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By E. H. Denny

The subject of haulage and heisting hazards is one that merits the attention of everyone engaged in mining. The purpose of this circular is to the importance of such hazards as are shown by Bureau of Mines accident figures, to give some examples of recent accidents and briefly analyze the immediate contributing causes, and to discuss some general means found by metal- and coal-mining companies to minimize those hazards. Haulage and hoisting accidents collectively constitute the second most common cause of accidents in and about coal mines and the third most common cause in and about metal mines. In both these types of mines falls of ground cause more accidents than haulage, and in metal mines falls of persons in raises and similar openings also exceed haulage accidents in number.

Jan 1, 1942

By A. R. Elsea, E. E. Fletcher

Cast X-40 alloy with the lowest nitrogen content studied had a 100-hr rupture stress at 1500°F about equal to the reported value for the commercial alloy. Increases in nitrogen content progressively decreased the rupture strength, and with about 0.1 to 0.2 pct N a minimum strength was reached, but there was no accompanying change in microstructure. Further increases in nitrogen resulted in the fomzation of progressively increasing amounts of a lamellar, pearlitic-type structure at the grain boundaries, with accompanying increases in rupture strength, and above about 0.25 to 0.33 pct N, the rupture strength exceeded the normally reported values. Two series of melts representing different melting stocks exhibited minimum rupture strengths at different nitrogen contents. This suggests that some unidentwed trace element not removed by vacuum melting has a strong influence on the response of this alloy to variations in nitrogen content. In a series of melts with manganese contents ranging from 0.6 to 3.2 pct, the material with the lowest manganese content had the highest 100-hr rupture strength at 1500°F. The manganese variations had no appreciable effect on the microstructure. CAST cobalt-base alloys such as X-40* exhibit high strengths at elevated temperatures (1500°F and above), but they also show considerable scatter in high-temperature properties. Since the design of parts for critical applications must be based on the minimum expected properties, this broad scatter appreciably lowers the design strength of the alloy. If the relatively poor properties exhibited by a few test parts from any given group could be improved, the spread in properties would be narrowed, and the design stress could more closely approach the average expected properties. The purpose of this research investigation was to learn what were the causes of these erratic properties and, if possible, to find methods for eliminating them. Earlier unpublished work showed that vacuum melting markedly influenced the high-temperature strength of cast X-40 alloy. There were indications that this behavior may have been the result of changes in the nitrogen or manganese content of the castings. Consequently, in the current investigation, the influence of variations in nitrogen and manganese content on the structure and high-temperature properties of cast X-40 alloy was studied. In this program, X-40 melting stock was vacuum melted to produce a base material that was very low in nitrogen content and in volatile trace elements. Additions were then made to this base material to produce alloys of the desired composition. The metal was cast into investment molds producing coupons which were machined into stress-rupture bars. These bars were subjected to stress-rupture tests and me-tallographic study to determine the influence of changes in analyses (nitrogen and manganese content) on the structure and properties. Material—The melting stock used for these experi-ments was in the form of shot from two master heats of commercial X-40 alloy. Only one master heat was used in a given series of melts. Thus, any differences in structure or properties that showed up in the specimens from a given series would be the result only of the intended variations in composition. The certified analyses of the master heats were as follows: C Mn Si Cr Ni Lot No. 2 0.50 0.71 0.66 25.44 10.53 Lot No. 3 0.54 0.73 0.70 25.95 10.00 W Fe Co P S Lot No. 2 7.45 1.34 Bal. 0.011 0.013 Lot No. 3 7.58 1.53 Bal. 0.005 0.016

Jan 1, 1960

By M. Poulton

Backpropagation, learning vector quantization, counterpropagation, functional link, probabilistic, and. self -organizing map are among the most popular neural network classification paradigms. Each paradigm finds a unique set of weights that will map the input pixels into their respective output classes. The usefulness of each network depends on its overall accuracy, ease of use, speed and scaling. The fastest and most accurate networks in this study were the functional link and counterpropagation. These networks, however, do not scale well to large input vectors or large training sets. A better choice is the LVQ network which achieves high accuracy, is fast, requires a minimum number of input parameters and presents fewer scaling problems.

