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By Henry Newton

It may seem somewhat a work of supererogation to present to the American Institute of Mining Engineers, composed largely of gentlemen with whom the subject is so familiar, a paper on iron ores and their distribution. To many of them, however, it possibly will not be without interest, as there may be some, like myself, who hare nowhere found a connected account of the character of the deposits and the circumstances upon which are founded the great iron-producing centres of the world. This blank I have endeavored to fill,

By HORNICKA OSTRAVA

The Czechoslovak Scientific-Technical Institute has arranged the international conference 'Hornicka Ostrava' for four or five days at the end of October, 1969, as part of the preparation for the international 'Miners' Congress' on deep coalextraction in 1970. The keynote of the conference is 'New Techniques in coal mining,' and will be covered by five groups dealing mainly with: 1. New trends in the opening of mines, optimal parameters, projections, equipment, utilization of computers for economic analyses, etc. 2. Increase in efficiency of coal extraction in deep mines, technology, concentration, pressure control, optimization of material and coal transport. 3. Modernization of devices for increased safety and working conditions, new trends in explosives, new techniques for reducing environmental diseases. 4. Innovations in deep level coal extraction, mechanization, rationalization, automation, etc. 5. Other topics about modern techniques in mining. Address your enquiries to: Ing. Karel Kalas (Secretary of the Conference), Dum Techniky Cs YTS, Ostrava 1, Jesenkiho 7-9, Czechoslovakia.

The Iron and Steel Committee of the American Institute, of mining and Metallurgical Engineers held a joint session with the American Foundrymen's Association during the Annual Meeting of the Institute in February, 1928, for the purpose of discussing blast-furnace operations and the character of pig iron and castings. Dr. Richard Moldenke presided. H.. H. Sweetser, who was named on the program as the presiding officer of the session, was unable to be present, but sent a letter in which he said: " The meeting we had here last year and the meeting held in Chicago last June showed a desire on the part of blast-furnace men and users of pig iron to get the facts regarding the influence on castings made from pig iron produced in blast furnaces under varying conditions of temperature, mixture and local furnace operations. It has been my hope that at this Round Table we might he able to formulate a series of tests that, would give us the desired information. "Several independent blast-furnace investigations have. been, and still are being, carried on in different sections of the country. The furnaces investigated include a southern furnace, a middle-west furnace, a western furnace and a Chicago district furnace. The results so far show distinct characteristics for each of the four furnaces. It is possible that a furnace in the eastern part of the United States would be different from all the others. "It is hoped that a plan of action can be worked out at your meeting today whereby the IT. S. Bureau of Mines will be able, to carry on more extensive work in connection with the research departments of the different iron and steel companies and the big consumers of pig iron. "No one group can get all of the, information but if the different investigations can be coordinated it will he possible for us to (Iran. conclusions regarding the effects of varying conditions in blast-furnace practice on the pig iron produced and the castings made there from." DISCUSSION R. Moldenke, Watehung, N. J.—I was across the -water this summer and saw some of those interested in an investigation of this kind. 'I'hey told me that in Germany, where they had a joint committee of blast-furnace operators and foundry-

