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By Richard J. Finno

Detailed measurements made at a test section adjacent to a deep braced cut and other published data are combined to illustrate the limitations of the common methods of predicting movements associated with excavations in soft to medium clay. While past performance data can be used to estimate expected responses before construction in many cases, actual wall and soil deformations throughout construction can only be estimated using finite element procedures. Success of such analyses depends equally upon considering all aspects of construction that induce strains in adjacent soil, such as wall installation, excavation and bracing sequence, and time, and adequately modeling soil stress-strain behavior. Even when these two criteria are met, soil deformations can not be predicted adequately when strain levels exceed those that produce peak shear stress.

Jan 1, 1991

By Gorzalczynski. Stan

The recent trend in underground mine developments is ?big is better?. This is most certainly evident in the mine shaft and the conveyances that operate within its compartments. Today, there are several new installations requiring mine cages that can transport up to 170 passengers. The technology in mine hoisting is advancing to address a combination of higher capacity requirements, deeper hoisting depths and faster winding rates, however, some areas of the hoist plant have not changed for the past fifty years. The most notable of these areas is the shaft compartment guide string and the conveyance mounted safety arrest mechanism. The technology in use today for the protection of passengers in a shaft conveyance from a hoist rope severance incident, remains conceptually unchanged from Elisha Otis? design of 1850. The actual retardation components, the safety dogs, have taken on several forms since Elisha?s invention with the last major design change occurring in the late 1940?s. The arrest of a free falling shaft conveyance requires that the shaft guides withstand the energy imparted on them by the safety dogs. There are some very real limitations presented by the use of wood for this application. The new hoisting era will most certainly continue to demand larger capacity equipment but also, an increased awareness toward safety.

May 1, 2002

By S. Gorzalczynski

The recent trend in underground mine developments is “bigger is better.” This is most certainly evident in the mine shaft and conveyances that operate within its compartments. Today, there are several new installations requiring mine cages that can transport up to 170 passengers. The technology in mine hoisting is advancing to address a combination of higher capacity requirements, deeper hoisting depths and faster winding rates, however, some areas of the hoist plant have not changed in the past 50 years. The most notable of these areas is the shaft compartment guide string and the conveyance mounted safety arrest mechanism. The technology in use today for the protection of passengers in a shaft conveyance from a hoist rope severance incident remains conceptually unchanged from Elisha Otis’ design of 1850. The actual retardation components, the safety dogs, have taken on several forms since Elisha’s invention with the last major design change occurring in the late 1940s. The arrest of a free falling shaft conveyance requires that the shaft guides withstand the energy imparted on them by the safety dogs. There are some very real limitations presented by the use of wood for this application. The new hoisting era will most certainly continue to demand larger capacity equipment, but also an increased awareness toward safety

Jan 1, 2002

By R. Hogg, T. F. Dumm, L. G. Austin

The applicability of SEM/EDS techniques to particle-by-particle analysis of respirable coal dust is evaluated. It is demonstrated that the correction procedures needed to account for the failure of most EDS systems to detect light elements (especially carbon) become unreliable for particles in the respirable size range (< 10 µm). Other serious limitations arise from x-ray counting errors for coal particles with low but significant mineral content and particle counting errors for liberated mineral matter.

Jan 1, 1991

By Jianping Li, Ernesto Villaescusa, Kelly Fleetwood

During blasting, stress waves propagate through a rock mass, inducing stress and strain changes. This applied deformation affects intact rock, existing discontinuities, mine excavations, and engineered structures in the proximity of the blast. Traditionally in blasting, stress waves are quantified in terms of peak particle velocity (PPV) or peak particle acceleration (PPA), based on the method of measurement and the specified allowable tolerances. During analysis, the peak particle motion is coupled with an explosive source through various scaling laws to develop rock-specific attenuation relationships. Some studies have expanded this practice to the development of damage threshold values based on measured or predicted peak particle velocities. PPV-related thresholds are generally based on empirical models, where observation of overbreak, cracking, or fall-off are used to quantify damage. This method is often paired with the application of elastic plane wave equations to calculate the blast induced strain or the PPV threshold for tensile rock failure. Other factors that must be viewed critically in such models are the methods used to collect and analyse blast vibration data and the application of inappropriate vibration attenuation relationships.

