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Some important mineral fields are referred to in discussing the formation of placer deposits in Australia.Testing methods include boring by hand, with percussion rigs, with auger and pit digging drills, and by vibro drilling.Sampling errors are minimized by the use of correct techniques and equipment for boring, sampling and sample dressing. A hypothetical set of data is used to demonstrate the final process of evaluation, and somerelevant taxation provisions are discussed.

Jan 1, 1966

By C. Fairhurst

Most of the papers designated as being within the topic of underground storage at this Symposium are concerned with aspects of radioactive waste isolation. Although this is, unquestionably, an important international application of underground storage, and one involving a considerable number of research investigations, the subject of underground storage is indeed much broader. Several major international conferences have been devoted exclusively to it. Applications include storage, under a range of temperatures and pressures, of oil and liquefied petroleum products, compressed air, heat, foodstuffs of various kinds, hazardous and 'nuisance' industrial by-products, and a variety of special applications, both civilian and military - some in use, others proposed. Storage may be in caverns excavated specifically for the purpose, exhausted mines may be adapted for storage or, in some cases, the material to be stored may be injected under pressure into the pore spaces of porous-permeable formations at depth. A variety of rock types and geological environments are used, e.g. excavations in salted or domal salt, where long-term creep closure of the openings is a concern; massive granite, where fluid loss through fissures may be important. Cavities may have spans of several tens of meters, and there is interest in achieving still larger excavations. As would be expected, this breadth of underground storage applications introduces a similarly broad range of questions in rock mechanics and rock engineering. The report will review these questions and recent developments in rock mechanics research, computational procedures, and design applications - and will also discuss the opportunities for a still greater range of applications of underground storage to current industrial and social problems.

Jan 1, 1989

By R Wilson, R Williams, B Freeburn

McLanahan RSS14x50 scrubber screens have individually processed over 50 Mt of Pilbara iron ore. The first stage of separation in these plants with abrasive, high specific gravity, large lumps is an extremely arduous duty with high wear rates. With the Scrubber Screen layout this occurs in the attached trommel section. The initial supply of the replaceable trommel panels were of steel-backed rubber with a service life of approx. six weeks. Site Personnel established a goal of 26 week wear life in conjunction with 100 per cent reliability and while field trials were undertaken using a variety of hardened and cast steels that demonstrated wear life to the nominated requirement some unpredicted failures still occurred. With a long evaluation time and challenges to create repeatable conditions with field testing, a purpose built test unit was designed and constructed to allow controlled evaluation of a number of materials and designs. During 2016 tests were conducted with eight different materials, of varying thickness to simulate impact conditions and a number of aperture profiles to evaluate both impact and abrasion effects. From these results two designs were selected for full scale implementation to confirm the nominated goals. This paper will present details of both testing procedures and results of all materials, as well as conclusions of successful field implementation.CITATION:Wilson, R, Freeburn, B and Williams, R, 2017. Trommel panel development for iron ore applications, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 251–256 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

By R. Ribacchi, P. Tommasi, C. Consorti, P. Campedel

The runout of dry blocky rock avalanches produced by planar rockslides affecting a limestone formation with clayey interbeds is analysed by means of distinct element modelling. Numerical analyses are validated by means of the back analysis of a historical rockslide occurred in the investigated area and physical aspects of the phenomenon evidenced by modelling are discussed. On analyse par la méthode aux élements distincts la distance de parcours des avalanches rocheuses sèches produites par des glissements plan interessant une formation de calcaire à intercalaires argilleux. Les analyses numeriques sont validées à l’aide de la back-analysis d’un glissement historique survenue dans le site en examen. On décrit les aspects physiques su phénomène mis en évidence par la modélisation efféctuée. In diesem Beitrag wird die Reichweite von Steinlawinen besthend aus trockenem blockhaftem Fels mittels der Distinct Element Methode untersucht. Die Steinlawinen werden erzeugt von Rutschungen in einer Kalkstein-Formation mit tonhaltige Schichten betreffen. Die numerischen Berechnungen wurden anhand einer Simulation einer historischen Bergsturzen verifiziert, der sich auf den untersuchten Gebiet ereignete. Auf der Basis der erhaltenen Ergebnisse wurden die physikalischen Aspekte der untersuchten Steinlawinen analysiert.