By Launa Mallett, Charles Vaught, Michael Brnich, ROBERT PETERS

Interviews of 48 miners who escaped underground coal mine fires revealed that none of them had ever, before that incident, worn their self-contained self-rescuer (SCSR) either in training or in a real emergency. Consequently, they were ill-prepared to use this emergency breathing apparatus. One persistent problem stemmed from the fact that miners had no notion of breathing resistance, nor of the fact that it would get more difficult to breathe the longer they wore their device. As a result, many of those who were interviewed had simply removed their mouthpieces and breathed ambient air. This is obviously behavior that should be trained out of the workforce. Unfortunately, because of high costs and difficult logistics, miner training is unlikely to ever include donning and wearing an apparatus on a regular basis. In order to give workers a better idea of what to expect from their devices, therefore, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health researchers developed a tabletop (paper and pencil) simulation based upon actual predicaments evacuees had reported encountering. The simulation is designed to emphasize important points related to donning and wearing a self-contained self-rescuer in a mine fire escape, and, by doing so, to bring miners' expectations more in line with what their actual experiences would be. The simulation was field tested in six training classes at three different mining operations. In all, 99 individuals were involved in completing the exercise and rating its properties. In their ratings 88% of the respondents indicated they thought the scenario could definitely happen in real life, and over 80% agreed they had learned something new. From the field test data it was concluded that the simulation had authenticity and potential value as a teaching tool. The simulation was therefore used in a pre-test/post-test control group experiment to determine whether it led to improvements in miners' scores on a true-false test of their SCSR's functional capabilities and proper usage. Eighty-three miners were included in this part of the study. As expected, miners who had participated in the training exercise scored significantly higher on their post-test than miners who had not.

By William P. Blake

When we consider the efforts made in Europe to promote the physical and moral well-being of the working classes, the question is suggested whether in this country, where, theoretically, every man is peculiarly the arbiter of his own destiny, we may not be too prone to expect every man to take care of himself, and neglect to make those provisions for the welfare of the employed, demanded alike by enlightened economy and humanity. In the older countries, where the disproportion between capital and labor is greater, and the working classes are more dependent, their welfare largely occupies the attention of employers. The subject is involved in the problem of the just relations of capital and labor, and we are rapidly approaching the time, if we have not already reached it, when a generous paternal interest in the welfare of the employed should be more generally manifested. It is a subject which is of special importance to mine-owners and engineers in this country, especially to those located in the coal regions. My own attention has been particularly directed to it by a visit made to the Hassard collieries, a few miles from Liège, Belgium, under the direction of M. Andrimont. This celebrated engineer has established a comfortable home for the miners near the mouth of the shaft of the mine. It has been highly successful and beneficent in its results, and may to a great degree be regarded as a model for such undertakings. It is known as ((Hotel Louise," this being the name of Madame d' Andrimont, who laid the corner-stone of the building April 4th, 1871. The structure is of brick, upon three sides of a square, and

By T. Egleston

At the Dover meeting of the Institute, Mr. F. A. Canfield showed some of the members a machine which he had invented for dressing mineralogical and geological specimens, which he has since modified and brought to such a high state of perfection, that after having used it for several months in preparing specimens for the cabinet of the

By Thomas M. Drown

Remarkable as have been the direct results of Danks's puddler, there are some indirect and incidental results, which are well worthy of study for their intrinsic value and suggestiveness. The success of Danks's machine is due mainly to the nature of the lining and the manner in which it is attached to the walls of the revolving chamber. Herein lies Danks's merit and good fortune. Given such a lining, and the success of the machine, as far as puddling iron is concerned, could easily be predicted. Other important results have, however, been obtained with this machine, which, though clearly explicable, were, nevertheless, unanticipated. These are the increased yield of bar-iron over the pig-iron charged, and the elimination of phosphorus, which, though not absolutely complete, is yet more decided than in the case of hand-puddling. As regards the increased yield, this is merely what we have a right to expect if we consider the puddling process to consist in the oxida tion of the carbon and silicon of the pig by the oxygen of the oxide of iron. That this result is attained, nearly to the extent that the theory requires, in Danks's puddler, and has never been more than partially attained by the most careful experiments in band-puddling, points clearly to the fact that the contact of the molten pig-iron with the oxide of iron is much more intimate and complete in the one instance than in the other. The action of puddling in Danks's machine may be considered to be twofold: first, the removal of the carbon, silicon, and phospho rus of the pig, which is the primary object, and, second, the produc tion of wrought iron direct from the ore, which is entirely an inci dental result. Intelligent metallurgists were not long in recognizing in this latter result a fact of deeper import and greater value than the attainment of a perfect puddling process. A new method

