Engineering Commons^™

Pressed Powdered Titanium And Aluminum Conical Shaped Charge Penetration Of Geological Targets, Dominique John Nolan

Masters Theses

"Conical Shaped Charge penetration into rock is dependent on the physical characteristics of the rock itself and the design and composition of the shaped charge conducting the work. This study looks at the effects of a non-typical conical shaped charge and its penetration into four different rock targets. The shaped charge is made of a liner, which is not a typical solid but instead is a pressed powdered metallic compound of Titanium (Ti) and Aluminum (AI).

The study presents the raw data from testing against rock targets that range in density, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), tensile strength, hardness scales, and …

Diesel Particulate Matter Dispersion Analysis In Underground Metal/Nonmetal Mines Using Computational Fluid Dynamics, Yi Zheng

Doctoral Dissertations

"Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM) is a natural by-product from operating diesel engines. Since diesel power is a major source of energy for mining operations today, the adverse health effects of DPM are of a great concern. To thoroughly resolve DPM problems, it is critical that DPM propagation characteristics be understood to arrive at a sensible and practical method for addressing DPM-related issues. To achieve this, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is used to simulate DPM dispersion and to predict its concentration distribution. Industrial field studies were reconstructed to evaluate the possibility of different CFD models. Experiments were also carried …

Fuzzy Controlled Hydraulic Excavator With Model Parameter Uncertainty, Ganesh Kothapalli, Mohammed Hassan

Research outputs 2011

The hydraulic actuated excavator, being a non-linear mobile machine, encounters many uncertainties. There are uncertainties in the hydraulic system in addition to the uncertain nature of the load. The simulation results obtained in this study show that there is a need for intelligent control of such machines and in particular interval type-2 fuzzy controller is most suitable for minimizing the position error of a typical excavator’s bucket under load variations. We consider the model parameter uncertainties such as hydraulic fluid leakage and friction. These are uncertainties which also depend up on the temperature and alter bulk modulus and viscosity of …

Flotation Circuit Performance Determination Using Size By Size Recovery – Case Of Bulyanhulu Gold Mine, Savinus Maronga

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The Bulyanhulu rougher flotation circuit performance has been determined by establishing the performance of individual cells. Direct sampling was done on all the rougher cell input, output and size analysis was performed on the samples with material in each size fraction assayed for copper and gold to determine their recoveries. It was observed that the performance of rougher cell number 3 and 4 was poor compared to other cells especially for finer particles below 53 µm where the recoveries were below 60%. In the last two flotation cells recoveries of both metals was very good (above 90%) in all particle …

Note: Autonomous Pulsed Power Generator Based On Transverse Shock Wave Depolarization Of Ferroelectric Ceramics, S. I. Shkuratov, Jason Baird, E. F. Talantsev

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Autonomous pulsed generators utilizing transverse shock wave depolarization (shock front propagates across the polarization vector P₀) of Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ poled piezoelectric ceramics were designed, constructed, and experimentally tested. It was demonstrated that generators having total volume of 50 cm³ were capable of producing the output voltage pulses with amplitude up to 43 kV with pulse duration 4 µs. A comparison of high-voltage operation of transverse and longitudinal shock wave ferroelectric generators is given.

Prediction Of Copper Grade At Flotation Column Concentrate Using Artificial Neural Network, F. Nakhaei, A. Sam, M. R. Mosavi, S. Zeidabadi

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The flotation column is a multivariable process whose main control objective is to guarantee the metallurgical yield set for the process operation, expressed by the grade and the recovery of the valuable mineral in the concentrate. The on-line estimation of grade usually requires a significant amount of work in maintenance and calibration of on-stream analyzers, in order to maintain good accuracy and high availability. These difficulties and the high cost of investment and maintenance of these devices have encouraged the approach of prediction of metal grade as an index of control performance. Therefore, advanced new methods such as Artificial Neural …

Electric Field-Free Gas Breakdown In Explosively Driven Generators, S. I. Shkuratov, Jason Baird, E. F. Talantsev, Larry L. Altgilbers

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

All known types of gas discharges require an electric field to initiate them. We are reporting on a unique type of gas breakdown in explosively driven generators that does not require an electric field.

