Search Documents

By AIME AIME

ANOTHER meeting of the Institute has passed into history and it fully sustained the reputation of the Institute as a live organization of the men, and nowadays the women, concerned with the mineral . ? industries and those working therein. The field meetings of, the 1nstitute are cine of its pleasantest and most valuable features. As Dr. Raymond used to say, ((It is good for a mining engineer once in a while to see a mine" and these meetings bring back to the mines those who, through progress into higher executive positions, have come to visit them infrequently, at the same time that they give opportunity for the .younger men to see regions and mines aside from those in which they are then working. This, and the formal and' informal interchange of information resulting,, is of the greatest professional value to all, while the meeting of old and making of new friends causes each meeting to be notable in turn. This year's meeting at Salt Lake City was one of the largest that has been held outside of. New York City; 470 members and guests registered while many more were present at the sessions without attending to this formality. '

Jan 1, 1925

By Ken Goering, Steve Kral, William Gleason

"Once every four years, the global mining industry gathers in Las Vegas, NV for MINExpo International. According to the show’s organizer, The National Mining Association (NMA), about 44,000 people attended the three-day show from Sept. 26-29. It was a show that featured the latest and greatest in equipment and technology. It also served as the backdrop for a snapshot of the state of the industry and while the picture of a global industry is never completely clear at any one time, one thing that is evident is technology has become a major force in the way mining is done.Had it not been for the awe-inspiring “iron” that was on the show floor in the form of haul trucks and shovels weighing hundreds of tons, one could be forgiven for thinking that they were at the Consumer Electronics Show. From training simulators designed to give a realistic experience of operating mining equipment to virtual reality technology that can take the user into the depths of an underground mine or the middle of a mapped ore deposit, an overriding theme of MINExpo 2016 was that the mining industry is connected like never before.In the north hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center was the GE Mining booth that was designed to showcase its efforts to help create a mine that will be connected from the front office to the face of the underground wall or bottom of the openpit. GE Mining called its booth a digital mine, and it included a suite of technologies that can improve performance, reliability, safety and operations. GE Mining said it views each mine as a mini-city, requiring power, water and transportation. Intelligent, real-time monitoring across the mine allows operators to make data-driven decisions that improve equipment reliability and optimize mine operations for substantial savings. And GE Mining was just one of many exhibitors showing off software that allows various types of equipment to communicate. Its booth sat in the shadow of the Komatsu booth with its new 360-t (400-st) 980E-4 haul truck that included GE’s 360-t (400-st) electric wheel motor. This is just one example of how technology is connecting machines, operations and people around the world and how mining is moving forward."

Dec 1, 2016

By EDGAR K. SOPER, Clarence A. Wright, DOUGLAS C. LIVINGSTON, Thomas Varley

In 1917 the Federal Bureau of Mines and the University of Idaho arranged to cooperate in an investigation looking to the improvement of mining and milling methods in the mining districts of the State of Idaho, with an especial view to the wider development of the minerul deposits and greater efficiency in the treatment of the lowgrade ores of the State. This work has been made possible lnrgely through the generosity and active assistance of the mine operators, especially certain companies in the Coeur d'Alene region. As the first step in the work under the cooperative agreement it wa.s decided to gather all data possible on the various mining districts throughout the State, both active and abandoned, in order to ascertain their potential possibilities, especial attention being paid to methods of metallurgical treatment and to the solution of the many metallurgical problems in order to effect a greater commercinl saving. With this plan in view, field work was begun in the latter part of May, 1917, and was continued during the summer. E. K. Soper, formerly professor of mining, University of Idaho, and now dean of the mining department of Oregon Agricultural • College, Corvallis, Oreg., visited the mining districts in central and southwestern Idaho and also some of those in the northern part of the St.ate. D. C. Livingston, professor of geology at the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, also visited some of the mining districts in central Idaho during the summer; in addition, much valuable information he had gathered on former trips to many other districts is included in this report. Credit is also due Mr. Livingston for the maps covering the State, as well as the bibliography nt the end of each chapter. Thomas Varley, superintendent of the Seattle mining experiment station of the Bureau of Mines, spent a short time in the field, principally in the mining districts in central and . northern Idaho, and made a brief visit to the southwestern districts with Mr Soper. The field work of Mr. C. A. Wright, metallurgical engineer of the Bureau of Mines, in direct charge of the cooperative work, was chiefly in the Coeur d'Alene region. Mr. Wright visited nearly all of the mining districts in the region and devoted most of his time to studying the milling methods. The results of the investigation are set 1iorth in this bulletin. The bulletin aims to give the l9Calities of the various mining districts, and the nature of the present operations and those that have been carried on in the past. The geology is discussed only in a general way, the descriptions being intended more especially to bring out the types of ore deposits and the character of the ores, a knowledge of which is essential in determining the proper treatment of the ores. The writers do not wish to imply that all districts mentioned in this bulletin were visited during the summer of 1917, for a great deal of the material has been gathered from other reports, especially from publications of the United States Geological Survey. However, it is hoped that this report will be of help to those who are interested in mining in the State of Idaho. The plan is to continue the field work and subsequently publish the results of the investigations in much more detail, with greater emphasis given the metallurgical treatment of the ores and the problems involved.