Jan 1, 2009

By Tom Szynakiewicz

Micropiles are routinely used in the United States for foundation support and underpinning applications. The high capacities achievable with the use of micropiles, combined with specialty rigs for easy installation in low headroom and difficult access areas makes them a good choice for situations often encountered on existing commercial projects. The bond zone of the pile is typically drilled into a competent stratum such as sands, gravels or bedrock. In this paper, the authors will discuss a project where the lack of a shallow ?competent stratum? led the geotechnical contractor to create their own bond zone for the micropiles using jet grouting. Due to problematic clay (CH) soils, the original foundation of a six story office building in west Houston had experienced up to five inches of differential movement in-between the shallow under-reamed shafts. The owner desired a permanent solution to the problem without disturbing the majority of the tenants. The structure was underpinned with a hybrid system of jet grouted micropiles as well as jet grouting alone and the structure was re-leveled using hydraulic equipment to within a 0.25? tolerance. Design, construction and sequencing of the project are discussed in the paper. QA/QC methods are also discussed, including coring for verification of jet grout column diameter as well as a full-scale micropile compressive load test. The structure was successfully re-leveled and the entire project was completed without disturbing any tenants on the floors two through six.

Jan 1, 2008

By Massy-Greene RB

Limited recourse financing techniques reduce the financial exposure of equity holders to major mining projects by transfering some of the risks to the banks which provide loan funds for project development. This can only be achieved by a clear understanding of the principles involved. Engineering and management decisions on how the resource is to be developed and extracted must be made in the light of lender&apos;s requirements. The structure of sales contracts, joint venture agreements and many other documents can be important in limited recourse financing. If projections show that the debt can be repaid from project cash flow, loan agreements and other arrangements can restrict lenders ability to look to the equity holders for repayment of project loans.

Jan 1, 1981

By Thomas E. Ricketts

Limited void volume blasting (LVVB) occurs when rock is blasted into a volume that is not sufficient to let the rock expand to its free-bulking value. The freebulking value is obtained when the rock particles have enough space to separate, tumble and rotate to produce the maximum amount of void possible between the fragments when they finally come to rest. Although bulking value depends on particle size distribution and shape, a typical free-bulking value for uniform, finely broken shale is about 1.67. LVVB occurs in almost every type of blasting used in both surface and underground mining operations. For example, in multiple-row bench blasting for surface mining, the final delays that are designed to fragment the rock furthest from the free-face are generally confined by previously blasted rock which results in a LVVB situation. In underground mining, the blasting is automatically confined and is commonly done intentionally to limited void volume to reduce mining cost and improve safety. LVVB primarily affects rubble bulking and thus the excavation of the broken rock which is related to the productivity and economics of a mining operation.

Jan 1, 1989

By Gustavo Henrique Bolognesi Donato

Este trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de critérios objetivos para a garantia de validade da mecânica da fratura elasto-plástica monoparamétrica, utilizando o parâmetro integral J como descritor dos campos de tensões, deformações e deslocamentos à frente de um defeito do tipo trinca. O mais importante na vertente monoparamétrica da mecânica da fratura é garantir que os campos de tensões no corpo de prova laboratorial sejam comparáveis com os existentes em uma estrutura real para cujo projeto as propriedades retiradas do corpo de prova serão utilizadas (conceito este denominado similitude). Para estabelecer critérios objetivos para a existência de similitude, esse trabalho comparou os campos de tensões obtidos de estruturas de referência sob alta triaxialidade de tensões (MBL) com aqueles obtidos de corpos de provas de mecânica da fratura em escala de laboratório. A matriz de análise permitiu a determinação dos limites de deformação M para geometrias C(T), SE(B) e SE(T) de diversas configurações e para uma faixa de propriedades de material característica de aços estruturais aplicáveis a vasos de pressão e dutos. Os resultados demonstram a baixa restrição à plasticidade de corpos de prova SE(B) e SE(T) com trincas rasas e os efeitos de profundidade de trinca e espessura nos resultados de M. Ainda, alguns comportamentos inesperados foram evidenciados, como no caso em que (para condições particulares de profundidade de trincas) corpos de prova mais finos apresentaram maior restrição a plasticidade do que amostras mais espessas. Sendo assim, o trabalho oferece uma base objetiva para que a similitude seja garantida nas avaliações de integridade estrutural baseadas na mecânica da fratura elasto-plástica suportada pela integral J, seja com seus valores críticos (Jc) ou curvas J-R.