By Adolph Henry

The manufacture of wheels of metal for locomotives and cars constitutes an important branch of the iron industry, and one closely related, moreover, to many of the conditions of railway practice, such as speed, safety of passengers, and economy of working. It has been, also, since the introduction of iron roads, a subject of constant study on the part both of engineers of construction and iron manufacturers. The car-wheels at first used in Europe had spokes of wrought iron and a hub of cast iron. Subsequently endeavors were made to make the wheels entirely of wrought iron, by forging successively the different parts which constituted the hub, spokes, and rim. By this treatment the expansion of the heated portions at the last forgings gave rise to interior ruptures in the already cold and finished parts. The metal was thus strained before use, and the wheels broke frequently in service. It was in consequence of these failures, doubtless, that the engineers of this country were led to employ exclusively wheels of cast iron. The railway companies are nevertheless greatly interested in the reduction of the weight of rolling stock, while preserving abundant, strength, and by the employment of wroughtiron wheels one may attain this double end if the defects of manufacture which we have just mentioned are avoided. This may be accomplished by making the wheels in such a manner that the different parts are welded at the same time, whereby the interior strains which so frequently give rise to ruptures in wheels successively forged are avoided. This result has been attained by what is known in France as the Arbel process, of which I will give you a short description if you will kindly give me a few minutes' attention. The process may be briefly summed up as follows: A pile of puddled bars of the general form of the wheel to be made is prepared,

By T. F. Witherbee

It is proposed to give, first, a description of the works; second, a report of the first six months of the present blast; and third, such improvements as have been suggested by the practical working. The site selected for this furnace was, at the time of commencing work, October, 1872, entirely covered by the navigable waters of Lake Champlain. A coffer-dam was first built of cribs of round timber filled with stone, forming three sides, while the shore answered for the fourth. Considerable excavating was done with a steam-dredge, a hole being left for it to pass out. The opening was then built up, and the cribbing banked up with blue clay from the bottom of the lake, to render it water-tight and the dam pumped out; the remainder of the excavating being done by hand. All of the foundations, with the exception of the elevator-tower, and fifteen feet of the east side of hot blast, rest on the Potsdam sandstone, which forms the shore line, dipping into the lake at an angle of fifteen degrees. Owing to jogs in the formation, a much greater depth was found necessary than was at first anticipated, the foundation under the stack

By Fred C. Turin, Lisa J. Steiner, Kim M. Cornelius

Like many experienced workers, remote control continuous miner operators perform their everyday jobs making choices and decisions that they may not consciously think about. While performing tasks, they are continuously processing feedback and cues which guide them for the next move. Initial training teaches the operators the tasks necessary to operate the equipment and perform the job. However, with experience they are better able to deal with hazardous conditions and non routine situations. To better understand what potential cues and feedback help to guide the operators, a questionnaire was developed to learn what factors affect decisions. Operator responses address issues related to specific tasks, equipment operation, visibility, lighting, and communication issues. The information collected is useful to understand what cues experienced operators use to make task performance decisions. Results will be used to develop interventions and training for safe and effective operator performance.

