MAY 2005 NEWSLETTER: WEBSITE EDITION

From the Chairman

As we draw this “meeting year” to a close, I would like to thank each of the members of the Chicago Section for all of your support this year.  Our attendance has again improved. I continue to get positive feedback on how well our Section is performing and providing a forum for fruitful interchange of ideas.  We have been provided the opportunity to hear many great speakers who presented topics of interest to the Section.  Funds have been donated to GEMS-related activities and other worthy causes. I would like to remind you to get a link on our website by donating to GEMS.  Only a few have taken this opportunity.   Another good sign of a healthy organization is the renewed interest in — and the influx of new talent into — the Executive Committee. I especially want to thank the Executive Committee for all of their hard work in helping all of this to come together so successfully.  If you get a chance, please send your encouragement to each of these individuals, who put significant time and effort into the Section on your behalf.  Have a great summer and I hope to see you next fall…but first I’ll see you next week at our last meeting until fall.  --Gordie

Back to Top

From the Program Chairman

This Meeting

“QUARRYING INDIANA DIMENSION STONE –

A Brief Synopsis:  Dr. Zhang will start with a brief history of Indiana Limestone Company, which goes back over 80 years, and a description of the quarry location and its geological conditions.   He then will then describe quarry operations and the technology applied, both historically and currently.   The technical description will start with the exploration process for this type of stone and continue through the planning and production scheduling process.  Overburden stripping will be described.  Mr. Zhang will then give a through description of the production sawing operation and the procedures used for limestone block quarrying. 

 Grading, tagging and staging of the product will be the final element of the technical discussion.  He will also include a description of the marketing and inventory process for this type of product, and finish with a description of the challenges currently facing the operation

.About the Speaker

Y.J. Zhang received his college degree in Mine Construction in China prior to coming to the United States.  In 1986, he earned his M.S. degree in Mining Engineering at West Virginia University;  his Ph.D. degree in Mining Engineering at University of Kentucky followed in 1996.  Since 1996 he has been with Indiana Limestone Company as a mining engineer and then chief engineer, based at the company headquarters in Bedford, IN.  This past December he completed his MBA program with Indiana Wesleyan University while working for Indiana Limestone. Dr. Zhang is a Registered Professional Engineer in both Indiana and Kentucky.

Back to Top

Last Meeting

Bruno Reumueller of VOEST ALPINE talked on the application of Roadheaders to the mining and tunneling industries.  While the presentation lasted until almost 9 PM, the unusually large group stayed tight in their seats.  After a short history of road-header development, Herr Reumueller talked about the conditions that make for a successful roadheader application, and what factors, including ground conditions, create uneconomic applications or operational problems.  Some of the factors favoring roadheader use include limitations on the use of explosives, and issues relating to vibration, particularly in an urban environment.  Rock strength, fracture characteristics and abrasivity has a major effect roadheader success.  He noted that rock containing over 70% silica may be too abrasive for roadheaders, resulting in excessive cost.  Another problem that occurs is insufficient preliminary investigation.  Reumueller gave examples where Voest Alpine correctly predicted such critical items as bit consumption per ton, and advance rate during cutting.  This required a significant pre-investigative cost and commitment by both Voest-Alpine and the company using the roadheader.  One example presented in detail was a Canadian subway tunnel job, where the roadheader, was pitted head-to-head for Phase I against a drill and blast approach.  The roadheader was so successful that the client required a roadheader bid for Phase II.  Due to the prior investigation into the rock and job conditions, Voest Alpine did a very good job of predicting the operating parameters and the related costs for the contractor. 

 In successful roadheader applications, there can also be advantages in the control of overbreak and the cost of tunnel lining and other ground support.  For additional information check out the Voest-Alpine website:  http://www.vab.sandvik.com/

More on Local Roadheaders…

A Voest-Alpine roadheader ATM-105 model will soon be starting to drive twin  1,100+ foot declines at a –15% grade through the Maquoketa shale in the Chicago area.  This project has generated great interest among the mining and engineering community around the Chicago area.  As the company that is doing the work approves, more information about this project will be made available in this newsletter or via e-mail to those on our e-mail list.  Therefore, if you want to be on the SME contact list over the summer, give us your e-mail address or inform us if you change yours.  Contact our newsletter editor Rick Ackermann by phone at 630-795-7246 or via e-mail at: rackermann@patrickengineering.com.

