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By A. Policard

The bodies of mammals possess a very efficient mechanism for ridding themselves of inhaled dust. When the lung is healthy this mechanism works very well, and dust is quickly and completely expelled from the lung either by the respiratory tract or the lymphatics. The mechanism, however, is easily upset, and slight alterations in the condition of the ciliated epithelium or the circulation of lymph are sufficient to interfere with it, therefore the second mechanism comes into play and the dust is fixed and immobilized in some part of the lung. This, however, is not a real cleansing process, since the lung becomes a dust-trap, and may become'pneumokoniotic. The mechanism is protective at first, but later, when the accumulation of dust is considerable, it gives rise to trouble. The lung cannot become, so to speak, a physiological dust-trap, and still retain its normal structure and function; pneumokoniosis begins, which is essentially a disease due to the mechanical presence of large amounts of inert foreign material.

Jan 1, 1947

Summary of the morning's events with a Written Contribution to Paper No. 4 and author responses

Jan 1, 1947

Discussion at the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers' general meeting held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 8th April 1916, on the paper published in Trans. I.Min.E., vol.LI, 1916, p.61-71, consisted of a written comment by Wood P.L. that a larger battery would be the only way to secure reliability

Dec 1, 1916

By Haldane J. S.

Discussion of a paper presented at the Institution of Mining Engineers' general meeting held in London on 8th June 1916 included oral contributions by Louis H., Mowat D.M., Lupton A., Bailey T.H., Blackett W.C. and Gerrard J., and written contributions by Collis E.L., Carlow C. and Wilson W.B., with the author's oral and brief written responses

Dec 1, 1916

By Winmill T. F.

Among the various theories proposed to account for the spontaneous ignjtion of coal, one which has at times been very strongly held is that the initial heating is due to the oxidation of iron pyrites. From the results described in this paper, it is possible to calculate roughly the rate of spontaneous heating of a specimen of finely-divided pyrites, on the assumption that all the heat developed is used in raising the temperature of the pyrites, and that none is lost. It is clear that where finely-divided pyrites occurs in considerable proportion among coal, it may be the chief factor in originating combustion, but that pyrites can only be the cause of a heating when it is present in considerable proportion, and in a very finely-divided state

Dec 1, 1916

By Mowat D. M., Louis H., Smith W. Mackey W. M., Dron R. W., Ellison C. C., Winmill T. F., Kerr G. L., Haldane J. S., Ashworth J., Garforth W., O'Shea L. T.

Discussion of Winmill's paper, including various anecdotal examples, is presented together with the author's response; topics included: the need to distinguish cubic pyrites from the rapidly decomposing rhombic form known as marcasite; the effects of moisture content in the coal and air; the possible effect of pressure; the heat insulation resulting from heap/stack size; and the means of determining pyrite and moisture contents

Dec 1, 1916

By T. From

The organisation's mission is to promote research and technological development in processes relevant to the minerals industry by providing expertise, developing and managing jointly funded projects, undertaking commissions and education and establishing and maintaining research and development networks. It was responsible for the administration of the Mining Technology 2000 national programme to reduce production costs per metallic unit by 50% over 5-8 years, which involved 120 projects in all. Technical areas included ore characterisation/delineation and mine planning, rock fragmentation, rock mechanics, maintenance, energy and ventilation, automation and information systems, cut and fill, bulk mining methods, drifting and production-face development. Other projects have been the Ore Geology Related to Prospecting (PIM) programme to raise the standard of ore geology research in Sweden and promote exploration for volcanogenic massive sulphides in three key regions, and a joint research project on ventilation control according to requirement, including development of fan and gas monitoring systems and an improved, adjustable and intelligent fan

Jun 17, 1905

By P. Beauvais

Philip Beauvais, from the Met Office's International Mining and Agriculture Department, explains the need to understand the impact of the weather and climate when developing future mine sites.

Mar 1, 2015

By G. B. Hooper, G. A. Ferguson

The technical capabilities and user-friendliness of the major computer-aided mining design software systems are reviewed. Recent experiences with three systems are outlined to indicate the practical problems that arise. The examples were: Microlynx software from Lynx Geosystems at the Great Dyke platinum mine in Zimbabwe; Lynx software from Lynx Geosystems at a copper mine in central Africa; and PC-MINE software from Gemcom Services at an open-pit gold project in Western Australia. Difficulties in the use of mining design software has led to an alternative approach. Falconbridge, Canada, has developed an integrated mine-planning system on a CAD platform that encompasses ore reserve estimation, stope design, development layout and survey control. Future directions of computer-aided mining design using this basis are discussed. A major advantage of using mainstream software packages, such as spreadsheets, databases and CAD programs, is that most engineers and geologists are experienced in handling such systems in the normal course of their work.

Jan 12, 1992

By P. W. Edwards

"This paper summarises many experiments conducted, and how in North American industry the use of aluminium in treatment and prevention has been adopted widely. The Pottery Insurance Co., Ltd., made it possible for me to investigate conditions in Canada and the U.S.A., and I thank them for permitting me to submit this short paper- an abstract of my report to them."