Jan 1, 2003

By R. Kanniganti

The primary problems of pillar design in seams subject to interaction are due not only to difficulties in predicting loading, but also to the often unsymmetrical nature of the stress fields. The effects of uneven stress fields on failure patterns within a pillar were studied wing a two dimensional finite element method. Lower seams, including ultra- close mining situations were evaluated considering conventional pillars. Pillar case study data for under mining were analyzed to determine if empirical trends in stable pillar sizing could be derived. Recommendations for multi-seam pillar design are made, based on anticipated loading conditions within a pressure bulb. Applications of the research results are demonstrated using case studies

Jan 1, 1995

By George S. Rice

"""To prevent the propagation of mine explosions, the Bureau of Mines, Department of Commerce, recommends rock-dusting all coal mines, except anthracite mines, in every part, whether in damp or dry condition. It also recom¬mends that rock-dust barriers be used to sectionalize the mine as additional defense; but these should not be regarded as a substitute for generalized rock-dusting."" (Mine safety decision, No. 5, April 7, 1927.)The purposes of this circular are to present concisely the requirements for effective rock-dusting of coal mines in order to prevent propagation of mine explosions, and to point out the principal related facts on explosibility of coal dusts and mixed coal-mine dusts, as determined by extensive testing in the Experimental Mine of the Bureau of Mines. study of these principal facts on coal-dust explosibility in conjunction with the recommendations for rock-dusting, should help to make clear to mine operators and others concerned the necessity for systematic rock-dusting in all coal mines except anthracite mines, and the futility of inadequate or sporadic rock dusting.The descriptions of nearly 1000 explosion tests in the Experimental Mine are available in a forth-coming bulletin2 and in earlier publications.3For detailed specifications as to the kind of rock-dust, amount to use, where to be applied, and method of sampling and testing, the reader is referred to Bureau of Mines Serial 26064, and American Engineering Standard Committee ""Recommended American Practice for Rock-Dusting Coal Mines"" quoted in Bureau of Mines Information Circular No. 60305.Summary of Specifications for Rock-Dusting1. Mines to be rock-dustedAll coal mines, except anthracite mines, should be rock-dusted.2. Extent of rock-dustingAll open accessible parts of a coal mine should be rock-dusted, including slopes, entries, cross,-cuts, and rooms, headings and pillar workings to within at least 50 feet of the face.3 Amount of rock-dustingAfter cleaning up the coal dust as thoroughly as practicable, sufficient rock-dust should be used to have the mixture of remaining coal-dust plus the rock-dust in any zone contain 65 per cent or more of inert or noncombustible matter. First dusting may require 3 pounds to 5 pounds per linear foot of passageway.4. When to rock-dust In any zone or section (made by dividing the mine for rock-dusting purposes) when the incombustible content falls to 55 per cent, that section should be re-rock-dusted so as to bring the incombustible content well above 65 per cent."

Jun 1, 1927

By Clifford Britch

"Kaiser Resources Ltd. has completed feasibility studies resulting in approval of $277,500,000 for the construction of the Greenhills Surface Coal Mine, located 35 km north of Sparwood, B.C. The mine is designed to produce 1,800,000 tonnes per year of metallurgical coal over a 20-year period by conventional truck /shovel methods.The project is in the detailed design phase, with some preparation work being carried out on the site. The major construction activities are scheduled to commence in the spring of 1981. Mine development and pre-stripping will commence in July 1981, with first coal production scheduled for mid 1983.This paper will be a general description of the project and will include a discussion of the geology, reserves, mine planning, coal handling and processing, surface facilities and related topics.IntroductionProject DefinitionThe Greenhills Project is designed to produce, by conventional truck I shovel surface mining methods, 1,800,000 clean tonnes of metallurgical coal per year for twenty years . The production/ life constraints were chosen as being meaningful for planning and evaluation purposes after appraisal of the market potential and are not limited .by economic reserves. Substantial additional strippable reserves are available which would facilitate expansion of the proposed mine life and/ or capacity. In fact , all the facilities are designed so that they can be expanded in the future to accommodate a doubling of annual coal production, and certain portions of the coal processing facilities are being installed with an annual capacity of 3,600,000 tonnes. The mine will also produce approximately 2,400,000 clean tonnes of oxidized thermal coal, mostly in the first decade."