Aug 17, 2017

By J. Yianatos, P. Vallejos

In the last decades, the exponential increase in the cells’ volume resulted in significant advantages such as investment costs, footprint and energy savings. However, in larger size cells, despite the increased diameter/height ratio, new constraints arose related to the need for decreasing the larger froth transport distances to enhance the froth recovery. Thus, the use of froth crowders and internal launders became compulsory to maintain the froth transport distances but decreasing the ratio between gas and collected mineral flowrates. Consequently, the bubble load will increase until reaching a critical bubble surface coverage. In this paper, the concentrate carrying capacity (tph/m2) is described in terms of the bubble surface coverage (bubble loading) at the pulp-froth interface and the froth recovery (froth transport) and is evaluated as a function of the cells’ volume and operating variables. A sensitivity analysis, based on industrial operating and design conditions, such as superficial gas rate, particles size, froth crosssectional area and cells’ volume, was developed for evaluating the metallurgical performance of cells from 100 to 630 m3. Results show that limiting carrying capacity can arise for the whole range of cells’ volume, depending on critical operating conditions, particularly in first rougher cells and cleaning stages of industrial flotation circuits. The increase in cells’ volume consistently increases the bubble loading (bubble surface coverage) under all conditions, approaching the limiting conditions more rapidly in the case of cells without internal launders. Otherwise, the limiting condition was achieved when the particle size DPS decreased from 50 to 20 (μm) and for superficial gas rates significantly less or larger than 1 (cm/s). The use of internal launders allows for increasing the range of the operating conditions needed to reach a certain carrying capacity. Keywords: Bubble carrying capacity, flotation cells, bubble surface coverage, cells’ volume

Jan 1, 2020

By Andrew J. Ciancia

The construction of the Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, the Beaux-Arts masterpiece, was completed in 1910. In financial ruin, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company sold the station in the 1960?s and the new Madison Square Garden and the Penn Plaza complex were constructed at the site. The demolition of Pennsylvania Station brought public awareness and outcry to protect historic structures and the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) was subsequently established in 1965. In the 1960?s relatively little engineering data was available on the performance of historic structures during adjacent construction and thus, no published criteria were established by the LPC on allowable movements and vibrations. During the late 1970?s a commercial tower was planned adjacent to the landmark Fraunces Tavern Block (FTB) in lower Manhattan. Through negotiations between the LPC and the developer, Dr. M. I. Esrig and the author were retained to monitor the historic block during foundation construction. The monitoring data and building performance compiled from the project formed the basis of the published 1981 ASCE technical paper by Esrig and Ciancia entitled ?The Avoidance of Damage to Historic Structures Resulting from Adjacent Construction?. Based on the ASCE paper, the NYC Department of Buildings adopted Technical Policy and Procedure Notice #10/88 entitled ?Procedures for the Avoidance of Damage to Historic Structures Resulting from Adjacent Construction When Subject to Controlled Inspection by Section 27-724 and for Any Existing Structure Designated by the Commissioner?, June 1988. This paper describes the author?s recent experience during the installation of deep foundations within, or adjacent to, three Manhattan landmark structures. Discussions are provided on the foundation construction, monitoring programs and performances of the three structures.

