Engineering Commons^™

Eveleth, Minnesota: A Portrait Of My Home Town, Judith I. Luna

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This 30-minute documentary film provides snapshots of the small northeastern iron mining town of Eveleth, Minnesota, on the Mesabi Iron Range. It uses a two-pronged approach: 1) a first-person return to the town by the filmmaker almost 50 years after graduating from high school to see how the town may have changed, 2) a look at some historical and cultural factors which made the town what it was when the filmmaker was growing up and what continues to animate the town in the face of iron mining’s decline and rebirth. The latter include the immigrant experience and influence as the …

Haul Truck Tires Recycling, Omkar Bhave

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The disposal of large Off-the-Road (OTR) tires is an increasingly important concern. These tires can weigh up to 8,450 pounds with an overall diameter and width of approximately 140.7 inches and 45.1 inches respectively. OTR tires are used for mining vehicles such as haul trucks, wheel loaders, backhoes, graders, and trenchers.[1] These new tires cost between $38,000 and $50,000 each, depending on multiple factors including oil prices and the cyclical nature of the industry. Haul trucks contain six tires per vehicle, and mines replace these tires around every 9-12 months.[2] Statistics regarding discarded OTR tires are not provided by the …

A Protocol For Reclaiming In-Pit Tailings Ponds To Exceed Federal And State Regulations, John Seifert

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The goal of the protocol for reclaiming in-pit tailings ponds to exceed federal and state regulations was to develop a series of steps that can be followed to design, operate, and reclaim a tailings disposal pond that will develop into grazing land with a wetland for open pit sand mines in warm dry climates. By incorporating a wetland into the reclamation design, the post mining land use gives back to both the wildlife as a source of water as well as providing for a diverse range of post mining land use including but not limited to livestock grazing and ranch …

Post-Liquefaction Residual Strength Assessment Of The Las Palmas, Chile Tailings Failure, Tristan Reyes Gebhart

Master's Theses

Assessment of post-liquefaction residual strength is needed for the development of empirically-based, predictive correlations for earthquake engineering design. Previous practice commonly assigned negligible strengths to liquefied materials for engineering analysis, producing overly-conservative designs. Increasingly available case history data, and improved analytical tools have allowed for more accurate and less overly-conservative estimation of soil residual strength, improving empirical predictive models. This study provides a new case history to the limited suite of (approximately 30) liquefaction failure case histories available for post-liquefaction in-situ strength predictive correlations.

This case history documents the Las Palmas gold mine tailings dam failure, resulting from seismic-induced liquefaction …

Stochastic Modeling And Dem Simulation Of Granular Media Subsidence Due To Underground Activity, Rodrigo Borela Valente

Open Access Theses

Many communities around the world have been established in areas of ongoing, as well as ceased, underground mining activity. Ground movements induced by ore extraction methods and the collapse of abandoned cavities have long been recognized as a hazard to surface structures. A number of approaches have been proposed for the prediction of subsidence in underground mining regions, and their integration to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can produce a powerful risk management tool. Nevertheless, this application is often limited by either a lack of generality or excessive computational cost of the methods available.

In this work, the stochastic subsidence model …

A Life Cycle Assessment Of A Uranium Mine In Namibia, Janine Lambert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Uranium mining and nuclear power is a controversial topic as of late, especially in light of the recent Fukushima event. Although the actual use of nuclear fuel has minimal environmental impact, its issues come at the very beginning and end of the fuel’s life cycle in both the mining and fuel disposal process. This paper focuses on a life cycle analysis (LCA) of uranium mine in the desert nation of Namibia in Southern Africa. The goal of this LCA is to evaluate the environmental effects of uranium mining. The LCA focuses on water and energy embodiment such that they can …

Haul Truck Tires Recycling, Jessica N. Lizarazu

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The disposal of large Off-the-Road (OTR) tires is an increasingly important concern. These tires can weigh up to 8,450 pounds with an overall diameter and width of approximately 140.7 inches and 45.1 inches respectively. OTR tires are used for mining vehicles such as haul trucks, wheel loaders, backhoes, graders, and trenchers. These new tires cost between $38,000 and $50,000 each, depending on multiple factors including oil prices and the cyclical nature of the industry. Haul trucks contain six tires per vehicle, and mines replace these tires around every 9-12 months. Statistics regarding discarded OTR tires are not provided by the …

Determine The Potential Drill Utilization Improvements And Rock Fragmentation Requirements Using Directional Drilling In A Coal Mining Overburden Highwall Application, Kevin Dill

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

This project analyzed the efficiency of incorporating the use of directional drilling technology into coal overburden blasting. Directional drilling is currently in use in the petroleum industry and it is believed that it will be a valuable asset in the mining industry. This project has shown that directional drilling can be a viable technology for use in the coal overburden removal process resulting in increased drill utilization and potential for cost savings. Future work regarding blasting and geotechnical evaluation should be performed to solidify the concept.

