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By L. C. Hsu, H. F. Jr. Bonham, M. O. Desilets, P. J. Lechler, J. G. Price, L. J. Garside

Abstract-Geochemical background levels have been established for unmineralized sedimentary rocks that are elsewhere the hosts of Carlin-type gold deposits in the Getchell Trend. The Paleozoic rocks in the Winnemucca Quadrangle consist predominantly of the lower Paleozoic siliceous and clastic sequences that were carried eastward along the Roberts Mountains thrust during the Late Devonian and Early Mississippian Antler Orogeny and the late Paleozoic Havallah and Pumpernickel sequences brought along the Golconda thrust eastward during early Mesozoic Sonoma Orogeny. Over 260 rock samples were collected from the Paleozoic sequences. Major and trace elements were determined by instrumental methods best suited for the specific elements. The general geochemical features of the Paleozoic sedimentary rocks are discussed in detail with reference to the data of average abundances of elements in sedimentary rocks. The background and threshold values of certain trace elements in sandstone, shale, and carbonate rock of one formation, as well as back- ground levels for the entire sequence were obtained. The characteristic geochemical features of the Paleozoic rocks in this area include: consistently high Ba and low Au contents (1.1 ppb, 1.5 ppb, 1.1 ppb Au for average sandstone, shale and carbonate, respectively); generally low contents of those elements which may be of environmental concern such as As, Cd, Hg and Pb. Plots of major and trace elements suggest that the majority of the Paleozoic clastic rocks are related to a passive- margin tectonic setting. Samples with gold values higher than threshold are considered to have been affected by hydrothermal alteration related to gold mineralization. Most of these samples generally also have higher values of Sb, Hg, V and/or As. These observations support the use of such elements as pathfinders for gold, although V has not been identified as such before. Ba is not effective for gold exploration in this area due to the generally high background value of Ba, even though it may be an important pathfinder elsewhere.

Jan 1, 1995

By T. Macpherson

Drawing on past research experience with sprayable polymer mine support agents (TSLs), Spray On Plastics Ltd. has developed a TSL ground support system called RockWeb. Using a relatively new polyurea polymer technology, RockWeb has been engineered to solve problems encountered underground with polyurethane liners by incorporating rapid curing, moisture insensitivity and superior physical performance. RockWeb possesses a unique, patented ability to be sprayed in a ?cobweb? like consistency allowing the applicator to span fissures in the rock, ensuring no initial defects in the liner, and maintaining design thickness over highly irregular surfaces. This ability, coupled with the high strength and elasticity of polyurea, allows RockWeb to mitigate rock movement through yielding, while maintaining intimate surface confinement. RockWeb provides reduction in logistics through the transport of 1/25 of the material quantities required for shotcrete, rapid deployment rates of as little as 30 minutes per round, and immediate return to the work area. This paper will discuss the technology and advantages of RockWeb as well as opportunities for overall mining cycle cost reduction. The safety benefits, as well as health and environmental considerations regarding application of isocyanate-based liners will also be discussed.

May 1, 2009

By Peter Van-De-Velde

"The results of applying Japanese pumping technology to North American reclamation projects will be discussed.IntroductionEconomic high-density mineral reclamation and subsequent transportation of solids through a pipeline presents many formidable engineering problems.In North America where space has rarely been a facto r, industry has generally relied upon the traditional dumping of material into various waste ponds, etc . In Japan, where confined geographies and stringent environmental regulations are enforced, alternative solutions for disposal or reprocessing of waste material had to be found.High-density mineral reclamation system designed by theoretical formulas is almost impossible because solids composition, i.e. concentration, velocity, moisture content, solid size, etc. can only be controlled within a broad pumping range.Traditionally this has restricted dredging of material to relatively dilute slurries whereas it is usually preferred to reduce water usage with its associated power and reclamation costs to a minimum and reclaim as high a concentration as possible.At Toyo Pumps North America we recognized these pumping limitations and began to develop and manufacture a range of standard and auxiliary equipment that would exceed these technical restrictions."