Jan 1, 1919

By Peter Yen

This session consists of five papers. Three involved research on the properties of grout materials, specifically ultrafine cements and polyurethane grouts. Two papers present the development of soil grouting technology and monitoring methods. Of great interest are the papers on ultrafine grout penetrability testing focusing on the pressure filtration effects encountered in permeation grouting applications (Ericksson, Stille and Mittag, Savidis). The comparison testing of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polyurethane grouts submitted by Vrignaud, Ballivy, Perret and Fernagu assessed the long-term performance of these materials for repairing saturated cracks in concrete, subject to thermal expansion and contraction. Two very practical papers present the development of soil grouting, where permeation, fracture, replacement, jetting and other grouting techniques are utilized. The papers by Lees with Chuaqui and Warner present experience with ultrafine and other commonly used grout materials. Methods to measure and monitor the injection process and verify production progress are discussed.

Feb 10, 2003

By Alexander Siefert, Steffen Pankoke

In the development of commercial vehicles as well as of passenger cars, the effects of vehicle vibrations on operating safety, health and comfort can only be predicted by numerical simulation when appropriate occupant models are available. Such models must be based on human anatomy and have dynamic properties of real humans in order to achieve realistic results. Since human dynamic behavior depend on posture and percentile, the occupant model needs to be adjustable to these parameters with respect to geometry and dynamic properties [1,2]. Dynamic Human Finite-Element-Model CASIMIR CASIMIR is a non-linear, dynamic finite-element-model of the human body. It consists of a dynamic model of the upper torso with head, neck, shoulders and arms as well as of a dynamic model of the lower extremity with pelvis and legs. The most important part is the lumbar area with dynamic non-linear models of the lumbar spine and of back and abdominal musculature. The frequency-dependent characteristics of the intervertebral discs and the effects of muscle activation and non-linear frequency-dependent muscle properties are included. In the latest stage of development, CASIMIR has been equipped with a compliant model of the body surface in the contact areas to the seat. This results in a very realistic transmission of static and vibrational forces into the human body, see fig. 1. Intense model verification and validation has been performed in all stages of model development, starting with validation of small components like intervertebral disc, ending with validation of whole-body-vibrations using measurements of the dynamic mass / mechanical impedance [4]. For an in-detail examination of stresses in the vertebral bodies and discs, a non-linear submodel of the lumbar spine with an increased number of degrees of freedom can be coupled to the whole-body-model, enabling the researcher to examine local effects of vibrations and single shocks on the lumbar materials. [ ] Since it is well known that human dynamic behavior is significantly affected by anthropometric data and posture, CASIMIR can be individualized to the anthropometric status of single individuals or to the mean values for specific percentile groups. Furthermore, posture can be adjusted to the seating conditions applicable to a specific vehicle. Posture modification capabilities include the variation of the lumbar lordosis [3].

Jan 6, 2006

Norton Co., the world's largest producer of abrasives, is enlarging its proppant operation. Proppants are strong chemical particles used to wedge open rock formations in deep oil wells, thereby increasing the well flow rate, sometimes as much as tenfold. Norton" aluminum oxide-based proppant is rapidly displacing less durable materials. The company is building the world's largest proppant plant in Fort Smith, AR. ALUMINUM--See also REFRACTORIES The price of primary aluminum ingot was increased by several producers in July. Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp., and Revere Copper & Brass Inc. increased the price of primary aluminum to 63.0 cents per pound, effective July I. Reynolds Metal s Co., Anaconda Aluminum Co., Howmet Aluminum Corp., and Marti n Marietta Aluminum Inc. increased the price of 99.5% primary aluminum ingot to 63.0 cents per pound, effective July 5, The Aluminum Company of America increased the price of aluminum ingot to 62.5 cents per pound, effective July 9. The range of prices at the end of the month was 58.5 to 63.0 cents per pound.