Jan 1, 1981

By J. B. Gayle

The merits of the various methods for dry-quenching coke have been the subject of numerous publications and almost equally numerous controversies for the past 40 years.5/ Most investigators have concluded that dry quenching is advantageous. Some have based their arguments on the improved physical properties of the resultant cokes. Others have claimed little or no improvement and have based their arguments on the economies acquired from the recovery and utilization of sensible heat. The extent to which the method of quenching influences the properties of the resultant cokes is of importance in connection with the operation of both commercial and experimental ovens. On the other hand, the recovery and utilization of sensible heat are economic problems related solely to commercial oven operation and- depend on the method of dry quenching used and the demand for a low intensity energy source. The scope of the present Bureau of Mines investigation has been limited to a comparative study of the properties of wet- and dry-quenched cokes produced from six coals and blends carbonized at flue temperatures of 2, 000° and 2,400° F. in the Tuscaloosa oven.

Jan 1, 1959

By Douglas C. Brunot

Mabey Inc. is providing for the shoring design for the Naples bay Center project, located in Naples, FL. The excavation is approximately 374' long by 164' wide and is 27'-8" deep at the shoring line with a groundwater level six feet below present grade. The project Excavation is for a multi-use facility for residential and retail with underground parking. The shoring design will be incorporated into the foundation walls for the building. Mabey is using its pre-engineered Super Powerbrace Plus (SPP) wales and Mega Struts to support the excavation in two phases. The system design and the design of all the pre-engineered components are by Mabey. The foundation is supported on drilled shafts arranged with the building column grid. The excavation will be completed in two phases to allow for equipment mobilization and operation on a site with limited access. The construction sequence will begin with placement of the drilled shafts. The drilled shafts will also serve as the building columns. After the drilled shafts have cured, 630 AZ24-700 x 45 ft. long sheet piles will be installed. The sheets will be arranged in two phases, divided by a center row of piles. Since de-watering in south Florida is very expensive and often downright impossible prior to placing the seal slab, all the initial foundation and excavation bracing work will be completed with groundwater in situ. The entire excavation will be excavated to 5 ft. below ground surface to allow for the installation of the wale support brackets at 12 ft. on center, welded to the sheet piles. After the support brackets are installed, the SPP hydraulic wales and the Mega Strut hydraulic braces may be installed for both phases. Once the frames and struts are in place, Phase 1 excavation is completed, followed by Phase 2 excavation. The 4-ft. thick seal slab is then placed and cured in the wet. De-watering is now possible with the seal slab in place. Once the excavation is de-watered the leveling slab is placed and cured. The center row of sheet piles is then cut off at the top of leveling slab. With the leveling slab cured, the sheet piles have enough strength to support the excavation without the frames and struts near the ground surface. The permanent sheet piles are then seal welded for water proofing and the foundation walls are cast with the sheet piles. The design is modelled in 3D using REVIT to ensure accuracy of the design. The earth pressures are developed using Coulomb theory as there is a top frame and the frame and sheet pile are flexible and move to develop an active pressure wedge. Earth pressure uniform loads and loads from predicted surcharge are modeled in STAAD to determine load effects on the SPP frames and Mega Struts. Coulomb theory and Mabey’s structural model will be tested through monitoring with Mabey’s LIVEPin system. LIVEPin will be placed in struts for each phase of construction. The LIVEPin results will be calibrated with the structural model to determine actual frames forces and will also determine the actual earth pressures applied to the system from surrounding soil. Mabey has used the LIVEPin system in similar applications and this has helped us determine modelling accuracy.

