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By N. Kumar Kittusamy, Richard E. Miller

This field study evaluated a newer and older dozer at a construction site. Both dozers performed similar activities in the same location within the construction site. Two operators participated in this study. One operator used the older equipment and the other operator used the newer equipment. Jolting and jarring measurements were taken at the seat/operator interface and at the floor of the cab. The result of this field study indicates that the newer dozer was better than the older dozer.

By S. M. Alvarez

The Moon Creek Reclamation Project provides a case study in the development of creative cleanup solutions for an abandoned lead and zinc mine and mill site located in northern Idaho. Innovative design features include construction of a 88,000 cubic yard combined waste containment facility on soft in-situ tailings, water-balance cap, limestone gravel drains, a geocell mattress for stability, and a below-grade scour protection berm. The stream, including a wetlands buffer, will be relocated within an existing road alignment and rehabilitated to provide trout habitat. These elements allow for the integration of reclamation and stabilization measures into an effective site design.

Jan 1, 1999

The Department of Mineral Resources is the lead agency in mine site environment management and control in New South Wales. The Department introduced a Mining, Rehabilitation and Environmental Management Plan (MREMP) process several years ago in order to integrate the activities of other government agencies who may have a material interest at the mine site. The MREMP process has resulted in a spirit of trust and co-operation between agencies and between agencies and mining companies. The spirit of co-operation has been reflected in greater public confidence that mining is environmentally responsible.

Jan 1, 1995

By Bradley AJ

Hamersley Iron Pty. Limited mines and pro cesses iron ore from two orebodies at Tom Price and Paraburdoo, situated in the North West of Western Australia. Conventional open pit mining methods are used at both sites in that material is drilled and blasted in benches, loaded by shovels and hauled to the Primary Crushers or dumped on waste or low grade material stockpiles. The present drilling fleet, consisting of eight high capacity Bucyrus Erie Rotary drills has evolved from an initial fleet of a large number of small percussion rigs. There are significant physical differences between the ore types encountered at both mines which nec- essitate the drilling of smaller diameter blast holes at Paraburdoo than those at Tom Price. The drilling practice at each site is dis- cussed, with examples of performance achieve- ments under varying drilling conditions.

Jan 1, 1978

By M. Kehnemuyi

The U.S. Department of Energy is charged, by federal law, with the responsibility for developing and implementing programs for long- term storage and terminal disposal of high- level radioactive wastes from both commercial and defense nuclear operations. Approximately 288,000 cubic meters of defense high-level wastes are currently in storage at the government's Hanford Reservation in the State of Washington, the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina, and the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant in Idaho (U.S. Department of Energy, 1980a). High-level wastes from commercial nuclear power production are stored in water pools or basins at various power plant sites. At the end of 1980, approximately 7.460 metric tons of uranium, contained within 28,300 fuel assemblies was in storage at various reactor basins. Although the present inventory of defense wastes are many times larger in volume and in total level of radioactivity than the commercial wastes, in the future, the latter will constitute a substantial quantity of wastes that will have to be disposed of. The present electric generating capactiy of nuclear power plants in the United States is 56.5 Gigawatts-electric (GWe). The amount of spent fuel that would be discharged and accumulated by the year 2000 from these operating reactors would be 38,000 metric tons. With a projected growth of the nuclear industry to 180 GWe in the year 2000, the amount of spent fuel accumulated at the turn of the century could reach 89,000 metric tons of uranium or approximately 318,000 assemblies. In any case, whether one postulates a no growth pattern or one where nuclear power provides its share in the country's electric generating capacity in the next two decades, a means for safe and environmentally accept- able disposal of high-level nuclear wastes must be found. Storage of commercial wastes in water basins, either at reactor (AR) sites or at away from reactor (AFR) sites, and storage of reprocessed defense wastes in surface or near surface tanks is a temporary solution and is not an alternative for permanent disposal.