Jan 1, 1979

The Bureau of Mines human factors research program is directed toward reducing accidents and improving the overall efficiency of the person-machine environment interface found in surface and underground mines. The focus of the hum factors program therefore, is to insure that sound knowledge is available concerning human capabilities and limitations, and that this knowledge is applied to the design, of mining equipment, work tasks, and management procedures. The papers presented in these proceedings summarize some of the recent Bureau research in hum factors. The papers focus on two broad areas, human resource issues and human engineering of equipment, tools, and work procedures found in mines.

Jan 1, 1987

Presiding was Robert E. Murray. The first speaker was Frank L. Natta, Administrative Manager-Trapper Mine, Utah International, Inc., Craig, Colorado. Subject - "Long Term Coal Contracts." Mr. Natta graduated in 1973 from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Metalurgical Engineering and a M.S. in Mineral Economics. Since 1974, he has been employed by Utah International having spent 5 years in San Francisco as Senior Market Analyst. In this capacity he was responsible for market development efforts for Utah's U. S. coal reserves. Recently, he was transferred to Craig, Colorado, as Administrative Manager of Utah's Trapper Mine. In this position, he is responsible for purchasing, warehousing, accounting and sales contract administration. The second speaker was Brucks Mitchell, President, Human Resources Management, Inc. Richardson, Texas. Subject-"Making Unions Unnecessary in the Coal Industry." Mr. Mitchell has a B.A. degree in English-Oklahoma State University. M.B.A. degree in Organizational Behavior-Southern Methodist University. Ph.D Candidate - Organizational Behavior - North Texas State University. Mr. Mitchell formed an Association of Consultants to perform assignments in Industrial Psychology and Human Resources Management. Particular emphasis has been to establish policies and procedures to make labor unions unnecessary. He has been consultant to various industrial and municipal organizations.

Jan 1, 1979

By Claudia Monreal L., Dafne Herreros

"The Geological Modeling is the undisputed point of split of any type of mining method, the effect that the vision and experience of the geologists is propagated trough the development of the project and is an important part of the final success. The collection of information is taken in stages. In earlier stages uses the greater part of the budget and the strategy to store and manage this data collection, as its performing will define the destiny of the deposit and of the business. With this background the geology and its modeling receive great attention from the industry and care providers being a fertile field in research and innovation. "

Sep 1, 2017

The Wednesday Morning Session of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute was called to order by Albert Keenan of the Thompson Creek Coal and Coke Company, Denver, Colorado, in the absence of the President. He introduced Edward Prostel of the University of Wyoming Natural Resources Research Institute, Laramie, Wyoming, who spoke on "Coal Utilization Work at the University of Wyoming." (Please refer to the index for printed text of the paper.) Following Mr. Prostel's talk, R. Park Lamborn of the National Mine Service Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania asked Mr. Prostel two questions: (1) What -has been done in tar research? and (2) Has there been large scale research on brickets? Mr. Prostel stated that he could not say too much about the first question as this research was done in the petroleum department and he would prefer to have a chemist talk about it. As to the second question, the system of carbonization is a big project. There are many possibilities. At the University they are trying to do that in the same unit that produces the char. This system was introduced in Canada. The brickets are bound with sulphite liquor. Mr. Schloss asked Mr. Prostel to report on a project that they have been working on at the University, and Mr. Prostel stated that some time ago they began to experiment to see if it would be economically possible to dry coal at the mine (coal containing 30% moisture) and then ship it a distance of 130 miles to be used. Results are that it would be possible, but will require a considerable quantity. He felt it might be possible to operate such a scheme in a few years.

Jan 1, 1957

The morning session opened at 9:00 a.m. and was presided over by Mr. Don Ross, Manager of Mines, Kaiser Steel Corporation,- Sunnyside, Utah. The first speaker was Mr. S. W. Zanolli, Partner in Law Firm of Webster and Kilcullen, Washington, D.C. Mr. Zanolli was born and raised in a coal mining community of Fredericktown, Washington County, Pennsylvania. He was educated at Washington and Jefferson College and graduate schools of the University of Pittsburgh. He served as an infantry officer in the European Theatre of operations during World War 11. He worked as' a handloader at Vesta No. 5 Mine of Jones & Laughlin during summers while attending Washington and Jefferson College. He worked at a variety of production jobs at No. 7 Mine. of Island Creek Coal Co. of Holden, West Virginia. Assigned to a variety of industrial relations assignments at Island Creek Coal' Company during 1949-51, attaining position of Supervisor of Personnel and Labor Relations. Served in many industrial relations assignments at U.S. Steel Corp. headquarters during 1953.-1967, attaining a position of Personnel Director-Heavy Products Operations. In January, 1968" he became a member of the Bituminous Coal Operators Association-as Executive Vice President. This past year he went back to practicing law and is a member of the Law Firm of Webster and Kilcullen, Washington, D.C. He is married and has five children.