Application Of Treated Oil Sands Drill Cuttings Waste In Micropiles Construction, Moustafa Ahmed Raafat Mohamed Aboutabikh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A micropile is constructed by drilling a hole, placing a steel reinforcing element, grouting it using neat cement. However, cement production consumes energy and generates carbon dioxide. Implementing waste materials in construction applications represents a sustainable solution for many waste management problems. On the other hand, oil sands drill cuttings waste represents one of the most difficult challenges for the oil sands mining sector. Reducing the amount oil sands drill cutting waste sent to landfill offers one of the best solutions for waste management. This thesis presents an innovative solution for application of treated oil sands waste (TOSW) in grout …

Modern Rock Dust Development And Evaluation For Use In Underground Coal Mines, Robert Eades

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Following the promulgation of new permissible respirable dust standards by MSHA in 2014, new alternative rock dusts were created that combined the advantages of current industry applications while potentially reducing miner exposure to respirable dust. Research was performed to compare the explosion suppressing and ejection characteristics of three new types of rock dust to existing rock dust types. Explosion suppression tests were conducted in a 38-L chamber where pressures were recorded. Angle of ejection tests were conducted using a high explosive shock tube and high speed photography to determine angle of ejection and lift velocity. A comprehensive comparison of the …

Rock Dust Surface Chemistry Modifications For Eliminating Cake Formation And Improving Dispersion In Coal Dust Explosion Mitigation Applications, Qingqing Huang

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Rock dust has been historically applied to mitigate the coal dust explosion in either dry or wet form. Dry rock dust performs best in inerting the potential coal dust explosion due to the greatest dispersive properties. However, it undesirably exposes underground coal miners to respirable dust particles which imposes a severe health danger. Wet dust application is able to significantly reduce the floatable dust particles but another problem associated with caking is predominant. Caking phenomenon is usually used to describe the change of free-flowing bulk solids into agglomerated chunks. Unfortunately, the environmental conditions of an underground mine have the potential …

Subterranean Photobioreactors For Commercial-Industrial Scale Algal Culture, Daniel James Vidt

Doctoral Dissertations

"There are many potential benefits to the mining industry accruing from the application of algal biotechnology. The main benefits are in the production of biodiesel and in the remediation of mining brownfields. The research in this study was centered in the original idea that these brownfields represent a tremendous opportunity for use as a hybrid model for redevelopment into sustainable "mines" of biomass. The ability of these underground spaces serving as bioreactors to control all aspects of the growing environment, from lighting, to temperature, to biosecurity, are key advantages that have been identified in the literature. The many benefits inherent …

Pore Pressure Measurement Instrumentation Response To Blasting, Kylie M. Larson-Robl

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Coal mine impoundment failures have been well documented to occur due to an increase in excess pore pressure from sustained monotonic loads. Very few failures have ever occurred from dynamic loading events, such as earthquakes, and research has been done regarding the stability of these impoundment structures under such natural seismic loading events. To date no failures or damage have been reported from dynamic loading events caused by near-by production blasting, however little research has been done considering these conditions. Taking into account that current environmental restrictions oblige to increase the capacity of coal impoundments, thus increasing the hazard of …

Optimal Roof Coverage And Identification Of Potential Roof Problems In Underground Coal Mines Using Led Lighting, James A. Samples

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

The popularity and implementation of light emitting diode (LED) lighting have increased drastically over recent years into both residential and industrial applications. However, due to MSHA permissibility requirements, LED lighting is not currently being fully utilized in underground coal mining. While previous research has focused on examining the benefits that LED lighting possesses over other common light sources, very few have been done to find the optimum configuration to illuminate underground excavations better for the safety of the miners. In this research, multiple experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential impacts LED lighting can have on underground mine safety. The …

Techno-Economic Potential Of Enhanced Coal Recovery Through Middlings Liberation And Re-Processing, Shivani

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

The typical preparation plant producing coal for the utility market targets a relative separation density in the plant of around 1.60 whereas plants generating metallurgical coal use relative cut point density values approaching 1.50. In some cases, achieving the specified coal quality requires operating at lower cut point values, which results in a significant loss of valuable coal. In these situations, a middlings stream can be produced using a secondary separator or a three-product unit, which would allow crushing of the middlings for liberation purposes and re-introduction into the plant feed. In this manner, higher quality coal can be produced …

Utilization Of A Small Unmanned Aircraft System For Direct Sampling Of Nitrogen Oxides Produced By Full-Scale Surface Mine Blasting, Robert B. Mccray

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Emerging health concern for gaseous nitrogen oxides (NO_x) emitted during surface mine blasting has prompted mining authorities in the United States to pursue new regulations. NO_x is comprised of various binary compounds of nitrogen and oxygen. Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) are the most prominent. Modern explosive formulations are not designed to produce NO_x during properly-sustained detonations, and researchers have identified several causes through laboratory experiments; however, direct sampling of NO_x following full-scale surface mine blasting has not been accomplished.