Jan 1, 1981

By Dana C. Reinke, David K. I Ingram

Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health partnered with the water well industry to develop engi­neering control technologies and training products to address noise exposure at the job site. Noise­induced hearing loss continues to be a problem in the well drilling industry. Research con­ducted by NIOSH found that air rotary drill rigs produce sound levels more than 90 dB(A) over the course of an eight­hour workday. Sounds levels above 90 dB(A), identified during hammer drilling and the hammering of casing, exposes workers to levels that can damage hearing. A typical air rotary drill rig provides no barrier, for noise and dust pro­tection, between the drill’s control panel and the drill stem. The development of a partial cab is the clearest example of NIOSH’s research partnership with the water well industry. NIOSH researchers determined that an engineering noise control to protect the oper­ator at the rig’s control panel would be effective, based on typical work site conditions. Many surface rigs do not have full cabs as a result of the original equipment manufacturer design or the high cost of aftermarket products. Developed as a partial cab, the NIOSH engineer­ing noise control design addressed stakeholders’ needs associated with cost, transport, and worker usage (Figure 1). Field tests found the partial cab effective in reducing sound levels at the rig’s control panel, a typical location for a drill rig operator. Sound levels at the control panel were reduced from 104 to 96 dB(A) (Figure 2). Coupled with continued use of personal protective equipment, such as hear­ing protection devices, the partial cab can help to reduce noise exposure. NIOSH researchers created a CD with informa­tion about noise exposure and the partial cab. Most important to well drilling companies is information on how to construct and attach the partial cab to drill rigs. The CD can be viewed on a standard computer and includes a video of the partial cab in use on a work site. Computer­aided design drawings are included on the CD and provide detail of the cab design as well as information on construction mate­rials and design details. Additionally, the CD provides background infor­mation on noise­induced hearing loss and hearing protection devices to increase knowledge about this occupational health concern. This information can be viewed by all company employees to help promote the partial cab’s importance to workers using the cab. More information on the partial cab noise control technology can be downloaded from www.cdc.gov/ niosh/mining NIOSH researchers also examined the health and safety training needs of workers in the ground water industry. It was quickly realized that most workers learn health and safety on the job and do not attend any sort of formal training. In addition, there is not a lot of time for daily “tailgate talks” or “shop talks” on health and safety issues. As a small business industry, the owner is often operating a drill rig along with his other employees. In general, new employees learn the job in an apprentice style sys­tem. As a result, workers and owners have few opportunities to access uniform health and safety information based upon the job — an outdoor work environment with daily change in work sites. With this information, NIOSH researchers devel­oped two products that deliver health and safety information to fit into the daily work of well drillers. Both are information circulars and are available through download at www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining and the NGWA Web site at www.ngwa.org/publication/ publications.cfm. These circulars are: Water Well Safety Bits. This booklet provides information in a “quick bites” style. It is pre­sented in a magazine format and can be left on

The Department of Mineral Resources is the lead agency in mine site environment management and control inNew South Wales. The Department introduced a Mining, Rehabilitation and Environmental Management Plan (MREMP) process several years ago in order to integrate the activities of other government agencies who may have a material interest at the mine site. The MREMP process has resulted in a spirit of trust and co-operation between agencies and between agencies and mining companies. The spirit of co-operation has been reflected in greater public confidence that mining is environmentally responsible.  

Jan 1, 1995

The green field site is one that has no history of mining and as such it presents the designer with a blank canvas, on which any number of drill and blasting options can be drafted. No matter which mining method is selected all technology and experience will need to be acquired from outside sources, applied quickly and produce the right results. North Limited, in joint venture with the Sumitomo Group (20 per cent), have developed AustraliaÆs first block cave mine at Northparkes in New South Wales, Australia. This innovative and large scale mining project was taken from a green field site in November 1993 to a fully commissioned block cave mine in December 1997. NorthparkesÆ Endeavour 26 mine is now producing at a rate of 3.9Mt per annum from a 27Mt ore block. Prior to 1993 no history of mining activity existed at Northparkes. The rock had never been blasted and many questions were raised about how it would behave. While it was clear that the Endeavour 26 (E26) orebody contained geotechnical properties appropriate to block caving, the blasting methods required to establish a block cave mine had never been used in Australia and no designs were available. The joint venture partners had no prior experience with block caving and it was immediately apparent that this blasting technology would have to be acquired from foreign sources and applied to the unique local conditions. Conceptual designs for the block cave drill and blast were first drafted in 1994, first issued for drilling in December 1995 and first blasted in January 1996. 470 km of drill metres and four million tonnes of rock were blasted to complete the undercutting project by September 1997. This paper will provide those developing new drill and blast projects with an inside view of how one small technical team solved many design challenges to successfully construct AustraliaÆs first block cave mine under strict quality controls and ambitious time constraints.

Jan 1, 1998

By S. Pollak, J. Rickard

The Long Baseline Neutrino Facility Far Site in Lead, South Dakota is currently under construction and involves drill and blast excavation of the largest and deepest caverns in North America. This paper will review how the geotechnical risks are being managed through careful consideration of excavation sequence, completion of exploratory pilot tunnels, implementation of a robust instrumentation and monitoring program, and validation against the design. Aside from having a cross section of 5,900 square feet and being situated at a depth of one mile, the caverns also employ a unique permanent rock bolt solution which underwent a significant pre-production pull testing program involving varying installation methods and being subject to blast vibrations. The behavior of the schistose rock mass and performance of the ground support are being continually monitored throughout the construction phase.