Jan 1, 1973

By William K. Connor, O&apos

The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM), in cooperation with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), conducted over 200 hours of melting tests to vitrify residues from five municipal waste combustion facilities. Combined residues (grate residue and f1yash) from three municipal waste combustors, a waste water treatment sludge combustor, and flyash from a refuse-derived-fuel (RDF) boiler, were sequentially melted in a I-metric-ton (mt) water-cooled-wall electric arc furnace. Each of the residues underwent magnetic separation, screen size analysis, and bulk chemical analysis prior to melting. The furnace products were examined by optical and electron microscopy and by X-ray diffraction. Bulk chemical analyses were acquired for the metal, fume, and vitrified furnace products. The material balance for the furnace operation indicates that from 69 to 86 pct of the feed reported to the vitrified furnace product, which had leaching potentials well below the EPA limit for each metal, as determined by the EPA TCLP. The electric arc melting furnace currently is being utilized in a cooperative research project between the USBM and the Idaho National Engineering 'Laboratory (INEL) for melting tests on simulated low-level radioactive wastes,

Jan 1, 1991

By Meyer Klein

Decision theory is the formal theory of the logic of decisions in view of the decision maker's objectives, preferences, I beliefs, and available information, It usually deals with weighty economic problems involving irrevocable (or costly to reverse) decisions. Capital investment planning problems constitute an instance par excellence for application of the decision theory concepts. Decision theory as it is presently conceived has evolved in recent years. At first it concentrated on decisions in the face of total lack of information and on games with intelligent adversaries. The results of these efforts proved theoretically interesting, but practically of little applicability. In the last few years, stress has shifted to the introduction of subjective probabilities and preferences, and the results have been eminently successful in applications both in government and with- in business firms in the resolution of complex problems.

Jan 1, 1970

The accompanying supply/demand flow diagrams and 10-year tables for mineral and fuel commodities present essential data required by government, industry, and others to formulate policies and programs that can help assure an adequate and continuing supply of mineral raw materials. The 10-year data base terminates with 1974 figures because adequate world information was not available beyond that date. The selected mineral supply/demand tables and flow diagrams comprise but one "output" from the massive body of information and data collected and com-piled by the Bureau of Mines on a continuing basis covering mineral production, consumption, prices, shipments, imports, exports, and stocks, as well as industry activities in all States and abroad.

Jan 1, 2012

By Andrew McGrath, Geraldine Lyons, Sarah Barcelona

In the dynamic and challenging modern industry landscape, understanding and unleashing the true role and contribution of technical teams is crucial to business success. The cyclical nature of industries has led to shifts in the technical professional’s place within the organization and the technical skills that are desired most. This paper reframes the pivotal role that technical professionals play within complex operating assets to maximize value and realize full potential. This investigation focuses on the Rio Tinto Kennecott Technical group’s cultural journey, which is underpinned by an investment in its people. The conflict between legacy industry beliefs and the necessity for cultural change emerges. This is illustrated by a deep dive into the evolving case study of Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon Open Pit Mine Technical team. Here, a multi-faceted approach to cultural change is helping to unlock the team’s contribution to the life extension of an aging asset. Guided by a vision and strategic roadmap, this approach is part way through a 5-year implementation period and is yielding encouraging business outcomes.

Feb 1, 2024

Never known as a conference to shy away from its share of off-color jokes, the Colorado Mineral Processing Division?s Annual Meeting returned to the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO April 26-28 for its 62nd edition, this one held under the theme ?Does size matter (is bigger always better).? With the predictable jokes sprinkled in here and there, and a few unpredictable ones as well, the three-day conference featured a healthy mix of talks about some of the latest technical developments in the field of mineral processing, as well as insightful looks at some new operations in the western United States. This year, the Colorado MPD also launched the Wagner Equipment Student Scholarship program.