Jan 1, 1985

By D. Mu

A method is presented for evaluating the effective gas diffusion coefficient of porous media. A series of random-distributed porous solids with different porosity are generated, a solution of the gas diffusion equations inside the porous media is obtained using the finite element method (FEM), and then the effective gas diffusivities are computed. The results show that there is a percolation threshold sp, and this percolation threshold decreases with an increase in the connectivity of the pore network; the relationship between the effective diffusivity and the porosity is strongly nonlinear when the porosity £ is less than about 0.2; and is quasi linear for higher porosities. The threshold decreases with increasing the connectivity of the pore network. A formula relating the effective diffusion coefficient with porosity is proposed.

Jan 1, 2005

By John Rowson, Caitlin Brown, Kebbi Hughes, Joseph Esslifie-Dughan

The McClean Lake mill in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, is operated by Orano Canada Inc. and has been in production for the last 20 years. The tailings preparation process at the mill has been designed with decommissioning in mind, to produce tailings that are geochemically stable over the long-term within the site’s tailings management facility. Twenty years of study have contributed to a detailed understanding of geochemical and geotechnical properties of the McClean Lake tailings. Validation of the tailings properties has occurred through in-situ sampling campaigns conducted initially every year, and later every five years. Each sampling campaign has applied the same rigorous sampling procedure to provide data with useful correlations year over year. Each campaign result compares elements such as the inherent variability of the tailings, consolidation of the tailings and variations in the tailings placement methods. We will discuss lessons learned from seven sampling campaigns over 20 years and present data to show the reliable tracking of geochemical evolution of the in-situ tailings over time; providing opportunities for continuous improvements.

Jan 1, 2020

By Phil Keele

"Manalta Coal Ltd. 's Vesta Mine will supply Alberta Power Limited's 740 MW Battle River Generating Station with 1 128 000 tonnes of sub-bituminous ""C"" coal in 1983. Mana/ta Coal Ltd. and Alberta Power Limited are in their seventh year of a 31-year coal supply agreement. With the exception of localized topographic highs where three coal seams are mined, the Vesta Mine is primarily a single-seam mining operation. Vesta's comprehensive programs of mine planning, preventative maintenance, reclamation, and employee relations make it an efficient and a well run operation. Introduction The Vesta Mine, located in east-central Alberta approximately 300 km northeast of Calgary, supplies sub-bituminous ""C"" coal to Alberta Power Limited's 740 MW Battle River Generating Station. The coal reserves and principal stripping equipment are owned by Alberta Power Limited. Manalta Coal Ltd. owns and operates the additional mining equipment and support facilities. Coal production is from a single pit, 3.5 km in length. Both single and multi-seam operations are encountered in the active pit. In 1983, production is anticipated to increase to I 128 000 tonnes from 906 000 tonnes in 1982. The additional tonnage will be achieved by operating 24 hours per day, 5 days per week. The following sections briefly highlight historical, geological and mining/reclamation aspects of the Vesta Mine. Figure I illustrates the location of the Vesta Mine in relation to the cities of Calgary and Edmonton. History Coal mining for domestic use began near the turn of the century in the Vesta Mine area. Initially, small underground room-and-pillar operations were dominant. As equipment technology advanced, surface strip mining replaced the underground methods."

Jan 1, 1985

By P. K. Kaiser, S. Maloney, S. Yazici

"This paper focusses on the strength or capacity of cable bolts and introduces a new perspective for cable bolt design by demonstrating that mining-induced stress changes may affect cables in a detrimental manner. The concept underlying a novel cable bolt pull-out resistanceor bond capacity model is described and its practical significance is demonstrated by application to a simple two dimensional scenario of a fall-of-ground.A number of practical implications emerging from the application of this model are discussed to provide guidance to ground control personnel jar improving cable bolt support systems in mining applications. These include cable layout optimization, use of cable pre-reinforcements, assessment of embedment length requirements, need for plated cables (or straps), use of bird-caged cables (or buttons), and grout quality issues.IntroductionDuring the last decade, cable bolting has become a standard support technique in mining for handling wide spans, reinforcing are passes, preventing or reducing dilution of ore in marginally stable stopes, and for many other rock support need s.In its infancy, many deficiencies in cable bolt supports resulted from improper installation techniques and, in particular, grout quality control problems and the use of empty breather tubes (Goris, 1990). The development of special grout pumps and fail proof placement procedures (Oliver, 1992; Bourchier and O'Flaherty, 1992) have eliminated many of these early problems. Nevertheless, there are still situations where cables seem to lose their capacity during mining, and in these cases the cables do not provide the expected and needed ground support. In some instances, cables perform extremely well, whereas in others the same support layout and quality of support installation seem to be insufficient, allowing falls-of-ground or progressive cavings to occur."