By E. R. Leeman

INTRODUCTION The first references in the literature to the so-called C.S.I.R. 'doorstopper' strain cell were made in 1964 1,2,3,4. These were the climax of nearly two years of experimental and developmental work with the instruments and the operating techniques involved. Since that time numerous field measurements have been made with 'doorstoppers' and they have been developed to a stage where they are in commercial production and are being supplied to users throughout the world. No detailed description of the latest 'doorstopper' equipment has, however, appeared in print and this paper is written to bring the literature up to date in this respect. The triaxial strain cell was developed three years ago 5, 6, 7 and was first described at the First Congress of the International Society for Rock Mechanics in Lisbon in 1966 8. Since that date laboratory tests and-particularly important-field tests 7' 9 have demonstrated the validity and practicality of the instruments and techniques. These instruments have also been developed to a stage where they have been released for commercial production. In this form they are very different from those described two years ago and a full description of them at this stage seems to be justified. THE INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY 'DOORSTOPPER' AND TRIAXIAL STRAIN CELLS Both the 'doorstopper' and triaxial strain cells were designed specifically to determine the absolute stress in rock using an overcoring stress relieving technique. They were not designed to measure changes in stress. They may, however, be used for the latter purpose provided the glue which is used to stick the strain gauges to the rock is known to possess sufficiently stable strain-time characteristics as not to affect the accuracy of the results during the time the measurements are made. The 'doorstopper' was designed primarily to measure the major principal stress in situations where its direction and those of the two other principal stresses were either known or could be assumed. For example, at great depth in undisturbed virgin ground, it is reasonable to assume that the maximum principal stress is vertical and that the other two lie in a horizontal plane. The borehole in which the 'doorstopper' is installed would thus be drilled in the horizontal plane parallel to one of the minor principal stresses, the direction of which would either have to be assumed or determined as described later. The stresses measured would be the vertical major principal stress and the principal stress acting in a horizontal plane normal to the borehole axis. It is possible, as will be shown later, to obtained the complete state of stress using 'doorstoppers'. In this event, it is necessary to make measurements in three boreholes drilled in any three known directions to each other and relative to a system of three orthogonal axes. The triaxial strain cell was designed to determine the complete state of stress in a single borehole drilled in any direction in any stress field. At first glance it would appear to supersede the 'doorstopper'. This is not necessarily true since there are

By William G. Pariseau, Mark K. Larson, Heather E. Lawson

Rational design based on engineering fundamentals is essential for the layout of safe, stable shafts and tunnels. Shafts and tunnels including winzes, raises, adits, and crosscuts are lifelines to the underground and must be secure. The contribution of this paper describes a significant extension in existing software previously developed for five important design problems in strata-bound mines such as coal, trona, salt, potash, and some large, lead-zinc mines. This extension in software allows analysis to proceed in three easy steps: (1) preparation of a strata properties file, (2) generation of the finite element model, a mesh, and (3) finite element program execution. Circular, elliptical, and rectangular shaft sections are available for a single shaft, twin shafts, and shafts in a row. Spacing of twin shafts and shafts in a row is a free parameter (pillar width). Tunnel shapes are the same as shafts but include the conventional arched back section. Dipping strata of variable thickness, depth and orientation relative to the excavation of choice are allowed. The analyses are three-dimensional. An elastic-plastic material model based on associated rules of flow and an N-type yield condition for isotropic, transversely isotropic, or orthotropic rock are used for all strata. Example analyses from several hardrock mines are provided to illustrate the three-step process including mesh plotting and plotting of selected results. The goal of this software is to advance mine design technology for improved miner health and safety.

By Georgene Renner

With more than 800 booth spaces sold and 540 exhibiting companies displaying their wares, there was something for everyone on the exhibit floor of the 2014 SME Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT Feb. 23-26. The following is a sample of what was offered at the 2014 meeting.

By William Gleason

The Society for Mining Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) has a long and proud history of being the world?s leading resource for the dissemination for technical information regarding the fields of mining and mineral extraction and processing. That reputation was met, and maybe even exceeded, with the programming for the Society?s 2014 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT Feb. 23-26. The meeting drew more than 6,700 attendees to the three-day conference that featured more than 90 technical sessions with 670 presentations. These sessions covered the breadth of the mining and minerals industry, but it was the so-called ?softer issues? that were discussed in the keynote session that kicked off the meeting. The keynote session, ?Community Engagement: Building Partnerships for Mining,? brought together some of the leading voices from the mining industry, as well as some of the top voices from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that work in the mining sector. The common ground between the panelists was their dedication to working to ensure a social, economic and environmental balance in the development of mines. ?We wanted to bring these NGOs in to begin a dialogue to see how we can work together,? said SME President Jessica Kogel. ?This is a space that SME has not typically operated in, but one in which SME can bring a technical, scientific voice to the discussion. SME wants to play a leadership role in creating partnerships between the technical, social and economic areas that are crucial to the success of any mining project.? In today?s environment, finding mineral deposits and extracting the minerals in an economically viable manner is just one piece of an increasingly complex puzzle. Earning and maintaining a social license to operate requires careful consideration of local and global impacts. The industry often comes under intense scrutiny when a new project is proposed and, therefore, it must strive to meet the highest ethical and environmental standards. Success requires cooperation and collaboration between the industry, community and NGOs.