Jan 1, 2012

By HARRINCTON EMERSON

UNEMPLOYMENT is the most ominous shadow ahead of the industrial nations today. Only two great industrial countries are free from unemployment, France and the Soviet Commonwealth. In France the social unit is the family, not the individual. This has saved France. In the Soviet Commonwealth, development is proceeding so rapidly from agricultural to industrial that there is still a dearth of muscle workers in the non-agricultural enterprises. In the other industrial countries unemployment results both from acute temporary recession in industrial activities and from the rapidly increasing substitution of the machine for the man. Temporary recessions can be mitigated, alleviated by makeshifts, often ill considered. Secular recessions due to a fundamental change in the way of accomplishing physical, chemical results cannot be cured by any makeshift. There must be a period of transition. There is therefore before us the three- fold problem, immediate, prosimate and ultimate.

Jan 1, 1930

By R. Drummond

The fourth Teetered Bed Separator (TBS) has just been installed in Australia, and trials have been run in many sites. There is a growing recognition of the potential advantages of using TBS technology to treat coal in the ?3+0.25 mm size range, at cut points below 1.60. From these activities, there has been a substantial growth in knowledge with respect to application engineering and operational functions. The paper briefly describes the installations, including flowsheets, and so provides a background to the potential deployment of TBS technology. There are a large number of potential applications for TBS technology, including treatment of fine ROM coal in new plants, or in upgrade situations for re-processing of spiral product, or scavenging coal from coarse tailings. As well, cost effective capacity upgrades are possible by using TBS units for treating the sands size fraction. Issues arising from Australian TBS installations and application engineering are also discussed.

Jan 1, 2002

By J. A. Ober

"In 2015, the estimated value of nonfuel mineral production in the United States decreased by 3 percent from that in 2014 (Table 1), mainly as a result of decreased metal and metallic mineral prices, especially iron ore, copper and precious metals. Lower metal prices were attributed to decreased consumption, especially in China and increased global inventories. Several U.S. metal mines were idled in 2015, including the only U.S. rare earths mine at Mountain Pass, CA. Downstream processors also were affected, with smelters and refiners either shutting down or idling production lines. Increases, however, took place in the value and quantity of production of industrial minerals, especially those used in the construction sector, including cement, construction sand and gravel and crushed stone. Trends in mineral-related sectors of the domestic economy, except for iron and steel manufacturing, aluminum manufacturing, coal mining and metals mining, all experienced growth (Table 2).Discussion of mine production is frequently segmented according to the type of materials produced within the broad categories of metals and industrial minerals (also known as nonmetallic minerals). Industrial minerals can be further subdivided as construction aggregates and other industrial minerals. Metals tend to have higher unit values but very low production quantities compared with those of industrial minerals, which have higher production quantities but are lower-valued materials, such as crushed stone or construction sand and gravel. Therefore, for discussion and analysis of the performance of the nonfuel minerals industry, the value of production is used rather than the tonnage produced. Tonnages of construction aggregates are orders of magnitude larger than those for most other mineral commodities thus making direct comparisons based on weight meaningless (Fig. 1).Mineral industry performanceThe estimated value of domestic nonfuel mineral production, including metals ($26.6 billion) and industrial minerals ($51.7 billion), in 2015 declined to a total of $78.3 billion, from $80.8 billion in 2014 (Table 1). However, as shown in Fig. 2, minerals remained fundamental to the United States economy, contributing to the real gross domestic product at several levels, including mining, processing and manufacturing finished products. Net exports of mineral raw materials and old scrap were $14.4 billion. Domestic raw materials, along with domestically recycled materials, were used to produce mineral materials worth $630 billion. These mineral materials, including aluminum, brick, copper, fertilizers and steel, and net imports of processed materials (worth about $32 billion) were, in turn, consumed by downstream industries with a value added to the gross domestic product estimated to be $2,490 billion."

May 1, 2016

By J. H. Rhee, H. B. Ku, J. S. Lee, H. J. Park, B. S. Jang

A large wedge failure had occurred in the study area which was under construction. Therefore, in order to analyze the potential instability for this rock slope, the authors conducted numerical analysis with DEM and then the behaviour of rock mass was analysed after appropriate reinforce-ments were applied. Ein großer Keildefekt geschah in dem Untersuchungsgebiet, das im Bau befindlich ist. Deshalb, um die potentielle Unbeständigkeit für diesen Felsenabhang zu analysieren, führen die Urheber zahlenmäßige Analyse mit DEM. Und dann wird die Bewegung der Felsenmasse ana-lysiert, nachdem angemessene Verstärkungstruppen angewandt werden. Un grand échec de coin sèst passé dans le région étudié qui était en construction. Par conséquent afin d’analyser linstabilité potentielle de cette pente de roches, les auteurs ont mené une analyse numérique avec DEM. Ensuite le comportement de la masse de roches pourrait être analysée après les renforts appropriés étaient appliqués.

Jan 1, 2003