Back to Top

GEM/PIE News 

New IDNR Division of Education “List Serve” – A Free Service 

Educators throughout Illinois now have the opportunity to obtain instant notification about new products, scheduled workshops and many other events and items from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) through the IDNR Division of Education's new List Serve.

The List Serve is available to IDNR staff for posting information about educational items from the IDNR. It will not replace the "New This Month" Internet report but will be another option to help IDNR staff reach educators throughout the state. If you post an item to the List Serve group, please be sure to include your contact information. If you can promote this new tool with educators whom you work with, it would be much appreciated.  

To join the list, send an email with the text "subscribe education Your Name" in the body of the message to the address imailsrv@idnrteachkids.com. For example, you would enter "subscribe education May Apple" if your name is May Apple. You may leave the list at any time by sending an email containing the text "unsubscribe education" to the address imailsrv@idnrteachkids.com. There is no charge to participate. 

If you have questions, please contact Val Keener by phone at 217-785-0973 or by e-mail at vkeener@dnrmail.state.il.us .

Submitted by Linda Hiltabrand of the DNR

Back to Top

Section News

Don't forget to pay your 2003-2004 dues.  Click here for details.

Click here for the 2003-2004 Officers

Speakers for Upcoming Meetings?

The Chicago SME is in the process of scheduling speakers for next year.  If you have a subject you are interested in, know of someone you would like to have speak to our group, please contact our program chair, Frank Kendorski at 630-792-1520.  Or talk to any of our executive committee.

Chicago Section SME Officer Nominations for 2005-2006 

Student Relations – Open

Corporate Sponsor Links

The Chicago SME section has added a sponsor page of links on our web site at  http://www.chicagosme.org/sponsors.htm#sponsor . The links will be added for a small annual fee, with the money going solely to support our GEM (Government, Education & Mining) Committee educational outreach efforts.   

This is a small way to add to your company exposure and support educational efforts by the industry at the same time.  For information, call Gordie Stevens at 630-963-6026 or e-mail him at gstevens@cecinc.com.

Back to Top

Upcoming Meetings & Events

    Back to Top

Member News

John Magyar Co-Authors Paper on Raise Grouting

John Magyar, PE, of International Mining Services and Al Campoli, Business Development Manager for Minova USA, are coauthoring a paper titled “Using Foaming Grout to Stabilize a Ventilation Raise in Very Poor Rock” The paper will be presented at the 24th International Conference on Ground Control in Mining held in Morgantown, WV, August 2-4, 2005.

 The paper describes a technical approach used to stabilize and secure caving ground in a newly-reamed, 12.5-ft diameter, under-ground ventilation raise.  Two zones of very poor Rock Mass Rating (RMR) material were encountered during reaming of a ventilation raise at Placer Dome’s Turquoise Ridge mine in northern Nevada.  These zones caved to large cavities, continued failing, and could not be safely secured using standard procedures, e.g. rock bolting, wire mesh, and shotcrete.  In stable sections of the raise, the ground control plan called for the contractor to install 8-ft and 12-ft length resin grouted No. 7 Dywidag bolts, chain-link fence mesh and shotcrete.  This work was conducted on three decks installed on the raise bore reamer.   

 The first of the caved areas was approx-imately 1,500 cubic yards in volume and extended out to 40 ft beyond the wall of the raise.  Placer considered several options for structural fill to repair the area including: pumped shotcrete, concrete, and placing and grouting aggregate.  A safe, cost effective, and expedient method of stabilizing the raise with foaming grout and bolted liner plate was selected and successfully executed.  The foaming grouts used (Tekfoam and Tekseal by MINOVA) are based on special fast-setting cement.  The raise was then placed in service.  Factors in selecting a foaming grout will be presented in this paper

Submitted by John Magyar

 Back to Top

Brad Renwick Takes New Position

 Back to Top

Bill Louis Joins New Firm

Back to Top

Industry News

From Aggregate Research & the NSSGA

NEWS  ALERT!