The purpose of this thesis was to demonstrate a safe, innovative …

Modeling Explosive Lensing On A Cylindrical Body In Air: A First Step Towards Sealing An Underwater Offshore Oil Spill, Phillip R. Mulligan

Doctoral Dissertations

"In 2010, the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon accident leaked oil into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days. A fast response method that can seal an oil pipe and stop the release of oil is needed in order to prevent future oil leaks from turning into ecological and financial disasters. Explosives can serve this need.

This research examined how a circular implosive discontinuous explosive lens interacts with a cylindrical surface. The following research was designed to study the applicability of the Method this author developed to predict the peak pressure from multiple shockwaves converging on a centrally located cylinder. …

Investing In Least Developed Countries: The Aynak Copper Mine Project, Roosevelt Barfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rise of market globalization creates challenges for business executives seeking to pursue foreign direct investment (FDI) in least developed countries (LDC), such as Afghanistan. Multinational corporate (MNC) executives need strategies that will improve the timely delivery of minerals for mining projects in LDCs. Guided by the force field analysis theory, the purpose of this holistic, single-case study was to explore the strategy that 5 MNC executives in Beijing, China, used to improve the timely delivery of minerals associated with the Aynak copper mine project in Afghanistan. Semistructured interviews were used to elicit detailed narratives from MNC executives about their …

Investing In Least Developed Countries: The Aynak Mine Project, Roosevelt Barfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rise of market globalization creates challenges for business executives seeking to pursue foreign direct investment (FDI) in least developed countries (LDC), such as Afghanistan. Multinational corporate (MNC) executives need strategies that will improve the timely delivery of minerals for mining projects in LDCs. Guided by the force field analysis theory, the purpose of this holistic, single-case study was to explore the strategies that 5 MNC executives in Beijing, China, used to improve the timely delivery of minerals associated with the Aynak copper mine project in Afghanistan. Semistructured interviews were used to elicit detailed narratives from MNC executives about their …

Applications Of Simulation And Optimization Techniques In Optimizing Room And Pillar Mining Systems, Angelina Konadu Anani

Doctoral Dissertations

"The goal of this research was to apply simulation and optimization techniques in solving mine design and production sequencing problems in room and pillar mines (R&P). The specific objectives were to: (1) apply Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to determine the optimal width of coal R&P panels under specific mining conditions; (2) investigate if the shuttle car fleet size used to mine a particular panel width is optimal in different segments of the panel; (3) test the hypothesis that binary integer linear programming (BILP) can be used to account for mining risk in R&P long range mine production sequencing; and (4) …

Dynamic Impact Of Ageing Dump Truck Suspension Systems On Whole-Body Vibrations In High-Impact Shovel Loading Operations, Saeid R. Dindarloo

Doctoral Dissertations

"Surface mining operations typically deploy large shovels, with 100+ tons per pass capacity, to load dump trucks in a phenomenon described as high-impact shovel loading operations (HISLO). The HISLO phenomenon causes excessive shock and vibrations in the dump truck assembly resulting in whole body vibration (WBV) exposures to operators. The truck suspension system performance deteriorates with time; therefore their effectiveness in attenuating vibrations reduces. No research has been conducted to study the impact of ageing suspension mechanisms on the magnitudes of WBV in HISLO operations.

This study is a pioneering effort to provide fundamental and applied knowledge for understanding the …

Cable Shovel Dipper Stress And Fatigue Failure Modeling In Formation Excavation Engineering, Muhammad Azeem Raza

Doctoral Dissertations

"Large capacity shovels are used to achieve economic bulk production in surface mining operations. The suspended payload combined with dipper weight and formation resistive forces results in severe stress loading of the shovel front-end assembly. Material flaws, high stresses and harsh excavation conditions can initiate cracks in the dipper-teeth assembly. High stresses can cause these cracks to propagate to critical lengths resulting in fatigue failure, unscheduled downtimes, costly unplanned repairs, and downstream processing circuit problems. The literature reveals that dipper-related problems significantly reduce shovel up-time. This research is a pioneering effort towards developing a solid frame work for stress profiling, …

