OCTOBER 2005 NEWSLETTER: WEBSITE EDITION
From
the Chairman
I just want to take a few moments to remind you of the great opportunity we have this month. We will be pleased to hear from Mr. Terry M. Tilley of Dynatech Mining Corp during our upcoming Section meeting. Mr. Tilley is a Henry Krumb Lecturer. The Henry Krumb Lecture series was established in 1966 so that local SME sections could hear prominent minerals professionals speak on subjects in which they have recognized expertise. Henry Krumb, an 1897 graduate of the Columbia School of Mines, had an interest in engineering education and improving the status of the mining profession. He established an AIME endowment fund for this purpose. Mr. Tilley, whom will be coming here at his own expense, is an industry expert selected by SME (National) this year to carry on the great educational tradition envisioned by Henry Krumb. Our Section Executive Committee carefully chose Mr. Tilley from a highly qualified line up of several professionals. I encourage you to come to our meeting and take advantage of this opportunity.. --Gordie
From the Program ChairmanThis Meeting“Specialty Tunneling Methods under Low Cover Conditions " The mining and tunneling
industry has become highly mechanized and cannot normally accommodate a project
where surface disturbance must be minimized or eliminated when there is from 0
to 10 feet of ground cover. More
traditional, less mechanized methods must be employed and the skills and
techniques for accomplishing this work have become all but non-existent.
The paper will describe the
design approach, the methods of ground support and excavation selected, and the
planning, scheduling and materials selection process. In addition, the paper will describe the actual production
characteristics and the results of the project. This approach will concentrate on productivities, adaptations
to actual conditions and the quality of the end product with minimal reference
to pricing/costing of the project. . The design approach basically
was to insure that the temporary support methods were adequate for the excavation and shoring stage of the
project. The final concrete liner
was designed as well by using conventional structural design methods with the
goal of constructing a tunnel that will last 100 years. The methods of support were spiling and variations of spiling
in order to provide advance ground support.
About the Speaker Terry Tilley
is a Project Manager for Dynatec Mining Corporation.
He was responsible for construction of the tunnel described in this
presentation, which was driven under a city block in Salt Lake City.
The tunnel was driven under low cover conditions and is the subject of a
paper that was prepared for the SME Conference in Salt Lake City in 2005.
Terry has worked for Dynatec for over 10 years on a variety of projects
beginning with the development of the Meikle Mine for Barrick Goldstrike Mines,
Inc. in Northern Nevada. The Meikle
Mine development included two vertical, concrete lined shafts and over 10,000
linear feet of development drifts. Last MeetingRobert
Bauer, Surface Miner Manager for
Wirtgen in North America gave us a presentation on Wirtgen
Surface Miner technology and future implications for the mining world in the US.
This technology is similar to the underground roadheaders to selectively
cut a relatively thin (compared to drill & blast) layer from the surface
without blasting. Wirtgen is having
some success in economically cutting by mechanical means soft and medium hard
rock. An optimized, completely redesigned machine concept consisting of cutting
drums and cutting gear designed for the specific application, reinforced and
adapted machine body, and increased motor power, allows the machine to be more
cost effective and efficient than conventional mining methods in certain
applications. Bauer gave examples
of the cost per ton in various types of rock, along with productivity.
This machine can eliminate primary crushing, reduce secondary crushing
and the significantly reduce the percentage of fines.
One drawback in cutting aggregates
could be the shape factor of the rock produced by the cutter, which can be a
elongated “potato chip” shape (length greater than 4X the width) which could
reduce the aggregate’s value. He
stated that the shape produced by cutting is a function of several factors,
including geology, rock strength, design of the cutter head and cutting speed.
This is being testing during October at a limestone quarry in California.
However, for certain applications this is the first time in modern mining
history mechanized cutting is capable to compete successfully against
traditional drill and blast methods.
Shape results in Limestone Average
PSI = 9,000; Peak = 13,000 PSI, Production TPH: Ave. = 450; Peak = 650 Back to TopUpcoming Speakers
November 30: David
Pitchford, VP of MMD Group on sizing equipment and roll crushers.
Some new developments in mechanical excavation are making it a viable
alternative in some cases to traditional drill and blast excavation. January 25: DPM Crossfire: MSHA’s Bill Pomroy and our very own John Head of CPI will take part in a debate on the DPM regulations at the SME January 2006 meeting. John’s vigorous support for industry during the rulemaking is well known. Bill is the lead technical expert for MSHA in the process. They will bring their sometimes diverging, always interesting opinions to bear on this difficult and contentious subject. The audience will be encouraged to get involved, both verbally and physically – soft fruit and vegetables only, please...! Submitted by John Head
GEM/PIE NewsCavaliers in the Quarry a Success at Illinois CementIL Cement and the LaSalle - Peru Township High School Foundation for Educational Enrichment partnered again on Sept. 17 to bring the second annual Cavaliers in the Quarry to the public. The younger children enjoyed activities like face painting, decorating a pet rock, or the dinosaur ring toss. The stone throw, rock bowling, and nail pounding were back. New this year was a chance to build a wall with the bricklayers. Approximately 700 people attended this fund raising event to benefit the Educational Enrichment Foundation. Over $3000 was raised to help fund enrichment extras for the high school.