Jan 1, 2018

By B. Haugrud, E. McConaghy, M. Collins, G. Smith

"Laterite ore processed by the Ambatovy Joint Venture in Madagascar is primarily limonitic in nature, containing about 40 to 45 wt.% Fe and 1.1 wt.% Ni. The process selected for treatment of this ore considered the behavior and deportment of iron in each step of the commercial flowsheet. Such considerations included nickel and cobalt recoveries, reagent consumptions, liquid-solid separation characteristics, and both intermediate and final product purities. In this paper, the results for the first three years of commercial operation at Ambatovy are compared with the design parameters, with emphasis on the behavior of iron.INTRODUCTION The main component of nickeliferous laterite ore is iron, and the Ambatovy deposit in Madagascar is no exception. The Ambatovy ore is primarily limonitic in nature, containing about 40 to 45 wt.% Fe and 1.1 wt.% Ni. Since the nickel content of the ore is roughly one fortieth that of iron, successful recovery of nickel depends on close control of the behavior of iron in the selected process. Exploration of the Ambatovy area, which is located to the east of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, dates back to 1960, when the Malagasy Service Géologique carried out a limited pitting and auger-drilling program. Phelps Dodge Corporation (now Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.) was granted the mining rights to the property in 1995 and carried out significant resource definition, environmental assessment and engineering studies between 1995 and 2001 (Chou, Rooke, Williams, & Hanks, 2000). In 2003, Dynatec Corporation, which was formed in 1997 by the merger of Dynatec International Ltd. and Sherritt International Consultants Inc., signed a joint venture agreement with subsidiaries of Phelps Dodge to evaluate the Ambatovy Nickel Project. Dynatec then became extensively involved in the development of the project, including process selection and pilot plant testing in Fort Saskatchewan (Collins et al., 2004, 2005, 2009; Collins & Vardill, 2005). Dynatec acquired 100% of the project in 2005 and a joint venture between Dynatec, Sumitomo Corporation, Korea Resources Corporation (KORES), and SNC-Lavalin Inc. (SLI) was formed shortly thereafter to provide funding for further development. SLI was responsible for engineering, procurement and construction management of the commercial facilities. Sherritt International Corporation reacquired Dynatec Corporation, including 40% ownership in the Ambatovy Nickel Project, in 2007. The current Ambatovy Joint Venture consists of an integrated nickel and cobalt mining, processing, refining and marketing enterprise between subsidiaries of Sherritt (40% owner and mine and plant operator), Sumitomo Corporation (32.5% owner) and KORES (27.5% owner)."

Jan 1, 2016

Properties of coal which are significant in relation to preparation for carbonization and conversion are reviewed, and existing coal preparation technology which has been used for production of cleaned coal of suitable ash content and petrographic composition for carbonisation, pyrolysis, hydrogenation and similar processes is described. Possibilities for application of this technology to some Australian coal seams is examined briefly. It is concluded that further survey work is required related to the optimization of selective crushing and concentrating operations, with the aim of maximizing production of quality products for carbonisation, etc mainly from Australian seams with only moderate coking characteristics.

Jan 1, 1980

By A Rorke, B Cubitt, R Beeslaar

The recent drop in the value of the South African Rand has resulted in an increased export value for South African coal and has lead to new coal reserves becoming available for mining. Very often these reserves are in close proximity to existing structures and utilities thus calling for stringent blast control measures to keep the risk of vibration, air blast and fly rock damage to a minimum.

Jan 1, 1997

The global tunneling industry has many challenges, both technically and financially, with the latter likely to be a significant feature over the next few years. Many industries have ad-opted standard practices in order to overcome specific technical challenges, from which standard out-comes are anticipated. In tunneling, however, every project is unique so standardized practice is not easy. This requires original thinking and being open to adopting new techniques and technologies as they emerge. Sprayed waterproofing is a hot industry topic and a paper recently presented at the North American Tunneling conference not only discussed this methodology for achieving a dry tunnel but also how it can reduce build costs and construction time. Despite their being relatively few ?universal truths? throughout the tunneling industry, there is one opinion that appears to be shared by most in the sector, ?all tunnels leak.?