Jan 1, 1992

By O. Moselhi

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of Building Information Modeling (BIM) on Just-In-Time (JIT) material delivery, with a focus on how the use of BIM can help improve efficient implementation of JIT and reduce the cost of material management. Previous research and a number of case studies have addressed the positive impact of BIM on construction at large but none focused on JIT in construction. This paper presents a methodology for selecting reliable material vendors. It also utilises the integration of BIM and scheduling software to generate quantities of material and its required delivery time to improve the flow process and improve its reliability to minimise related delays and productivity losses arising from idle and non-productive time of equipment and labour on jobsites. 4D visualization is utilized to support coordination and timing of JIT material deliveries in an effort to minimize congestion on job sites. Case studies on JIT material deliveries are presented and the impact of BIM implementation on reducing the cost of material management is evaluated. The joint effect of BIM and JIT on quality control, elimination of waste, reduction of inventory buffers, and on relationships with material vendors are evaluated by analysing and comparing data from case studies. The paper also presents a methodology based on multi-attribute decision criteria for modelling the selection criteria for material vendors. The model can assist in ranking vendors not only based on cost and quality but also on their reliability in delivering material on time.

Aug 1, 2013

By Shamia Hoque, Charles Q. Jia

Smelter slags contain valuable metals such as Co, Ni and Cu in proportions of less than 1 wt% along with about 40 wt% of Fe and 15 wt% of Si. Although aqueous SO2 is a versatile lixiviant for transition metals, dissolving the slag in aqueous SO2 produces solutions in which Co and Ni concentrations are lower than that of Fe due to the low metal/ Fe ratio in the slag. To develop the options for increasing Co and Ni concentrations the solubility of slag in aqueous SO2 was studied experimentally and theoretically using OLI, a software package for simulating electrolytes chemistry. The modeling results correlated well with experimental results. The model suggested that the species dominating the system was FeSO3, which would precipitate out as FeSO3.3H2O when the concentration of Fe+2 reached 1.22 molal and the concentration of S032- was beyond 1.4 molal. In the experiments the influence of pH and solids loading were studied. The leach solution obtained after dissolution of slag at 50% solids loading had a pH of 1.85. On raising the pH to 3, precipitation occurred. Analysis of the solution collected after the addition of alkali showed over 50% reduction of Fe, Co and Ni. XRD analysis revealed the precipitate to be of amorphous nature due to the silica present. The analysis confirmed that the precipitate was mainly FeSO3.3H2O. The paper also discusses the potential impact of the slag on the environment.

Jan 1, 2004

By Fadi Layyous Gedeon, David Hatton, Solomon Mogashoa, Tuhin Banerjee, Faisal Aljohani

The adoption of innovative technologies in mineral processing often raises concerns about complexity and integration. However, Woodgrove’s Direct Flotation Reactor (DFR) technology at Barrick’s Jabal Sayid copper concentrator provides a different perspective. This paper outlines the smooth integration of DFR technology from piloting to full-scale commissioning, showcasing how easily the cells were brought online. Installed in a cleaner scalper role, DFR cells at Jabal Sayid upgrade re-ground rougher concentrate to final concentrate in one stage. Despite processing challenging ore, the DFR cells delivered concentrate grades that consistently exceeded expectations. The commissioning process was straightforward with minimal hurdles, highlighting the technology's user-friendly nature. This paper advocates for a shift in perceptions about new technologies in mineral processing. The success of DFR technology at Jabal Sayid demonstrates that “different” doesn’t mean “difficult.” By focusing on ease of commissioning and operational integration, innovative solutions can enhance processes, improving efficiency and productivity in the mining industry.