Jan 1, 1992

By B. R. Klahold

Each year hundreds of mineral specimens and numerous inquiries regarding tests and analyses of minerals and related inorganic substances are received by the Bureau of Mines. In response to this demand, in years past Information Circulars were published containing a list of laboratories. This paper is a revised version of Information Circular 7523, The listing has been changed from a regional basis to one of States arranged alphabetically and grouped by cities, again alphabetically, with Alaska and Canada listed at the end. All the services given at these laboratories are listed on one page for convenience and brevity. This list is compiled as a public service, and none of the laboratories listed herein are recommended over any other nor can the Bureau of Mines vouch for their results.

Jan 1, 1954

By D. C. Rotherham

The Kidston gold discoveries were originally made about 1907, and by 1934, 1.76 Mg (62,000 oz) of gold had been produced from placer and lode mining of higher grade, most¬ly oxidized gold ore. As mining in the lode ore penetrated deeper, costs increased and the world gold price stagnated. The lode or underground production averaged close to 6.9 g/t (0.2 oz per ton) Au for the 201 kt mined. No mining or development took place from 1934 until 1965. Kidston's high grade ores were exhausted by 1934. From 1965 to 1976, exploration had developed 3 Mt of about 3 g/t (0.88 oz per ton) Au. Placer Pacific acquired rights to the property in 1976 and began a geologic and engineering study of the district. It was clear that the deposit had the potential for becom¬ing a large-tonnage, low-grade producer. However, explora¬tion had to discover the tonnage and grade and engineering needed to solve the obstacles of production costs. Bulk material handling problems were addressed by Placer's wide experience in open pit mining, and the increase in work index accompanying deeper ores was handled by Placer's metallurgists. The matter of power for the operation was solved by engineering studies. These showed that power could be generated and brought in economically. The price of gold also increased after 1976, and this helped in the economic analysis. The Kidston discovery since 1976 is really a combination of good exploration geology and careful engineering plan¬ning that overcame the obstacles presented by ore characteris¬tics and the location of the deposit. The attached paper by Harry Mustard is an extract of his honors thesis and explains the deposit geology.

Jan 1, 1990

West Virginia ranks second in the nation in coal production, surpassed only by Wyoming, and usually accounts for 15 to 20percent of the nation's total annual production. Cod occurs in seams of minable thickness in all but nine of the state's 55 counties. There are two coal- producing regions, the northern field and the southern field. West Virginia coal is mined by both underground and surface methods. Underground mines in West Virginia account for a major portion of its coal production. Surface mines are generally contour operations and, especially in the southern field, are in steep slope areas, with slopes greater than 20 degrees. Many of the surface mines remove multiple seams. Recoverable reserves in West Virginia total in excess of 55 billion tons of bituminous coal. West Virginia's regulatory program was conditionally approved on January 19, 198 1. Its Abandoned Mine Land Program was approved February 23,198 1, with emergency authority granted on August 26,1988.

Jan 1, 1992

By Michael B. Moolman

Both conventional and nonconventional process alternatives for gold recovery from cyanide heap leach solutions are discussed in terms of possible flowsheets. Conventional process alternatives include carbon adsorption and zinc dust precipitation, while nonconventional process alternatives include resin ion exchange, solvent extraction, and direct electrowinning. These strategies for gold recovery are compared on the basis of technological features and on the basis of process economics: Review of the technology status and process economics suggests that improvements for conventional process alternatives are possible and that further development of nonconventional process alternatives is warranted.