Jan 1, 2010

The Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) is the largest manufacturer of iron ore pellets in Canada and its customer base covers North American, European and Asian steel producers. The company operates a mine, concentrator and a pelletizing plant in Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as port facilities located in Sept-Iles, Quebec. It also operates a 418-km (260-mile) railroad that links the mine to the port. IOC has approximately 1,900 employees. Its shareholders are Mitsubishi Corp. (26.18 percent), Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Income Fund (15.1 percent) and the international mining group Rio Tinto, which is its major shareholder (58.72 percent) and operator, with activities in more than 40 countries throughout the world. The IOC was incorporated in 1949 and by 1954 it had completed the Quebec North Shore and Labrador (QNS&L) rail line. IOC began mining in Schefferville, Quebec by 1954 and closed those operations down in 1982. In 1962, IOC commissioned the present day Carol Project consisting of mining, concentration and pelletizing facilities in Labrador City, Newfoundland. In 2004, IOC shipped its one-billionth tonne of ore on the QNS&L Railway. In 2005, IOC celebrated 50 years of mining history. The company expressed an interest in reducing the amount of oversize material (>1 m x 1 m x 1 m or 3.2 ft x 3.2 ft x 3.2 ft) being produced and its subsequent downstream effects, including in-pit sorting and reduction, damage to mobile equipment and significant delays in the loading pockets and the primary crushers. To achieve this goal, an oversize reduction project was undertaken by the mine that, to date, has significantly improved upon baseline measures. One key approach used to reduce the amount of oversize was the implementation of thicker emulsion. The introduction of a thicker emulsion provided more resistance to the forces created by dynamic water and reduced the infiltration of the emulsion into the cracks and fissures of the rockmass, resulting in reduced amounts of oversize and more consistent fragmentation throughout the muckpiles. Additionally, a significant reduction in nitrates leached into the mine water discharge has been realized. To determine the effectiveness of the oversize reduction project, IOC used a first-of-kind technology to assess fragmentation presented to the shovel at the digging face. A digital vision system (DVS) was installed on one of the shovels to capture images that were stamped with GPS locations. A large population of digital images were analyzed to produce a robust fragmentation distribution baseline that was used as one of the mine key performance indicators (KPI). Changes to blasting practice were subsequently measured against the baseline KPI to assess effectiveness.

Jan 1, 2011

These proceedings consist of papers presented at a Bureau of Mines Technology Transfer Seminar in September 1981 for the purpose of disseminating recent advances in mining technology in the area of premining research. The introduction and descriptive papers discuss techniques and instrumentation used in premining research for metal and nonmetal mining and shaft design and borehole control for premine planning.

Jan 1, 1982

By Italo Onederra, Jason Furtney, Ewan Sellers

The detonation reactions occurring during rock blasting result in high pressure gas phase products from the condensed explosives typically used in mining applications. After detonation and the initial fracturing, the work done by the expansion of this gas contributes to burden movement and further rock fracturing. Before all of the energy in the reaction product can do useful work on the rock, some of this energy is lost to crushing and possibly to gas venting to the atmosphere. Borehole gas pressure decreases by three principle mechanisms: (i) expansion of the borehole cavity, (ii) flow into the fracture network, and (iii) flow through the stemming. To simplify the problem and to get a better understanding of the interaction of these mechanisms, a simple model for each of these mechanisms is developed. A comparison is made of the time-scales and the influence on burden movement for each. A comparison of gas flow behavior is made between typical ANFO and emulsion products.

Jan 1, 2012

By Wilton Johnson

Native asphalt was produced by three companies in two States, Texas and Utah. Bituminous limestone, used primarily as a paving material for street and road repair, was produced by one firm, R. L. White Co., Uvalde County, TX. Gilsonite, a solidified hydrocarbon found only in Colorado and Utah, was mined by two firms, American Gilsonite Co., a division of Chevron Resources Co. (a subsidiary of Standard Oil Co. of California), and Ziegler Chemical and Mineral Corp. Hydrocarbon Mining Co. (a subsidiary of Oberon Oil Inc., a Utah corporation) closed its mining operation during the year.

