, usually in the vicinity of powder magazines. This practice makes for poor housekeeping and contributes to the loss of supplies. Planning the Unit It was felt that a mobile drill unit which would rectify the foregoing problems should meet certain demands: 1-It must furnish compressed air to operate a 4-in. rock drill at a pressure of 90 to 100 lb.

Jan 1, 1952