By Donald R. Clark

Drilled shafts are being used as foundation support for parabolic solar troughs at the Genesis Solar Project being constructed near Blythe, California. Three types of drilled shaft foundations are required for the project. At project build-out, there will be a total of 23,008 drilled shafts installed at the site. Preliminary designs for the axial and lateral capacity of the drilled piers were based on conventional geotechnical engineering methodologies and soil-structure interaction. The drilled shafts and subsurface conditions were modeled through the use of the computer program LPILE v6.0. Conducting lateral load testing of drilled shafts was considered appropriate to confirm or modify the geotechnical parameters used in the preliminary design. The lateral load testing program was conducted to provide site-specific test data that would allow the design engineers (both geotechnical and structural) to predict the actual performance and adequacy of the proposed drilled shaft foundations and improve the efficiency and hopefully reduce project costs. The lateral load testing was conducted within two solar fields at the site. Three pairs of drilled shaft foundations were installed in each field, instrumented, and laterally loaded to determine load-deflection response. A value-engineered option, proposed by one of the drilled shaft contractors, was also load tested. The results of the load-deflection data obtained in the field was used to modify the soil modeling used in the original L-PILE analyses and adjust the production drilled shaft lengths. Based on the results of the lateral load testing, the in-situ moduli of the subsurface soils were significantly increased over that assumed in the preliminary analyses. Based on the final soil-structure interaction analyses, the preliminary drilled shaft lengths were reduced by 2 to 2-1/2 feet. This resulted in an overall reduction of 55,654 feet of drilled shaft construction on the entire project, a savings of approximately 16.5% over the preliminary design.

By John C. Niedzielski

The existing US-70 Bridge over the Gila River at Bylas, Arizona is planned to be replaced due to its current poor condition. The replacement bridge is planned to be a 15-span, 1,904-foot (580 meter) long bridge, the third-longest bridge in the state highway system. Within the Gila River floodplain, granular alluvial soil is underlain by cohesive lacustrine soil; bedrock was expected due to nearby terrain but not encountered within the geotechnical exploration depth of 166.5 feet (51 meters) or less. Based on the anticipated loading conditions, design scour depths and the soil conditions, the full structural loads are carried by large diameter drilled shafts; therefore accurately determining the axial capacity of the proposed drilled shafts has important practical and safety implications. The conventional methods for axial capacity determination may be overly conservative to use for design in the site?s layered granular and hard clay soils. An Osterberg cell load test was performed to obtain detailed information on the load transfer from the drilled shaft in side friction and base resistance to allow optimization of the bridge foundation design. The full-scale field test played a significant role in the design of the project?s deep foundations, notably, by incorporating the specific subsoil properties and consequently, an exact prediction of the load-settlement behavior under loading. This paper provides the results of the geotechnical site investigations, drilled shaft load testing procedures, and shaft load distribution from the load test results. Comparisons were developed between predicted axial capacities of drilled shafts using several design methodologies and the axial capacity measured from static load testing. The load test results showed that underestimation of the axial capacity is evident using conventional methodologies. The exact prediction of the load-settlement behavior under loading combined with a site-specific design approach, resulted in a substantial reduction of foundation costs due to reduced drilled shaft dimensions.