Jan 1, 1988

By Charles L. Kimbell

The year 1980 on the whole was not a good year for the world's mineral industry. The general upturn of activities in 1979 after a rather poor 1978 showing was not maintained with a number of key measurement standards showing downturns. Most notably, the world's steel and petroleum industries recorded significant reductions in output, the former in response to markedly lower demand levels and the latter partly in response to lower industrial consumption owing to general economic conditions and partly owing to successes in campaigns for the reduction of energy use in general and petroleum product use in particular among major importing nations that were feeling the trade balance pinch of ever-higher oil prices. During 1980, a number of political events-some international in scope, some confined to single nations-had significant influence upon world mineral industry activities and mineral commodity supplies, and other political happenings had the potential to significantly affect the industry in future times.

Jan 1, 1982

By Norman O. Lotter, Dominic Fragomeni, Lori J. Kormos, Guy Comeau, Antonio Di Feo

"A performance opportunity was identified for the Raglan concentrator operation by changing the selection of xanthate from Potassium Amyl Xanthate (PAX) to Potassium Isobutyl Xanthate (PIBX). This opportunity was identified by a Statistical Benchmark Survey of the operation and QEMSCAN measurement of these survey samples, in which fine liberated pentlandite was found in the final tailings. This was confirmed by some laboratory scale flotation testwork using High- Confidence Flotation Testing. A statistically designed plant trial was implemented in 2007 to measure and confirm the performance gain. This trial design used on-off switching following a three-month reference distribution of normal operations using PAX. This layout provided both external and internal reference distributions on PAX to be established. These were used to evaluate the internal reference distributions on PIBX. This trial format was deliberately designed so as to block out the effects of autocorrelation in the operations data. In this way, small but significant metal recovery gains may be measured and proven in a plant trial. The paper describes the case study to show that this approach successfully blocks out autocorrelation in time, which is an obstacle in analysing concentrator operations data. The results showed that the PIBX had produced clear and statistically significant recovery gains for Ni, Cu, Pt and Pd. Adjusted for feed and concentrate grades, these recovery gains were: Ni: 1.00, Cu: 0.96, Pt: 5.07 and Pd: 1.90%.INTRODUCTIONConcentrator OperationsMilling and flotation, sometimes accompanied by gravity separation, are well-established unit processes. These have traditionally been used to treat ore that has been mined, producing a lowbulk concentrate containing a high percentage of the paymetal(s) in the ore mined. These concentrates are more economically treated in subsequent beneficiation processes than the ore from which they were produced.This choice of a concentration process results in a significant and variable paymetal loss to the concentrator tailing. This tailing is discarded and disposed of in an impoundment area, and has no immediate business use. This paymetal loss forms the largest loss of paymetal in the entire flowsheet by which refined, or saleable, metal(s) are produced [Cramer, 2001]. The question arises as to whether any particular concentrator is performing at its full potential, and how this answer may be determined. In a concentrator operation, there is always an ongoing performance improvement programme for this reason."

Jan 1, 2009

By Estanislao Dumin

Si bien los yacimientos ferrííferos de los Departamentos de Cuzco y Apurímac, junto a Marcona conforman la principal reserva de hierro del Perú, son pocos los estudios que se realizaron sobre la importancia de dicho mineral. En este sentido, el presente texto refiere la relación de los yacimientos de óxidos de hierro con la formación Ferrobamba y el Batolito de la Deflexión Abancay para dar cuenta de la extensión de la provincia metalogénetica. Asimismo se considera la forma de los grupos de cuerpos mineralizados, el nivel de erosión, composición química y mineralógica del hierro, los yacimientos de otras sustancias en la faja ferrífera, la estimación de las reservas, la factibilidad de la explotación de los depósitos de hierro, morfología y transporte y su viabilidad con otros proyectos mineros.

Nov 20, 1978