Jun 13, 2023

By Roswell W. Prouty

As part of a general plan for control and economic utilization of the waters of the Missouri River Basin as well as development of its inherent power resources, the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army has under construction a rolled earth dam near the site of old Fort Randall in South Dakota. The dam is in Charles Mix and Gregory Counties on the Missouri River at a point about 922 miles above its mouth. It is approximately 125 air-line miles southeast of Pierre and 55 miles southwest of Mitchell, S. Dak. The storage reservoir to be formed by the dam will extend upstream for 150 miles and, at maximum operating pool level, will cover an area of some 107,000 acres. It will have a storage capacity of 6.2 million acre feat.

Jun 1, 1949

By Joseph Peterson, Alexander May

The Bureau of Mines used geochemical modelling computer programs to characterize a site containing lead slag generated by a lead processing facility. Tests for toxic elements by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extraction procedure showed that all elements except lead were in compliance. Concentrations for lead ranged from 28 to 30 ppm. However, analysis of water samples from monitoring wells resulted in no lead concentrations that exceeded the National Drinking Water Standard. A discussion of a computational program to calculate concentrations of lead species and several other ions is presented.

Jan 1, 1991

By Gregory A. Stephan

A case history of design, prediction, instrumented static load tests on probe piles, installation monitoring, and integrity testing of production piles is presented. Based upon project-specific subsoil conditions, as obtained from several 60 to 80 ft (18.3 to 24.4 m) deep test borings, deep foundation system alternatives included driven concrete and steel pipe piles as well as augered cast-in-place (ACIP) piles. High structural loads, site-specific constraints, and the production time frame mandated by the project owner led to the selection of an ACIP pile foundation system that was designed for a pile capacity of 75 tons (667 kN) in compression and 35 tons (309 kN) in tension. Site-specific concerns were raised about the highly porous nature of fragmented and decomposed sandy limestone as well as the high grout intake during construction that could result in increased foundation cost as well as interconnecting of the piles in the rock layer. Consequentially, a multi-phase ACIP pile evaluation program consisting of instrumented compression pile load tests, in conjunction with single-hole ultrasonic pile testing, pile echo testing (sonic testing), as well as full-time production pile monitoring by an experienced geotechnician was specified. As a result of this testing and evaluation program, while grout usage was determined to be within an acceptable range, the instrumented compression load tests yielded data that allowed use of 55 ft (16.8 m) long ACIP piles in lieu of the original plans to use 70 ft (21.3 m) long precast concrete piles. This information was effectively utilized as part of the overall quality control program to install a total of 268, 14 in. (356 mm) diameter ACIP piles within the building footprint to depths of 55 ft (16.8 m) below the pile cut-off elevation as part of the foundation support system. Information recorded during installation included rate of insertion/extraction of the auger, grout pump strokes and pressure, total grout volume, and grout factors, as well as quality and strength of grout. Additionally, many pre-selected installed piles were tested for integrity with a Pile Integrity Sonic Analyzer (PISA) using both sonic and ultrasonic methods. This engineered, monitored, and tested foundation solution provided an effective and quality intensive basis for completion and approval of the foundation work for the building that resulted in cost savings over other foundation alternatives for the owner.

Jan 1, 1999

By Francisco Vicuña, Miguel Becerra, Gonzalo Montes-Atenas

"The optimization of the copper recovery from smelting slag by a process of comminution / flotation has been a widely discussed topic during the last few decades. Several studies covering the characterization of different types of slag, the impact of the slag cooling rate and of different flotation operating conditions on the flotation performance have been widely published. Currently, at El Soldado mine site (Angloamerican), there are large copper bearing slag deposits that can be a profitable alternative for the concentrator with capacity to treat this material. Under this process schema, the optimization of the flotation process to obtain better copper recoveries is a relevant topic of study. The aim of this study is to assess the efficiency of a sulfidation stage of a slag and to correlate that process with copper recoveries results in a flotation circuit. This article presents a detailed examination at both laboratory and plant scales of the slag sulfidation on the recovery of copper in the flotation process. The experimental methodology involves studying the effect of the sulfidation agent dosage, the pH, the particle size distribution of the flotation feed and the conditioning time. Furthermore, the performance of the sulfidation stage was analysed through the XPS analytical technique. It was observed that the sulfidation of particles in floatable size fractions correlated well with the increase in copper recovery. The results indicated that it is possible to increase between 2 to 4 points the total copper recovery with a sulfidation process implemented appropriately."