Jan 1, 2008

"The management of outlier grades in positively skewed gold distributions is a contentious issue. Incorporating outliers in standard ordinary kriging (OK) estimation procedures in a way that honours the data without smearing extreme grades into surrounding areas has been problematic. Cutting or capping of outliers to mitigate their influence in estimation techniques is common practice, while methods that manipulate the OK system of equations fail to honour the data. We propose a method of post-processing of kriging weights that provides realistic OK estimates and mitigates smearing without manipulating kriging equations or changing the original grades. The method requires that the data is not clustered, is approximately equally spaced, and is of the same support. Positively skewed data is ordered on attribute grade and nonlinearly transformed to a Gaussian histogram of categorical bins whose frequency is based on their likelihood of occurrence and location in the sample distributions. Factors that restrict kriging weights are calculated by dividing the percentage frequency of data in each bin by the percentage frequency of data in the bin with the highest frequency. Restriction factors applied to the kriging weights in the OK estimation restrict the range of influence in proportion to their probability of occurrence in the distribution. Smear reduction post-processing is easy to implement and addresses issues arising from negative kriging weights while considering the spatial location of samples, the sample grades, and their probability of occurrence. The method mitigates both smoothing and conditional bias.IntroductionOutliers are sample observations that deviate considerably from the standard or expected (Hawkins, 1980). These deviations can be high or low in grade depending on the distribution. The presence of outliers in a mine sampling campaign could provoke mixed reactions. Mining engineers might view high-grade outliers as a promise of achieving higher grades, while the geostatisticians view outliers as affecting the accuracy and precision of the overall estimate, among other issues. Having identified outliers, the geostatistician must decide how to account for their presence and treat them so that true underlying estimates are not distorted. Advanced knowledge of the deposit allows the geostatistician to identify and treat outliers acceptably, especially where samples are limited in number and the true grade distribution is uncertain. If ignored, or treated incorrectly, outliers are likely to lead to smearing of extreme grades into the surrounding estimates, thereby steering regions towards potential under- or over-estimation."

Apr 1, 2019

Within the Mt Whaleback open cut mine the integrity of the final pit wall is achieved through careful rock slope design, use of rock reinforecement technology where marginal stability exists and use of controlled blasting techniques and excavation practices. By reducing the effective density of ANFO explosive within blastholes to around 0.2 glcm&apos;, and developing standard blast pattern designs for various rock types, blast damage to pit walls has been minimised. Accurate geological prediction is necessary for optimum blast design. Controlled blasting is undertaken where blasting occurs within 90 m of the designed final batter crest and hole by hole assessment of final limit blast patterns is undertaken before pattern charging. Shovels and trucks remove the bulk of blasted and dozed rock material, but due to the mine&apos;s variable pit wall slope configuration, bulldozer excavation of some critical design batters has been successfully Implemented.

Jan 1, 1986

By P. Golledge, A. D. S. Gillies

An investigation has been carried on samples of three Queensland coal dusts to determine the potential explosibility of dust-gas mixtures. The explosion potential of the samples was classified by the lean and rich limits of explosibility and the limiting oxygen concentrations for each sample. Plotting of these points showed 2-dimensional flammability limit surfaces for coal dust/oxygen, methane/oxygen and coal dust/methane mixtures. From these plots the 3-dimensional flammability envelopes defining the explosibility of the mixtures were defined. The explosion limits of the coal dust/methane/oxygen system were seen to be influenced most by the explosibility characteristics of coal dust. Methane exerted a stronger influence over the explosion limits when the coal had a low volatile content

Jun 19, 1905

"Eastern Canadian thermal coal mined at Minto, New Brunswick, and in western Cape Breton at St. Rose, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, contains 6-8 per cent sulphur. Both coals are high volatile bituminous. types. The Minto coal averages 18 per cent ash, 7 per cent sulphur and has a Btu rating of 11,900 per lb. Pyritic sulphur accounts for 75 per cent of the total sulphur and the remainder is largely organic; the amount of sulphate sulphur is negligible. This means that in a 7 per cent sulphur coal, 2 per cent is organic and 5 per cent pyritic sulphur. Pit-head St. Rose coal contains approximately 10 per cent ash, 7 per cent sulphur and 11 ,800 Btu/lb. The distribution of sulphur is different to that of Minto coal because about 12 per cent sulphate sulphur is present. Thus, a 7 per cent sulphur coal would contain 4 per cent pyritic, 2 per cent organic and 1 per cent sulphate sulphur.The iron sulphides, pyrite and, to a lesser extent, marcassite occur over a wide size range from large sulphur balls to crack fillings, lenses, and individual crystals and framboids. Coarse-grained pyrite and sulphur balls are easily separated during washing. It is the fine grain sizes, intimately mixed with the coal constituents, that are difficult to separate. Quantimet analyses of the fine grains in coal from both localities showed that about 50 per cent were smaller than 30 micron(1).No efforts have been made to wash the Inverness coal of Nova Scotia and in 1980 washing ceased in New Brunswick. Previously, the Minto coal was processed in an antiquated jig circuit which reduced ash from the strip operation run-of-mine value of more than 20 per cent to less than 18. More effective removal of ash and sulphur could clearly be obtained. Laboratory tests on both Minto and St. Rose coal have shown that ash rejection rates of 40 to 50 per cent at yields of 70-80 per cent were possible(2), Little information on sulphur removal was available."