May 4, 2025

By P. M. Dranchuk

"SINCE their inception, the mineral industries have, from time to time, been confronted by various and sundry problems. These have been identified, attacked and solved by means of a slow methodical process peculiar to these industries. During the past decade, these industries have experienced increasing difficulty in attracting and retaining an adequate supply of manpower. This poses a situation which seems to be unlike those that came before it in that it appears to be immune to those methods of attack which were successful in the past. Despite various attacks upon the problem, its seriousness appears to be increasing at an increasing rate. The point has now been reached where the President of AIME recently expressed the opinion that this is the most serious problem facing these industries at this time (1). Another observer has gone so far as to state, ""Given the motivation and the determination, the crisis in mineral education in Canada, can, in time be met. But it will take a generation if we Start DOW (2)"".Part of the difficulty arises out of the identification and assessment of the problem itself. For, although the manpower shortage has been developing over a fairly long period of time, there still appears to be no unanimity concerning its seriousness and the nature of the threat which it poses. Some observers continue to maintain that the current situation is not new at all, but is merely the reappearance of something old which is cyclic in nature. They observe that in the past there were numerous periods where the mineral industries encountered manpower shortages but that, in each instance, the situation eventually rectified itself. Furthermore, they draw attention to the fact that the current problem is not confined to the mineral industries but that in fact all industries are experiencing an increasing manpower shortage. They are therefore confident that if left alone the present problem will eventually disappear."

Jan 1, 1967

By R. C. Wallace

Introduction At a time when the mineral-bearing areas in Manitoba are being fi very keenly explored because of the major developments which are now taking place in that Province, it may be timely to give an analysis of the mineralization in the two major types of deposits, with a view particularly to assist in the intensive prospecting to which the mineral-bearing areas in the Province are now to be subjected. As is already well known, there are two principal types of mineral deposits in the territory- copper-zinc and gold; and attention will be confined almost exclusively in this paper to these two types, with some indication of such modifications of the main types as may be found to be of economic value. The details of the paper are drawn from what is yet a small part of the area of the Province available for prospecting. Enough is now known of the types of mineral deposits which are described in the following pages to justify the expectation that these types may serve as criteria in the search in the newer districts. Doubtless new types will also be found as investigations proceed.

Jan 1, 1928

By R. Neumann, O. Gomes, S. Gaydardzhiev

"Phosphorus in iron ores is considered as a deleterious component to iron making reflecting in cold shortness of the produced steel. The present study investigates the phosphorus migration pattern resulting from thermal treatment of an oolitic-type iron concentrate with and without additives. To this end focused mineralogical and microscopic observations were performed. The results have shown that roasting with alkaline additive drives phosphorus outside the hematite hosting mineral, however it remains evenly distributed inside the volume of the oolites. It penetrates inside the newly formed cementing phases of Al- Na-Si-Fe-type and also fills the interstices between the crystals. Other than phosphorus, aluminum, calcium and iron tend also to migrate towards the amorphous-type cementing phase. Finally, the possibilities for P removal by means of magnetic separation and acid leaching of the roasted concentrate were evaluated. The obtained final product presents a standard iron concentrate suitable for steelmaking with its phosphorous being dropped from 0.71% to 0.05% and iron grade of a nearly 66% being reached. INTRODUCTIONSignificant proven reserves of iron ores are still not exploitable due to lack of an economically viable and efficient technology for removal of phosphorus. Among them are the oolitic iron ores with high phosphorus which are estimated to nearly 377 billion tons (Hernandez et al., 2012). Phosphorus is a deleterious component giving a cold shortness to steel and often is penalized if exceeding 0.07%. Most of the high-P iron ores are considered refractory since phosphorus is finely disseminated and is evenly met as phosphate groups inclusions inside the limonite structure. Studies on inclusion of phosphorus in artificially synthesized goethite have shown that it is adsorbed as [HPO4]2- groups bridging the adjacent iron ions (Parfit et al., 1975). The high-phos iron ore originating from Lisakovsk deposit, Kazakhstan presents a similar mineralogical issue because the quantity of P, met as solid solution, is substantially higher than the one in P-containing minerals. A potential reason for that is the ore body formation process from the slow deposition of iron-rich precipitates together with clastic erosional sediments in rivers. There is significant quartz and clays inside and around the oolites. The deposit contains about 1.7 billion tons of measured and indicated reserves at 35–41% iron and 1.1 billion tons of inferred ore have been delineated possessing nearly the same chemical composition (Golubovskaya, 2003; Kokal et al., 2003)."