Jan 1, 1984

By Joshua Micah Hoffman, Jhon Silva-Castro, Kylie Larson-Robl

A coal mine impoundment failure has the potential to be environmentally devastating and life-threatening. It is well documented that after seismic events slope failures in impoundments can occur. It has been concluded that often the main driven factor of the failure is the increase in excess pore pressure due to ground vibration. A small amount of research has been done regarding the stability of coal mine impoundments under natural seismic events; however no research has been done considering vibrations from mine blasts. If it is taken into account that current environmental restrictions oblige to increase the capacity of coal mine impoundments, thus increasing the hazard of such structures, it is necessary to evaluate the effects of near-by mine blasting on the stability of the coal mine impoundments in order to mitigate and control the potential of slope failures. To study the behavior of excess pore pressure under blasting conditions, scaled simulations of production blasting events were set up inside of a controlled sand tank. The research was divided in two stages. The first one was done, using dry conditions, while in the second part, the same set of tests were performed under saturated conditions. This document shows the partial results for stage one (dry conditions). For the tests, explosive charges were set off within the sand tank at various distances to simulate different blasting distances. Information was collected from geophones, accelerometers, microphones and high speed video camera for dry and saturated scenarios and additionally from piezometers under saturated conditions to assess the behavior of the material under blasting conditions.

Jan 1, 2015

By G MacDonald, B Forsyth, D Corkery, T

An investigation was carried out at Diavik Diamond Mines Inc (DDMI) to identify and quantify the mechanisms through which ammonium nitrate (AN) was entering the mine discharge water. The goal was to develop and complete an investigation of the potential AN loss mechanisms in order to assess their contribution to ammonia in the mine water system. The initial phase of the project involved the collection and analysis of blasting and water quality data that were used to determine the mechanisms by which the ammonia enters the mine water system and to establish a baseline data set for comparison with results from future trials designed to reduce AN loss. Three potential options for reducing AN loss were identified through the first phase of the project. The second phase of the project involved conducting a series of monitored trials with changes made to the drilling and blasting process. The results of these trials were compared to the baseline data set to determine if the changes introduced for the trials had reduced AN losses while producing satisfactory blast results. This paper describes the process for the collection of the baseline data, provides an analysis of the resulting data, discusses the changes made to blasting operations in order to minimise AN loss and describes the results observed subsequent to these changes.

Jan 1, 2007

By Sunil Jain, Jan M. Mutmansky

As coal mining evolves in this country, underground coal is being mined at greater depth and under more difficult conditions than in the past. At the same time, economic conditions make it necessary to mine more efficiently and economically. As a result, pressures on mining companies arise on two fronts and make the job of mining coal underground very difficult. Recent improvements that have been made in health, safety and productivity have come about primarily due to improvements in existing technology and better management of all the production resources. However, this trend can continue only so far and thus innovation will be needed to continue the improvement. This paper deals with a concept that, on the surface, appears to be more efficient in terms of the costs to provide ventilation. The resulting design is oriented toward increasing the ventilation efficiency through use of a unidirectional ventilation plan but it also promises to increase recovery and decrease the requirements for development entries. To analyze this ventilation concept, two mine layouts with a similar production schedule were planned in a hypothetical 1.83 m (6 ft) coal seam. The first alternative analyzed uses a traditional approach to ventilation with centrally located shafts and a bidirectional ventilation pattern. Using this system, it is necessary to use large-diameter shafts and a large number of main entries. Using the same assumptions on ventilation requirements, the second alternative utilizes unidirectional ventilation whenever possible, a smaller number of main entries and small-diameter blind-bored shafts in the bleeder areas. The comparative analysis is performed using PSU/TDMVS, a computer network analysis program that is capable of determining the ventilation power requirements at any time in the mine life and converting the costs to a present value. The economic analysis is then completed by including the shaft-sinking and entry-driving costs and the costs associated with the recovery of coal that are directly related to the change in the ventilation system. The results are summarized on a present-value basis.