Meyer Material Open House
Meyer Material had open house at their Crystal Lake gravel pit on October 8. Over 1600 people learned about the mining sequence, viewed the machinery, played in the sand pile, toured the Rock Box, and ate lunch. IDNR had over 500 kids take the minerals in your home quiz. One student stated that her science teacher was giving them extra credit for coming. For more information contact Becky Kazmierski at 815-331-7200 or via e-mail.
Submitted by Linda Hiltabrand, DNR
Section
News
Don't forget to pay your 2005-2006 dues. Click here for details. Click here for the newly appointed 2005-2006 Officers Speakers for Upcoming Meetings?The Chicago SME is in the process of scheduling speakers for next year, from January to May. If you have a subject you are interested in hearing presented, know of someone you would like to have speak to our group, or would like to give a talk yourself, please contact our program chair, Frank Kendorski at 630-792-1520 or e-mail him at frank@agapito.com
Upcoming Meetings & Events
Member NewsSME Roadheader Mine Tour at Fox River StoneOn September 15th Bob Archibald, Vice President of Fox River Stone, hosted a tour for 39 industry guests at a SME organized tour of their decline development. Fox River is driving twin declines, one for production and access, and the other for ventilation. Both are being excavated by a Voest-Alpine AM105 roadheader cutting a 21.5 ft high by 18.5 ft wide opening with an arched back. At the time of the tour development is in the upper portion of the Maquoketa Shale formation. In the shale the AM105 can advance up to 3 feet an hour, with the advance in each cycle limited to about 16 feet by safety considerations - they do not want the operators cab out under unsupported ground. After each cutting cycle, they back the machine out and cut in the other heading as time permits on that shift. After the cutting cycle, they bring in a roof bolter to bolt the back and then shotcrete the shale in the back and ribs to prevent deterioration of the shale. The tour was arranged so about 10 people started through each hour, giving everyone a chance to look around and climb up onto the roadheader while it was cutting. Then the group got a chance to look at the finished bolting and shotcrete in the other heading, which was not operating at that time. Many favorable comments were received about the tour. The SME wishes to express thanks for all of us to Bob Archibald, superintendent Don Brum and engineer Tim Zoroeste and their crews for providing this interesting and valuable technical tour of a unique roadheader application.
By Rick Ackermann Harry
Kokal Receives Steel Making Patent and Promotion
Chicago
SME Member Harry Kokal received news that he and several co-workers have
received a patent in Kazakhstan for their contribution to tech-nology
for dephosphorization of iron ore. Construction of a plant using the
technology is currently in progress at
the Mittal Steel plant in Lisakovsk, Kazakhstan, and should begin operation in
May of 2006. The news came across
from Asia so recently that as of October 10th, he did not know the
final title of the patent or the patent number yet. Harry
also has been named Manager--Raw Materials and Ironmaking, Process Research
Division, at the USA Research and Development Center for Mittal Steel located in
Gary, Indiana.
Congratulations
to Harry on the promotion, and to him and his co-workers on the successful
patent. Information provided by Harry Kokal Raj Rajaram Co-Authors BookChicago SME member Dr. Vasudevan (Raj) Rajaram, PE is the coauthor of a book released in June of this year titled “Sustainable Mining Practices: A Global Perspective”. The book considers developments in sustainable mining practices over the past twenty-five years. It includes several case studies from around the world, and focuses on water, land reclamation, waste management, and Best Mining Practices (including Cleaner Production). These case studies cover examples from both developed and third world countries. The book is available from Taylor and Francis Publishers, London -7292 or fax at (630) 456-4051, or e-mail at: dfhambley@comcast.net,
Industry NewsFrom the NorthWest
Mining Association - Final
BLM Rules on Fees for Mineral and Energy Applications – For Now…
The
BLM published a Final Cost Recovery on October 7th, which will take
effect on November 7th 2005. The
coal fees have minimal change from the amounts proposed in 2000, except for
several categories have changed to a fee detemined case-by-case basis from the
current zero or $250 fees currently in effect. For
locatable minerals, several categories changed from no or nominal fee to fees
determined on a case-by-case basis. BLM did
create a lower the patent processing fee for patent applications of 10 claims or
less, but the increase in fees is 5X (for 10 or fewer claims) or 10X (for more
than 10 claims) the previous fee. Other
than the two tier patent application fee, all of NWMA's comments, and those of
the mining industry in general, were dismissed or ignored by the BLM. In
general, the fees are intended to cover the BLM’s costs for any industry
generated application. In other
words, Ouch$$. The new rule can be found at http://www.blm.gov/nhp/news/releases/pages/2005/pr051006_minerals.pdf. Check out the information provided for the mining industry by the NorthWest Mining Association on the web site at http://www.nwma.org/
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