Jan 1, 1947

By A. J. Beer, A. Wetherelt

Paper presented at the UK minerals industry conference held in Leeds, UK, 3-5 April 1995. Camborne School of Mines has developed a simple, cost-effective light-sectioning method that has been used successfully in tunnels and small stopes. Light sectioning provides an almost visual examination of the stope's excavated profile. An illuminated section of walls, roof and floor is recorded photographically. Overbreak and underbreak can then be easily quantified by reference to the designed shape. The prototype rig is described. Use of a fish-eye lens to capture a greater field of view is discussed. Calibration was achieved by comparison with images made with a conventional wide-angle lens with nominal distortion. The system is reliable under a range of operating conditions including dust, heat and humidity. It is also simple and easy to use, does not require skilled personnel and is low cost

Jun 18, 1905

By C. A. Pickles

Mixtures of silver chloride and copper chloride are produced during gold refining by the Miller process. A study was carried out into the reduction with iron of a synthetic Miller chloride containing 13.64 mass% Ag and 2.42 mass% Cu. The effects of smelting temperature and time and of additions of iron and borax were investigated. The results were interpreted in terms of metal recovery and quality. Temperature did not have a significant effect on metal recovery above the melting point of the metal product. Borax additions reduced vapour losses and improved metal recovery. With excess iron it was possible to achieve silver recoveries of about 100% and copper recoveries of about 70%. The metal product contained on average 76.1 mass% Ag, 7.5 mass% Cu and 12.8 mass% Fe.

Jan 4, 1993

By Gibson J.

Further discussion at the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers' general meeting held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 3rd June 1916, on the paper published in Trans. I.Min.E., vol.LI, 1916, p.72-84, included a written contribution by Parfitt I.C. and the author's written replies to this and previous discussion

Dec 1, 1916

By G. Mellgren, O. Mellgren

The conductivity of a solution is often used industrially to control the salt concentrations of reacting systems, normally using electrodes made of glass fitted with platinised platinum electrodes. When a standard platinum conductivity electrode was used to control the acid fed to the leaching circuit for an ilmenite flotation concentrate at Titania, Norway, a deposit of calcium sulphate (containing some calcium phosphate) covered both the platinum electrode and the external glass fitting, rendering the electrode inefficient in the course of a few minutes. A new electrode consisting of a casing, two measuring tubes and an electrode stem is described and illustrated. A significant advantage of its design is that the useful range of conductivity measurement can be adjusted by adjusting the concentration of the electrolyte in the electrode. It has been in use at Titania for about four years with an electrolyte consisting of 0-1 n HCI. It is robust and demands little maintenance.

Dec 1, 1971

By C. P. Summerhayes, J. W. G. Gilbey, S. Henley, G. P. Glasby, J. J. T. Harvey, J. Larsson, O. Akiman, A. G. Brown

Abstracts are presented from six University of London, one University of Nottingham and one University of Durham PhD theses

Dec 1, 1971

Discussion at the Midland Institute of Mining, Civil, and Mechanical Engineers' general meeting held in Leeds, March 21st, 1916, with T. Beach, vice-president, in the chair, of a paper published in Trans. Inst. Min. Engrs., 1916, vol. L., page 509, comprised a written contribution by O'Shea L.T.

Dec 1, 1916

By D. A. White

A simple model for hydrocyclone classification based on the crowding theory first put forward by Fahlstrom is presented. This is a mechanistic theory that postulates that the behaviour of a hydrocyclone is the result of an ordered process that is independent of its dimensions. The main variables that describe the process are the fractions of feed solids and water that are ejected from the underflow. A simple model is developed from basic properties of the classification process and is compared with theory. Agreement is good but improves when the cyclone has a high solids content

Dec 1, 1991

By R. G. Jones

At its peak in the 1970s, South Africa was responsible for around 80% of global gold production and, according to the US Geological Survey, it still has the largest share of gold reserves - as well as 90% of the world's platinum. But, in January 2015, gold production reached a new monthly low, generating 87% less than it did in January 1980, and South Africa is now the world's sixth ranked gold producer. What next for African gold?

Jun 1, 2015

By D. R. Wardrop, P. J. Rowsell, M. D. Waller

D.R. Wardrop agrees that artificial intelligence can contribute significantly to a reduction in both unit and overall well drilling costs but argues for human input to be allowed to overcome the differences encountered on striking the reservoir

Aug 1, 1995

Discussion of the paper presented at the Manchester Geological and Mining Society's general meeting held in Manchester, April 11th 1916, with Mr. Leonard R. Fletcher, President, in the chair, included questions asked and points for discussion raised by Bramall V., Paton J.D., Fletcher L.R., Siddall F.N., Stoker A. and Stone T., in particular on how to eliminate dust

Dec 1, 1916