Jan 1, 1987

By T. Sterry Hunt

WET processes for the extraction of copper from its ores have of late attracted much attention, especially in Europe, where the use of oupriferous iron-pyrites as a' source of sulphur prevails. These processes present an additional interest, when, as is often the case, the copper-ore's to be treated contain one or both of the precious metals, since the complete separation of these from copper, either in the dry or the moist way, is, as is well known, one of the difficult problems of metallurgy. The principal wet processes hitherto in use for the extraction of copper from its ores, may be included under three classes : I. Those in which the copper in snlphuretted ores is rendered soluble in water by calcining them, after a preliminary roasting which removes the greater part of their sulphur, with a portion of common salt, by which the copper is converted into a chloride (Long-maid and Henderson), or with sulphate of soda, by which sulphate of copper is formed (Monnier). Allied to these is the method by which a portion of the copper is got as soluble sulphate by roasting without addition, a process which is sometimes modified and rendered more complete by re-roasting the lixiviated residues with the addition of a portion of raw sulphuretted ore (Bankart). II. Those methods in which free chlorhydric or sulphuric acid is used to dissolve the copper- from oxidized or roasted ores. These, while simple and efficient, are too costly, except in certain localities where chlorhydric acid is a waste product. Related to them is the plan which consists in exposing the oxidized and moistened ores to the slow action of sulphurous acid mixed with air, by which a soluble sulphate of copper is formed. It has been proposed to decompose the solutions of sulphate or chloride of copper by sulphuretted hydrogen, thus separating the copper as sulphide, and using the liberated acid to dissolve fresh portions of oxidized copper. It is, however, the almost universal practice to throw down the copper from its solutions, however obtained, in the metallic state by the use of iron, either scrap-iron or iron-sponge; although in some instances

Jan 1, 1882

YEAR OF ELECTION 1913. FRANK DAWSON ADAMS Montreal, Canada. 1935. GUILLAUME DANIEL DELPRAT Melbourne, Vic., Aust. 1920. HENRY STURGIS DRINKER Merion Station, Pa. 1933. KARL EILERS New York, N. Y. 1922. FEDERICO GIOLITTI Trino,Italy. 1906. SIR ROBERT A. HADFIELD London, England. 1921. FRANK WILLIAM HARBORD London, England. 1917. HERBERT HOOVER New York, N. Y. 1931. WALDEMAR LINDGREN Cambridge, Mass. 1921. C. MCDERMID London, England. 1913. EZEQUIEL ORDOAEZ Mexico City, Mexico. 1935. ROBERT PEELE New York, N. Y. 1937. GEORGE S. RICE Washington, D. C. 1911. ROBERT H. RICHARDS Cambridge, Mass. 1934. T. A. RICKARD..... Victoria, B.C., Canada. 1933. ALBERT SAIVEUR CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

Jan 1, 1937

By Marcelo B. Mourão

An experimental investigation was carried out to -study the rates of reduction of pellets containing iron oxides by carbon dissolved in liquid iron, at temperatures ranging from 1720 K to 1973 K. Several different pellet types were employed; the materials used in the pellet's manufacture were pure hematite, two kinds of commercial iron ores, and mixtures hematite/silica and hematite/lime: Reaction times were determined employing the constant volume pressure increase technique (CVPI). It has been observed that the reaction rate increases as the temperature and the pellet's specific surface area increases. The reaction rate is also affected by the oxide type: pellets made from commercial ores or from mixtures hematite/silica or hematite/lime show reaction rates lower than those made from pure hematite.