Jan 1, 2014

By Somerville M, Muray A, Bocking M

Australia has an extremely large total hot dry rock (HDR) resource above a depth of 5 km, equivalent to 7500 times its present annual energy consumption, of which 80 per cent underlies the Great Artesian Basin. The resources most likely to be exploited first are those residing in homogeneous granitic bodies beneath sedimentary basins containing insulating rocks such as shales and coal measures. In the Sydney Basin south of Muswellbrook, an area of high geothermal gradient corresponds to a gravity low thought to be a buried granite body at a temperature of possibly 250¦C. This locality is suspected to have the ideal geological characteristics for Australia's first hot rock test facility. Australia's high HDR potential is possibly unique in the world, in that the potential sites satisfy four independent, geological conditions, each considered as favourable for the creation of a resource, and for the ease of extracting that resource. They are: ò Higher crustal heat generating capacity than that of normal continental crust. ò Much of the Australian continent is covered by sedimentary basins which contain a high proportion of shales and coal measures that have low thermal conductivities, thus providing an insulating blanket for the heat being generated beneath. ò The sedimentary basins are in many places underlain by large untectonised granitic bodies that are not only a major contributor to heat generation, but also ideally suited to the establishment of HDR reservoirs. ò The crustal shortening stress field that is found in the majority of the Australian continental crust results in a vertical minimum principal stress orientation which should result in the development of favourably oriented horizontal stimulation cells necessary for maximising an HDR resource.

Jan 1, 1995

By A. Koski

A pond rehabilitation and environmental education project were proposed by Cleveland-Cliffs Michigan Operations (CCMO) and approved by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as partial fulfillment of conditions for a stream mitigation permit. The goals of the project were the rehabilitation of a pond on a tributary of a local trout stream, enhancement of public access and appreciation, and the initiation of a site-based environmental educational curriculum. Cleveland-Cliffs undertook a suite of actions to rehabilitate a pond created by a previous mining operation in 1912 and make accessible to local schools the aquatic and riparian ecosystems. Cleveland-Cliffs partnered with the local governmental unit and two local school districts. The rehabilitated pond and riparian zone provide an accessible natural area that local residents can use for such activities as hiking, biking, walking, fishing and nature study. Vegetative enhancement includes the planting of native shrubs, wildflowers and showy herbaceous plants in the pond, on the riparian fringe and the surrounding area. An interpretive trail was developed around the pond with signs created by a local master watercolor artist. Local schools built and installed picnic tables, benches and a kiosk. Cleveland-Cliffs created pond lesson plans tied to the Michigan Curriculum Framework, developed inexpensive teaching kits and hosted a workshop for teachers from nine local schools. Classes regularly utilize the pond during the school year conducting environmental studies. Nesting boxes, wildflower gardens, bat houses, frog deformity surveys and water quality studies are a few of the activities that classes have conducted at the pond.

Jan 1, 2007

By Gyimah Kasali

Rapid Load Testing was performed as part of an extensive drilled pier testing program for the University of California Berkeley Capital Improvement Program. The purpose of the program was to: (1) Verify the axial compressive design capacity values for the planned 24" piers, and to estimate the capacity of the existing 30" CIDH piers, and (2) To evaluate the seismic performance of the proposed drilled shafts. The Fundex PLT was used since the loading period of the PLT is very similar to the period of a seismic event, making it an ideal tool to model the pier response to seismic events. "Performance-based design" of structures subject to seismic loads has been of particular interest to UC Berkeley Seismic Review Committee and the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center. The comparison of static tests to Rapid Load testing also provided valuable correlations. The program represents one of the most comprehensive drilled pier test programs on the West Coast. The testing program consisted of Rapid Load Testing using the Fundex PLT on 6 drilled piers. Rapid Load Tests were followed by conventional static compression and tension tests on selected piers, followed by another cycle of rapid load tests on the statically tested piers. The piers featured extensive instrumentation to allow detailed interpretation of the test result. Correlations were drawn to compare static load test result to that of the PLT in the particular soil profile, and the PLT also provided the data to analyze the ultimate seismic capacity of the piers. The load test results indicate that the ratio of interpreted failure load from the PLT data to the corresponding load from the static load test data is about 1.2 to 1.3 for the clayey soils underlying the test site. The results also indicate that the PLT offers an economical approach to defining the stiffness of drilled pier foundations subjected to seismic loads for use in performance-based design.