Jan 1, 1981

By J. L. Furtney, C. Fairhurst

"Although global mineral resources are considered to be adequate to meet the needs of a rapidly growing world population, the United States is becoming increasingly dependent on imports. This could have implications for both the economy and national security. The US is a country with a strong tradition of leadership in science and technology. Impressive advances in autonomous underground mining systems reduce the adverse effects of heat and humidity in deep mines and focus renewed attention on ground control. Developments in computing power open opportunities to develop improved understanding of the important role of discontinuities (faults and fracture systems) and more effective design of deep excavations. Establishment of mining R&D Centers at leading US research universities, jointly funded by industry and US federal agencies is recommended as an effective step for the nation to remain an influential partner in world mining. INTRODUCTION. “None of the arts is older than agriculture, but that of metals is no less ancient.. . for no mortal man ever tilled a field without implements. If we remove metals from the service of man, all methods of protecting and sustaining health and more carefully preserving the course of life are done away with.” Agricola (1558)i Homo sapiens, generally acknowledged as the species from which modern Man has evolved, is considered to have originated in Swaziland some 100,000-200,000 years ago. Evidence of use of minerals in that region has been dated to earlier than 40,000 BC.ii Today, a large fraction of the elements of the Periodic Table are derived from minerals, and finding new applications in development of innovative technologies. Agricola’s comments are as applicable today as ever.iii Metals such as copper, tin, lead, iron and aluminum were mined and smelted several thousands of years BC. It was not until the Industrial Revolution, started in the latter half of the 17th Century in Northern England, where coal was available as an energy source, and iron as the basis for fabricating machinery, that dramatic change to society began to occur. Human toil was replaced by far more powerful machines. Rural communities migrated to work in factories in urban areas. Rapid transportation over long distances became possible, leading eventually to the world of today. The change spread to other parts of the world, bringing wealth and power. Although now well established in some regions, the Revolution has still to arrive in many other parts of the world. This can be seen in Figure 1, which shows the relative wealth, or ‘Standard of Living’ as measured by the GDP/capita, of regions around the world. Regions such as North America, Europe, and Australasia iv are seen to have the highest standard. Thanks to today’s global communications systems, regions with relatively low GDP/capita are well aware of ‘how others live’ – and eager to emulate them."