Jan 1, 2016

By C. J. Li, J. L. Feng

In the present study we focuses on developing the poroelasticity model that deals with adsorptioninduced permeability change mostly occurred in porous media constituted several phases such as coal. The underlying pressure induced by adsorption is obtained by Virial expansion form, which is substantially founded on statistical physics. The corresponding thermodynamic pressure applying on the pore surface is then used to detail the pore pressure and further to evaluate the macroscopic volumetric strain and the porosity. In the process of physical adsorption, the adsorbed phase is in thermodynamic equilibrium with the gas phase regardless of pore size, and the corresponding chemical potentials are all equal. The relationship between surface strain and volumetric strain is derived under infinitesimal deformation conditions to gain an explicit formulation of pore surface area with respect to volumetric strain and porosity. After the formulation of surface stress modified by the Langmuir isothermal adsorption is derived, the differential micromechanical constitutive equations of porous media are obtained. By supposing that the ratio of current permeability to initial is equal to the cubic ratio of current porosity to initial porosity, the differential equations for permeability change is consequently derived. The numerical simulations by the present model for permeability change of coal induced by adsorption of CO2 and CH4, respectively, are presented under confined stress conditions. The predictions from the model are good in agreement with the experimental data of sorption-induced permeability change of coals in the literature.

Jan 1, 2015

By Irving Wigden

The world is fast becoming information based. Mine companies migrate business infrastructures to be handled electronically. Suppliers move onto the worldwide web. In this ?e-world? successful suppliers will recognize they no longer trade in just equipment, but in knowledge. Companies can no longer just provide products and services, but instead must find ways to harness their knowledge to provide new value for customers. Mine customers will be attracted to suppliers that can help them streamline the process and use Information Technology to optimize operations, increase profit, reduce cost and enhance shareholder value. With the continued move to industry standard communications and software platforms, technology that formerly stood alone can now be integrated with other technologies. This creates more powerful systems that mine operators can use quickly, easily and cost effectively. These unified architectures improve productivity, provide higher asset optimization and allow more informed decision-making. As a leading supplier of process automation solutions for the industry, ABB provides a dynamic range of such control systems. These systems are designed for instrumentation controls, variable speed drives, electrical distribution, electrical equipment and related services for Mine Automation. Enhanced by ABB´s new family of integrated software solutions ? collectively known as Industrial IT ? ABB´s control and Scada systems place you in the best position to optimize your plant, process and enterprise operations. The paper discuss system integration and installation of High-Tec system in an underground mine. ABB has the ambition to be a System Integrator and co-operate with partners in different areas of technology. To day it is a problem to find one Supplier that can be responsible for the complete Automation System. The design of the system is also much depending of the design of the mine and also which caving procedure that is used in the current mine. Much of the work must be done in a feasibility study and during the design phase. If there is careful planning and consideration during these phases is vital in order to avoid costly changes during the commissioning phase The paper will also include a presentation of the benefit of using Automation in an Underground Mine, and how important the integration of the Human Being is to the Automation System. The most profit gained in mining industries are received when the mines can reduce internal and external disturbances in the production flow and speed. Must of the experience and discussed in this paper is from advanced technology, that has been developed in Scandinavian and adopted of LKAB in Kiruna. The author of this paper has been responsible för the Automation projects in the Kiruna Mine during 1994 - 1999. These projects include: Broadband communication of data, audio, compressed video in one data stream. Control System for Haulage -1045m Automation of Load Haulage and Dumping machines (LHD) Control of Production Drilling Riggs from a Central Control Room.

May 1, 2002

By B. Nanthakumar

The impact of stockpile oxidation on chalcopyrite was studied through collectorless and collector-induced flotation conditions. In both cases, the Cu grade-recovery performance of stockpiled ore showed relatively poor concentrate grades with respect to that of a fresh sample. However, the oxidation had a minor effect on chalcopyrite recovery itself. The poor concentrate grades resulted from dilution effect primarily by excessive flotation of pyrrhotite. Size-by-size analyses indicated that for the collectorless flotation, the recoveries in the coarse and fine particle-size regions, were higher for fresh ore than for stockpile sample. A greater impact was seen in the coarse size regions for both types of sample, compared to the collector-induced case. The Cu recoveries showed a remarkable increase in the coarse size range for both samples when a collector was used. However, the case for stockpile sample was a marginally higher compared to the fresh sample. This difference has been offset by an opposite trend that was observed between these two samples in the fine size region. It is concluded that in contrast to the case with nickel-bearing sulphides, stockpiling conditions do not show a significant adverse effect on behaviour of chalcopyrite due to its strong floatability, regardless of oxidation.