Jan 1, 1996

CONTENTS PAGE. WHITE, DAVID.-Environmental Conditions of Deposition of Coal. Discussed by E. C. Jeffrey, George H. Ashley, Reinhardt Thiessen, S. W. Parr, David B. Reger, Wilbur A. Nelson, James F. Kemp, E. S. Moore, Homer G. Turner, David White, A. C. Noé, W. A. I. M. van Waterschoot van der Gracht 2 THIESSEN, REINHARDT.-The Constitution of Coal. Discussed by Edward C. Jeffrey, Reinhardt Thiessen, Ralph H. Sweetser, David White 12 TURNER, HOMER G.-Microscopical Structure of Anthracite. Discussed by E. S. Moore, Edward C. Jeffrey, Reinhardt Thiessen, H. J. Rose, James F. Kemp, David White, Clarence A. Seyler, A. C. Noé 14 JEFFREY, EDWARD C.-Coal in Relation to Coke. Discussed by H. J. Rose, David White, E. S. Sinkinson, S. W. Parr, James F. Kemp, Edward C. Jeffrey, Reinhardt Thiessen, Chas. R. Fettke 17 FRANCIS, W., and WHEELER, R. V.-The Resolution of Coal by Oxidation. Discussed by Edward C. Jeffrey, S. W. Parr, E. S. Sinkinson, Reinhardt Thiessen, David White 23 TIDESWELL, F. V., and WHEELER, R. V.-The Constitution of Coal. Discussed by David White, A. C. Fieldner 24 JOLLY, J., and WHEELER, R. V.-Organic Sulfur Compounds in Coal. Discussed by S. W. Parr 25 SINNATT, F. S.-Selective Combustion in Coal. Discussed by J. D. Davis, A. C. Fieldner, Geo. S. Rice, W. M. Grant, H. J. Rose, S. W. Parr, David White 25 COBB, JOHN W.-Nitrogenous Constituents of Coal. Discussed by S. W. Parr, H. J. Rose, Reinhardt Thiessen 28 PARR, S. W., and HOBART, F. B.-Coal and Oxygen. Discussed by J. D. Davis, W. T. Thorm, Jr., S. W. Parr, H. J. Rose, A. C. Fieldner, F. F. Jorgensen, David White, W. M. Grant 30 FIELDNER, A. C., and DAVIS, J. D.-Modern Views of Chemistry of Coals of Different Ranks as Conglomerates. Discussed by S. W. Parr, David White, Reinhardt Thiessen, A. C. Fieldner, Clarence A. Seyler 32 EBY, J. BRIAN.-Contact Metamorphism of Some Colorado Coals. Discussed by Geo. C. McFarlane, W. T. Thom, Jr 35 WHITE, DAVID.-Progressive Regional Carbonization of Coals. Discussed by A. C. Fieldner, Homer G. Turner, W. A. J. M. van Waterschoot van der Gracht, A. C. Noé 37 THOM, W. T., JR.-Moisture as a Component of the Volatile Matter of Coal. Discussed by A. C. Fieldner, S. W. Parr, Clarence A. Seyler, W. T. Thom, Jr., R. D. Hall 39

Jan 7, 1925

By Hennessy F. L

It is generally recognised that slags are active participants in pyrometallurgical processes, and not merely inert liquids which must be produced. to effect separation of gangue material in smelting, or of impurities in refining. The importance attached to slag-metal reactions in steelmaking is shown by the numerous investigations in this field. However, there are still many important reactions of slags which require explanation. In this paper some new aspects of the reactions of slags will be discussed, as far as possible quantitatively.FREE AND COMBINED OXIDESMetallurgical experience indicates that variations in the composition of slags produce changes in the chemical behaviour of the various components. These variations have been generally ascribed to changes in the proportions of free and combined oxides, i.e., compounds have been assumed to be present in the liquid slag.Considerable support for this view has been adduced from the existence of compounds such as metallic silicates, phosphates, etc., in the solIdified slag. However, this does not imply that such compounds necessarily exist in the molten slag.The most direct evidence as to the nature of molten slag is to be obtained from a study of the liquid state. In...

Jan 1, 1950

By B. C. B. Pretorius

A heat load analysis of the very hot sub-shaft area of Loraine gold mine situated near Welkom, South Africa, showed. that the heat that needed to be removed to give acceptable wet-bulb temperatures at the working faces could not be done by the normal ventilation air alone, but would have to be complemented with extensive refrigeration. The paper outlines the considerations in selecting the cooling system adopted for this shaft.