By Hennie F. T. Barnard

Where geotechnical designs are governed by settlement requirements, soil and rock moduli are important parameters for design. This paper reports on a method that was used to utilize dynamic modulus measurements in the field toward pile settlement designs for the proposed Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Project to be located near Carnarvon, South Africa. The project will comprise of over 3000 No. movement sensitive satellite dish structures. The method described in the paper utilizes strain-related modulus degradation across the complete ground profile, starting from measurements of peak particle velocity (and inference to dynamic modulus at small strain) as measured using Continuous Surface Wave (CSW) testing at individual dish positions. This is required due to the very small allowable foundation rotation of 5 arc seconds under the dishes? operational conditions. The strategy of analysis was to conduct an iterative process starting from the measured small strain modulus profile of the ground. The likely maximum pile force for a specific piled foundation option was estimated and a single pile finite element analysis was performed using Plaxis 2D (Version 2010) to estimate the expected ground strain developing along the length of the pile. By assuming the shape of the shear modulus degradation curve with increasing shear strain, the iteration process then converged on a likely degraded modulus profile associated with the single pile and maximum load assumed. This process enabled identifying the pile cap size, pile configuration, pile sizes and pile lengths that would meet the operational movement limits. The chosen pile group configuration was then analyzed using the Repute 1.5 pile group analysis software. The design process and typical results are discussed in this paper.

By Paul J. Sabatini

Between 2008 and 2009, more than 6,000, 23-m long deep mixing method (DMM) elements were constructed to support 124 concrete mats comprising the foundations for the process trains for an LNG facility. The Owner requested first-of-its-kind analyses and assessments to confirm the quality and reliability of the DMM foundation. This paper provides information on these assessments and the procedures used to ultimately conclude that a fit-for-purpose foundation system was constructed. During early phases of construction, several DMM test cores revealed nodules of unmixed clay in upper core samples. A comprehensive review of available DMM core information was undertaken. It was concluded that the amount of coring being conducted as part of the contractor?s QA/QC program should be increased to achieve a foundation system with the required level of reliability. Three-dimensional finite element analyses were completed considering various distributions of defects in the DMM elements and the effects of potential downdrag on DMM elements. Calculated mat settlements and mat stresses were compared to cases without defects in the DMM elements. Various distributions of loaded and unloaded mat areas and number and position (both in the subsurface and laterally) of defects were considered. Four (of the 124) mats were identified as potentially ?at-risk?. The settlement performance of these mats is currently being monitored and, to date, performance has been acceptable.

By George Piscsalko

Quality control of drilled shafts and ACIP piles is greatly dependent upon the practices of the site personnel. In many applications it is difficult to properly inspect the shaft prior to concreting, such as when the shaft is drilled under slurry. In other cases, such as ACIP piles, it is impossible to inspect the shaft in any manner prior to concreting. There are numerous methods currently available to assess the integrity of drilled shafts and ACIP piles. Each method has its advantages and limitations. This paper will compare the various available methods as well as introduce a new method for assessing integrity in drilled shafts and ACIP piles. This new method, known as Thermal Integrity Profiling, determines the integrity over 100% of the shaft both inside and outside the reinforcing cage by measuring the hydration temperature of the concrete along the length of the shaft. These temperature measurements can be made by either passing a thermal probe through a standard Cross Hole access tube typically 12 to 48 hours after concrete placement, or from embedding thermal wires within the shaft prior to concrete placement and monitoring them with unattended data collectors for 12 to 48 hours after concrete placement. This Thermal Integrity Profile method will be described in detail and several case histories will be presented. Additional testing methods which will be compared include low strain Pile Integrity Testing, and Cross Hole Sonic Logging. Advantages and limitations for each method will be discussed.

By Juhyung Lee

Numerical analyses were performed to analyze the behavior of two different type of suction piles (mono type and group type) under various soil layer conditions (uniform silty clay layer, uniform silty sand layer, and two-layer deposit consisting of clay and sand layers) and lateral loading locations (top, middle, and bottom of the suction pile). According to the results, mono suction pile shows maximum resistance when load is applied on its middle, regardless of the soil layer conditions, while group suction piles varies significantly according to the allowance on head rotation. When head rotation is allowed, the behavior of group type piles become similar to the behavior of mono suction pile. Whereas, when rotation is prevented, resistance is maximized when load is applied on the top head. Moreover, group suction piles show higher efficiency regardless of the ground condition and geological stratum. For further advances, concrete block on the top of group suction piles are suggested as an effective alternative method to prevent partial rotation and maximize ground resistance for group suction piles.