Jan 1, 2018

Limnological processes are often overlooked when trying to assess the long-term water quality of pit lakes. It is essential to deal with these aspects, since they determine the geochemical and redox conditions around the submerged reactive rocks. Underground mining at East Sullivan (northwestern Quebec, Canada) stopped in 1966. Two adjacent stopes, 91 and 106 m deep, were left open to the surface, with roughly circular apertures of about 7700 and 18 000 m2. Water filling of the two glory holes went on over three decades and overflow began in 1999. Surface water pHs values were near neutrality as late as 1994 (6.3 - 7.0) but had become acidic by 1999 (2.6 - 3.5). Limnological processes were investigated in late-1999 and early-2000, with temperature measurements at 1 m intervals and sampling of the water columns before and after the late fall density inversions. A strong chemocline-thermocline was observed at 15 m. Above the chemocline, the water had low pH (3.2), no alkalinity, and low Na, Ca and sulfate. Below the chemocline, the concentrations of these parameters and the pH increased, with pH at 5.5 - 6. Consistent with the low pH values present in the upper 15 m, the concentrations of Al, Cd, Cu, and Zn were high near surface, and decreased below the chemocline. Dissolved oxygen concentrations as well as Eh decreased with increasing depth. Alkalinity integrated over the entire water column below the chemocline was at least six times larger than the acidity inferred from Fe2+ and Fe3+ concentrations. The temperature survey showed that seasonal density inversions do occur in the water column. The inversions do not involve the entire water body, since the surface to depth ratio is too small for a complete overturn. Oxygen from surface waters is carried to the bottom where it oxidises sulfides, until its depletion. Residual Fe2+, stable under anoxic conditions, is displaced upward by the next dense water incursion. It eventually reaches the thermocline, but only after many successive incursions. There, its oxidation to Fe3+ allows hydrolysis, which consumes dissolved and wall-rock alkalinity. It is only in 1999 that alkalinity was finally exhausted and that the pH shifts to acid values. The low pHs in the surface waters allow a build up of Fe3+ and Al3+, and desorption of metals from colloids. Buffering is assumed to be controlled by wall-rock oxyhydroxides in surface waters, and by carbonate minerals in the bottom waters. Because the seasonal overturns are far from being complete, the large amounts of alkalinity acquired from the wall-rock in the bottom waters cannot balance the acidity of near surface waters. Hence the surface water is acidic.

Jan 1, 2003

By Steven A. Atkin, William D. Schrand

Closure plans for open pit mines require the prediction of final pit lake water chemistry. The geochemical models used for water quality predictions make assumptions about the physical and chemical behavior of the water in the lake; however, few pit lakes have been well documented to provide empirical data for model design. The pit lake at the Sleeper Mine has been characterized with regular water chemical analyses and regular, continuous, multi-parameter profiles through the water column. The lake has undergone repeated periods of chemical and thermal stratification, punctuated by rapid turnover events resulting in vertical homogenization within the water column.

Jan 1, 2000

By Herrmann Flor

In steelmaking process, where up to 70% of variable cost of finished product is already incurred, energy and refractory costs account for 45-50% of the cost of production of crude steel and contribute significantly to the carbon footprint of the end product. Any attempt to control and reduce these costs will automatically lead to more competiveness and reduced carbon emissions. Leading the technology for ECOPLANT (characterized by the fact that the economic and ecological benefits are integral part of our products), SMS has developed innovative solutions which can be applied to both new and existing plants alike. This paper reviews one of the electrical and automation concepts. Tackling the secondary gas cleaning system and hence being applicable to almost all steel plants, the X-Pact® Gas Cleaning Assistant optimizes the control of individual dampers based on modelling of fluid resistances of ductwork in gas cleaning system. It guarantees the best dust removal from work place at minimum energy consumption.

Oct 30, 2017

By J. Y. Kim, Kenneth Stowe, Stephen Chryssoulis

"A series of flotation tests was carried out on Brunswick Mining ore with various pH modifiers (soda ash, lime, KOH) and added ions (ferric, nitrate, sulphate) in the copper lead rougher circuit. The main objective was to identify downstream effects on sphalerite activation and subsequent zinc rougher flotation. Some significant differences in zinc flotation were obtained. Most notably, soda ash and nitrate ions had a positive impact and ferric ions a pronounced negative effect on selectivity.Selected products from the flotation tests were deslimed at 400 mesh, washed with methanol, air dried, placed in teflon vials purged with nitrogen and stored at -15 degrees C. Numerous liberated sphalerite and pyrite particles were selected under a stereoscope and placed in rows on indium foil. The surface compositions of the particles were analyzed with an innovative laser probe (LIMS). The very small analysis area of the LIMS enables the surfaces of individual grains to be characterized. In addition, the rapid analysis time allows a statistically significant number of grains to be analyzed quickly.Surface lead appears to play a major role in zinc activation/flotation. Possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the variations in metallurgical performance at the different test conditions.IntroductionAlthough the bulk composition of mineral grains is an important consideration for the mineral processor it is ultimately surface composition and topography (edges and dislocations preferred sites for reactions) that control reactivity in flotation and cyanidation (passivation, encapsulation and preg-robbing). Determination of the surface properties of particles from process streams poses a particular challenge for the surface chemist for a variety of reasons, including:"

Jan 1, 1994