Jan 1, 2002

By Don Larson, Gordon Coleman

The United States Department of Energy, through its contractor Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has entered into a contract with Alpha-IRECO, Inc. for the emplacement of approximately 2.9 million pounds of a 50% RX-MD emulsion 50% ANFO blend into an underground chamber for initiation to produce the 12 trillion caloric equivalent of 1,000 metric tons of TNT. The detonation will be closely monitored to determine the characteristics of a large chemical explosion for comparison with data collected from previous like-sized nuclear events in the same location. This data will be shared with former Soviet block countries to facilitate enforcement of the various non-proliferation treaties currently being negotiated between the countries.

Jan 1, 1994

By Samuel J. Kosa

The Monotube is a uniformly tapered high-strength steel shell pile manufactured for friction pile applications. The Monotube pile was developed in the early 1920's in Canton, Ohio. Its first commercial installation was an Ohio railroad trestle in 1926. The Monotube has been manufactured in the same Canton plant since its inception. The Monotube is produced in four diameters, 12, 14, 16 and 18 inches, with U. S. Standard Gage wall thicknesses of 9, 7, 5 and 3. The uniformly tapered Monotube section can be manufactured in one of three rates of taper.

Jan 1, 1993

By M. Taheri

Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) method is applied to select tailings site of the Gol-e-Gohar Iron Ore Processing Plant in the Kerman province, south-eastern of Iran. To select tailings site, screening is applied on eight location proposed by Binnie and Granges. Consequently three sites identified for further studies. Evaluation factors include only the most important factors such as efficiency ratio, elevation and distance to processing facilities, occurrence of faults and fractures. Crisp values such as efficiency ratio, elevation and distance can be determined by measurements and calculations, but some factors such as occurrence of faults and fractures are presented as linguistic values that can be described with triangular fuzzy numbers. Based on evaluation values obtained an optimal tailings site can be selected using a modified Technique of ranking Preferences by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) given crisp data and linguistic variables as the alternatives of attributes. Each attribute?s weight is assigned using the analytic hierarchy process. The final ranking order aids in the selection of tailings site. Finally, the stages of modified TOPSIS method were applied and site No.2 situated in 5400m to the mill was selected as the best alternative.

Jan 1, 2014

By Ken Pill, Jennifer Nyman, Liz Moran, Keaton Belli, Chelsea Bokman

The Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project Site (Site) is a former uranium-ore processing facility near Moab, Utah, where production ended in 1984. The United States Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) is responsible for remediating the site to meet 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 192 standards promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under the authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Tailings from the former mill were stored in an unlined impoundment (tailings pile), totaling 16 million tons of waste material. Surface cleanup has been ongoing since 2009 and consists of removal and transport of tailings via rail to an off-site disposal facility in Crescent Junction, Utah, with an estimated completion date around 2029. Gravity-driven migration of tailings fluids and recharge through the tailings pile and former on-site ore storage areas in the northeastern part of the site led to contamination of site soil and groundwater. The primary contaminant of concern is ammonia, which was present in fluids used in the milling process (DOE 2003). Uranium is a contaminant of potential concern. An interim groundwater remedy is currently in place that utilizes a system of extraction and injection wells to limit discharge of contaminated groundwater into the nearby Colorado River. Exceedance of surface water standards for ammonia are a principal concern due to potential endangered species fish habitat areas along the Colorado River adjacent to the Site. When necessary, surface water diversion is used to lower surface water ammonia concentrations when suitable habitats develop for endangered young-of-year fish. Once surface cleanup concludes and the tailings pile is removed, a formal groundwater remedy must be selected and documented in a Groundwater Compliance Action Plan (GCAP). Under Title 1 of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act, natural flushing (i.e., monitored natural attenuation), may be selected as the groundwater remedy if it can be demonstrated that the remedy will achieve groundwater standards within 100 years. The 40 CFR 192 groundwater standard for uranium is 44 micrograms per liter (μg/L), and the target groundwater concentration of ammonia based on adverse effects on local fish species is 3 milligrams per liter (mg/L). A collaboration with Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. (Geosyntec), the Moab UMTRA Project team, the DOE Office of Legacy Management, the DOE-EM, and the Network of National Laboratories for Environmental Management and Stewardship was held in 2022 with the goal to generate actionable recommendations to develop a GCAP for the Site. The primary recommendation was development of a groundwater fate and transport model to predict the remedial timeframe under various groundwater remedies. This paper presents the results of soil and groundwater sampling, geochemical modelling, and laboratory column and batch reactor testing that will be used to parameterize a numerical model for estimating the remedial timeframe under various scenarios, including natural flushing.

Feb 1, 2025