GOP Can’t Avoid Gridlock on TEA-21 Bill

There's a showdown looming in Congress that has been brewing for nearly two years and could come to a head as soon as the end of this month.  Both sides are firmly entrenched. Neither has even hinted at the possibility of a compromise.

The issue: a six-year highway and mass transit-funding bill. The last six-year highway bill, funded at $218 billion, expired in September 2003. Unable to come up with a new bill, Congress continues to pass temporary extensions of the old measure. The latest extension, the sixth, is due to expire May 31.

The parties involved in the dispute are the White House and the GOP-controlled Congress.  In a rare break with the President, Senate Republicans joined Democrats on 11 May in rejecting a transportation bill spending ceiling set by President Bush.

Mr. Bush initially proposed a spending cap of $256 billion on highways, bridges and mass transit and threatened to veto any measure proposing more spending. But after the House settled on $284 billion in March, the White House waffled and vowed to go along, but again threatened to veto any highway bill that exceeds the $284 billion limit.

But 33 Senate Republicans joined Democrats on 11 May in support of a $295 billion highway-spending plan.

The forces at work here are lawmakers' desire to bring home the pork and the President's aspirations for voters to see him as fiscally responsible and firm in his veto promise*. 

Source=http://www.aggregateresearch.com/article.asp?id=6357&s=m

*NOTE:  to the best of the SME newsletter editor’s knowledge the President has not vetoed any bill since coming into office in 2001.

 What’s At Stake For YOU:

For every $1 billion the U.S. government spends annually on roads increases sales for the following markets:

$100 million at machinery makers  such as Caterpillar Inc. and Komatsu Ltd.,.

$100 million for asphalt sales for companies such as CRH Plc's Oldcastle

$90 million for concrete sales at companies such as Lafarge SA

$50 million for aggregate sales at companies such as Vulcan Materials Co. the group has estimated.

(from American Road and Transportation Builders Association 2004 estimates)

The Texas Transportation Institute has reported that urban traffic congestion wasted 2.3 billion gallons of fuel in 2003, a 69 million gallon increase from the previous year. The Institute is part of Texas A&M University.

Information from a Bloomberg

article dated5/9/05

If you are interested in expressing your opinion, check the newsletter from last month on page 4 concerning how to contact your House and Senate representatives in Washington D.C.  Word is that both the Illinois Senators are for the $11 billion increase, but politics being what it is, anything goes.

Back to Top

Recent News About Syria – of a Different Sort  

In a new book entitled "Mari, the Metropolis of the Euphrates," a French archeologist describes the city, located in modern day Syria, as being created from scratch about 2,900 B.C. "in one phase of construction with the specific goal of becoming this (metallurgical) centre."  The book described the city as "one of the first modern cities of humanity.” "In fact the metallurgy was everywhere in the city. It was the existence of this lucrative activity -- Mari produced arms and tools - which justified everything which we had found previously," said French archeologist Margueron.  A major navigable canal was discovered which followed the Euphrates river for 120 kilometres (75 miles) and allowed the transport of copper and wood from the Tauras Mountains of modern Turkey to support the metallurgical activities of Mari.  They also discovered an irrigation channel which allowed agricultural production in an area which otherwise did not receive sufficient rainfall to grow crops. A third canal protected the city from flooding and allowed large boats to enter the city, which was also protected by a levy bank and double ramparts.  "The builders of Mari knew the profits they could make from a economic hub between the south of Mesopotamia and the north, between the east and the Mediterranean.  "The innumerable riches of the archaeological discoveries made during these excavations shows they were right."

Information provided by Dick Phelp from a AFP news article

by Rick Ackerman

When mining operations are successful, they have historically generated large profit margins.  Apparently this has been true for thousands of years. -- Comment by Rick Ackerman

Back to Top

WEBSITE HOSTING SPONSORED BY CONTINENTAL PLACER INC.

Contact the Webmaster
Privacy statement
Copyright 2001-2006 by SME Chicago Section

Revised: September 16, 2008