Jan 1, 1980

By J. L. Post

A near-surface body of readily available Na-montmorillonite is located about 24 km (15 miles) southeast of Fallon, NV. The clay, which forms an irregular deposit about 4.8 km (3 miles) long, lies in altered rhyolite within a fault zone. The clay is similar to Wyoming bentonite but is less uniform in composition and contains less MgO and more Fe2O3 in its crystal structure. The clay interlayer cation population can be estimated by using a modified DTA procedure. With selective mining, the industrial properties of the Nevada clay are adequate for use as drilling mud, in foundry applications and as a sealant for hazardous wastes and canals.

Jan 1, 1997

By D. Malhotra

Metallurgists are continuously striving to improve recovery. But optimization of profits and/or revenue dictates that recovery can be sacrificed at the expense of throughput. However, recently there has been significant interest in the concept of retreatment of tailings to enhance recovery and hence revenue while maintaining high throughput. The authors discuss the technical and economic factors that need to be considered in evaluation of the feasibility of retreatment of tailings including the potential feed streams (i.e., rougher tailings, cleaner tailings, etc.) and processing options (i.e., physical beneficiation, chemical processing, etc.). A case study for base metals is discussed.

Jan 1, 1994

By M. H. Moys, J. A. Finch, A. R. Laplante

"A detailed review of ball milling circuit control practices in industry has been carried out. Based on fundamental process performance objectives, a standard system for base-level control of most ball mill installations is presented. This system is simple, inexpensive, and provides the major economic benefits available from contemporary automatic control technology.Value Analysis of Grinding OperationsValue analysis (or engineering, or management), originally developed by Lawrence D. Miles of the General Electric Company (1), focuses on the identification of value (product or process worth versus cost) and provides a systematic procedure for its improvement. A recent research and development project involving the application of the principles of value engineering to grinding operations has provided a basic technoeconomic model of grinding processes (2). The functional objectives of the ball milling process and the means to achieve value based grinding circuit control originate from this study.The Need for Grinding Circuit ControlThe economic effectiveness of a process is determined by the quality or value of the product and the related processing costs. If the inputs (both the raw feed and the applied processing work) are absolutely constant, the product characteristics and the process efficiency will be determined only by the engineering design. The need for and degree of process control is therefore determined by the nature of variations or upsets in the process inputs, and the extent to which these effect product value and operating costs."

Jan 1, 1988

The French research institute, INERIS, requested the assistance of the CSIR?s Division of Mining Technology in developing further precautionary measures against explosions in their collieries. In response to this approach, an on-board active suppression system was adapted to meet their mining requirements. This system is used on tunnelling machines in Germany where the machine is positioned in the middle of the tunnel, which is therefore not much wider than the machine itself. With this configuration, the machine is never away from the tunnel face during the cutting cycle. As a result, the possible volume in front of the machine of combustible gas requiring suppression is less than 50 m3. In South Africa this technology has been adapted to suit a two-cut mining method which entails greater distances from the face and thus much larger volumes of methane mixtures requiring suppression. The particular configuration of the Explo-Stop® system being investigated required the suppression of possible methane ignition volumes of up to 180 m3of a 9% per volume methane/air mixture. The volume is a consequence of the large cross-sectional area of French underground workings and of the two-cut mining method used in France. In order to take the second cut in the coal seam, the machine is pulled back a maximum distance of 4 m, leaving an air pocket in which gas can accumulate. The machine-mounted system is required to effectively suppress any flame ignited by such a large accumulated volume of methane. The results of the protocol tests done at Kloppersbos showed that the system was capable of suppressing all simulated methane ignitions for the prescribed conditions. This was achieved with a temperature increase of less than a 100°C at the operator?s position and without any flame being detected at this position.

Jan 1, 2001