Mechanics Of Impulse Force Reduction For Mitigating Dump Truck Vibrations Under Hislo Conditions, Danish Ali

Masters Theses

"The deployment of large capacity shovels and dump trucks, for achieving economic bulk production capacities, has resulted in high impact shovel loading operations (HISLO). These large shovels generate high impact forces when loading dump trucks with over 100-ton passes under gravity. The impact forces also generate high frequency shock waves, which cause severe truck vibrations, and thus, expose dump truck operators to high levels of whole body vibrations (WBV). The dynamic impact force generates these vibrations, and thus, there is a need to develop efficient technologies to eliminate or reduce its impact. Existing literature and industry practice show that this …

Material Properties Affecting The Penetration Of Metal Targets By Copper Linear Shaped Charges, Kevin Lee Phelps

Masters Theses

"A linear shaped charge (LSC) is an explosive device used in demolition, aerospace, and in other applications that require the cutting of metal. Users of LSC's typically know the size of shaped charge needed to cut their target but commonly encounter previously untested materials. The motivation for this thesis is to provide an understanding as to what target material properties are good indicators of cutting performance so the selection of LSC can be more efficient. The author found that penetration theories for other types shaped charges were insufficient for the LSC, possibly because of the relatively slow projectile created by …

Artificial Neural Network Approach To Predict Blast-Induced Ground Vibration, Airblast And Rock Fragmentation, Raymond Ninnang Tiile

Masters Theses

"Blasting has been widely used as an economical and cheap way of rock breakage in mining and civil engineering applications. An optimal blast yields the best fragmentation in a safe, economic and environmentally friendly manner. The degree of fragmentation is vital as it determines to a large extent the utilization of equipment, productivity and mill throughput. Explosive energy, besides rock fragmentation, creates health and safety issues such as ground vibration, air blast, fly rock, and back breaks among others. As a result, the explosive energy impacts structures and buildings located in the vicinity of the blasting operation, and causes human …

Studies On Flocculation Of Fine Mineral Tailings Using Novel Polyacrylamide Based Polymer, Simin Khatibi

Masters Theses

"One of the important features in managing or treating sulfide fine tailings is separating solids from liquid by settling test. This thesis presents results of studied conducted on flocculation of Kaolin suspensions (a model tailings) and sulfide mineral tailings. Two polymers (PAM and Al-PAM) were tested as flocculants. The zeta potential value of slurries was measured by Nano Zetasizer device.

Al-PAM was found to be more effective for flocculation of kaolinite samples and also sulfide samples while PAM with used concentration was not. This study represents the power of flocculation as a possible solution to deal with industrial tailings"--Abstract, page …

Impacts Of Artisanal And Large Scale Gold Mining On Tropical Rivers In West Africa: A Case Study From The Brong Ahafo Region Of Ghana, Karunia F. Macdonald

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Mining communities in more than 70 developing countries, mostly in the tropical regions, still practise artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM). ASGM commonly operates along rivers and streams for easy access to process water and as receptacles for mine water discharges. A largely unregulated industry, ASGM employs rudimentary mining and processing methods including the use of mercury amalgamation, and is often found near to larger scale and modern mining (LSM) operations.

The substantial use of mercury by ASGM has drawn the attention of agencies and researchers but so has its persistent economic role in providing much needed rural employment. …

Energy Efficiency And Carbon Dioxide Emissions Across Different Scales Of Iron Ore Mining Operations In Western Australia, Shanuka Dilhani Palamure

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

During the last two decades, Western Australian iron ore mining industry experienced an exponential production growth arising from increased global demand for steel. The upturn in the iron ore price and considerably lower production cost encouraged extensive mining and consequently high-grade ore reserves were gradually depleted. Despite the energy-intensive nature of mining, high profitability motivated the mining companies to extract marginal-grade deposits with additional processing requirements, which increased energy consumption and ultimately increased the cost of iron ore production. This thesis sought to identify the energy efficiencies of open-cut iron ore mining operations, in terms of scale of operation as …

A Petrophysical Evaluation For Permeability Of A Gas Reservoir In The Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, Musa Cetin

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The goal of this study was to evaluate permeability and study the controls on permeability in a gas saturated formation. Conventional well logs, mineral identification crossplots and empirical models were applied to analyze different lithologic and diagenetic features and to examine the effect that these features may have on the reservoir. An unusual feature was observed, and required detailed examination: there existed (in two wells) five zones of lower resistivity (higher water saturation) above the gas-water contact. This is unexpected, as above that contact, the water is usually at irreducible water saturation. I conclude that the lower resistivity (the higher …