Jan 1, 2007

By Kevin Ross

Feasibility Study Team Processing / Engineering?Hatch, Vancouver Mining / Reserves?Australian Mine Consultants, Brisbane Geology / Resources?Roscoe Postle Associates, Vancouver Environmental / Permitting?Rescan, Vancouver Tailings BGC, Kamloops Probable Mine Components Mining tending towards caving methods Underground mine accessed by shaft /conveyor & decline Processing plant producing copper concentrate containing gold Concentrate trucked to rail head for export Non saturated tailings disposal

May 1, 2006

By B. Hart, D. J. Miller, J. T. Francis, M. C. Biesinger, Smart. R. St. C.

Diagnosis of the surface chemical factors playing a part in flotation separation of a valuable sulfide phase requires measurement of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic species that are statistically different between the concentrate and tail streams. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) can be used to identify sufficient particles of a specific mineral phase for reliable statistics determining a mean value for each species with 95% confidence intervals (1). Using the region of interest (ROI) facility in the Tof-SIMS software, a mass spectrum from each particle, at 1-2 monolayer sensitivity, is recorded and stored. This analysis is reported for a chalcopyrite / pyrite / sphalerite mineral mixture conditioned at pH 9 for 20 minutes in order to study transfer of copper from chalcopyrite via solution to the other two mineral surfaces since this mechanism can be responsible for their inadvertent flotation in copper recovery. Analysis from mineral selection based on specific ToF-SIMS signals (eg. Pb, Zn, Cu, Fe, Fe/Cu) indicated no statistical difference in the copper intensities on pyrite and sphalerite after this conditioning. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the ToF-SIMS imaging data identifies combinations of factors strongly correlated (positively or negatively) in images or spectra from mass spectra recorded at each of 256x256 pixels in a selected area of particles. PCA is a better method of selecting minerals due to multi-variable recognition. It has clearly separated a statistical difference in copper intensities between the sphalerite and pyrite phases. The method has been extended to samples from an operating plant again with excellent phase recognition and diagnostic surface chemistry.

Jan 1, 2004

By Allan R. Punkkinen

Safe extraction of the valued ore resource in the deep levels of VALE Creighton Mine has progressed in a pillar-less fashion using vertical retreat, slot-slash and uppers retreat methods since the cessation of ?cut and fill? mining in the late 1980?s. Sequencing of the panel extraction and filling has been the key to successful exploitation of high stress orebodies at depth. In late 2010, discussions between the Operating Department and Creighton Ground Control revealed an opportunity to evaluate a trial primarysecondary sequence in the west end of the 400 Orebody at the 2340m horizon. To manage the trial primarysecondary project, a high level risk analysis and management of change was carried out to mitigate potential danger. As part of the requirements, an instrumentation project was conducted in the hanging wall and footwall bottomsills of the secondary panel and within the secondary panel itself. The extraction sequence was modeled with Map3D® software, confirming high stress levels with the advance of the primary panel. Enhanced ground support was installed based on modelling results. A key objective of the instrumentation project was to verify support system response to mining and to obtain knowledge in regards to the behavior of the stope. This paper describes the first time that this type of new innovative instrumented rockbolt technology had been used in a hard rock mining environment. Understanding of the physical deformation mechanisms of ground support in response to high stress conditions is the basis for an effective ground control strategy. The data played an important role in subsequent enhanced ground support system design at the mine and importantly, established the fact that the secondary pillar had not totally failed. Subsequent cavity monitor results helped establish that fact.

Jun 1, 2012

By Simon Weixiao Sun

Conventionally, carbon steel has been the primary material for salt mine headframe construction, protected by specialty paint layers to prevent corrosion. These layers require meticulous QA/QC during fabrication and erection, and the top UV protection layer typically loses effectiveness after an average of 10 years, necessitating ongoing maintenance. As headframes age, significant structural repairs are often required. Alternatively, stainless steel can eliminate corrosion concerns, though its high initial cost has limited its use in headframe design. However, when factoring in long-term maintenance costs, a 'maintenance-free' stainless steel headframe can be an attractive option for stakeholders. This paper compares the structural performance and economic considerations of painted carbon steel and stainless steel headframes, including initial capital and long-term maintenance costs. Additionally, it explores a hybrid approach, strategically using carbon steel in low-contamination areas to reduce initial costs and significantly minimize future maintenance efforts.

May 4, 2025