Turbulent Flow Studies Of A Scaled Model Of A Large Mining Truck - Computations And Experiment, Wayne Randolph Sexton

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Modern mining operations are highly reliant on the amount of material that can be removed from the earth, transported to processing, and then processed. The companies that design and build mining dump trucks concentrate on improving the material payload capacity. Currently, the largest trucks are 400ton-class trucks. The design of these large mining dump trucks certainly does not stem from aerodynamics, but rather, from functionality and payload As a result, the shear size and asymmetric functional design creates interesting turbulent wakes on, around, and behind these trucks. This research focuses on the turbulent flow behind the truck. Computational Fluid Dynamic …

Source Attribution And Interannual Variability Of Arctic Pollution In Spring Constrained By Aircraft (Arctas, Arcpac) And Satellite (Airs) Observations Of Carbon Monoxide, J. A. Fisher, D. J. Jacob, M. T. Purdy, M. Kopacz, P. Le Sager, Shiliang Wu, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

We use aircraft observations of carbon monoxide (CO) from the NASA ARCTAS and NOAA ARCPAC campaigns in April 2008 together with multiyear (2003–2008) CO satellite data from the AIRS instrument and a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to better understand the sources, transport, and interannual variability of pollution in the Arctic in spring. Model simulation of the aircraft data gives best estimates of CO emissions in April 2008 of 26 Tg month−1 for Asian anthropogenic, 9.4 for European anthropogenic, 4.1 for North American anthropogenic, 15 for Russian biomass burning (anomalously large that year), and 23 for Southeast Asian biomass burning. …

System For Rapidly Boring Through Materials, W. A. Berger, J. A. Carter, C. Davey, Marian Mazurkiewicz, R. M. Pell, R. A. Spalletta

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The present invention is a self-contained, high-energy liquid rock-boring system that will bore a small-diameter access hole [5] several hundred meters through hard granite and other obstacles within minutes of deployment. It employs a land unit [100] platform subsystem [1000] with an energetic fluid fuel reservoir [1300] and a boring subsystem [3000] having a plurality of pulsejets [3100]. Each pulsejet [3100] repeatedly ignites the energetic fluid [7] causing a plurality of rapidly-expanding gas bubbles [3250] which create and force a plurality liquid slugs [10] ahead of them rapidly out through a nozzle [3260] causing the slugs [10] to impact against …

Application Of Life Cycle Assessment To Estimate Environmental Impacts Of Surface Coal Mining, Ofentse Ditsele

Masters Theses

"Coal plays an important role in meeting the energy needs of the World. Given its abundance and low cost, its use is bound to increase with the growing energy demand. Despite its importance, there are concerns over coal's environmental burdens. In order to extract and use coal in a sustainable manner, sustainability assessment has to be comprehensive. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides systematic and quantifiable measures for assessing environmental burdens of products and processes. Extensive LCA work has been done on coal use, particularly in electricity generation, but, the coal mining stage has been neglected, for the most part. This …

Explosives Recognition And Awareness Training: A Psychological Approach To Pre-Blast Mitigation, James Wade Hawkins

Masters Theses

"The nation's security strategy tends to be reactionary to a specific event. It is rare when established policies have proven successful, even though there is substantial financial and resource investment. The payoff is measured by analyzing the desired minimal effect rather than prevention of the event altogether. Such is the case in combating explosives-related threats. Today, research and development, science and technology, are plugged as the saviors of a post-blast event. Synthetic and composite materials are used to strengthen barriers and cutting-edge technology is utilized to refine the latest in standoff detection. These legitimate measures provide a sense of security …

Measuring Blast Induced Rock Damage From Pre-Splitting Sandstone By Applying The Multichannel Analysis Of Surface Waves Geophysical Method, Charles Bradford Zdazinsky

Masters Theses

"Many blasting applications in the mining industry demand that the hard rock being blasted remains structurally competent. For example, pre-splitting is a common technique to reduce fracturing, and operators of dimension stone quarries use this blasting method to eliminate overbreak. When pre-split design parameters are not applied correctly, there will be a redistribution of stresses within the rock, resulting in Blast Induced Rock Damage (BID). Advances in geophysical technology are enabling blast technicians to monitor BID and then use the results to correctly design their blasts. The Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) geophysical method is new technology that is …

The Mitigation Effects Of A Barrier Wall On Blast Wave Pressures, Nathan Thomas Rouse

Masters Theses

"The study examined the mitigating effects of a blast barrier wall. This area of blast mitigation is of interest due to the many different applications involved in protecting a specific target from an explosive attack. The research follows a 1:50 scale layout using 73 gram, hemisphere-shaped, Composition-4 charges detonated at combinations of three standoff distances from a blast barrier wall set at three different heights. This project used 45 data points for each combination of standoff distance and wall height. This project expanded prior research conducted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) by increasing the database of …

Technical Note: A New Method For The Lagrangian Tracking Of Pollution Plumes From Source To Receptor Using Gridded Model Output, R. C. Owen, R. E. Honrath

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Lagrangian particle dispersion models (LPDMs) are powerful and popular tools used for the analysis of atmospheric trace gas measurements. However, it can be difficult to determine the transport pathway of emissions from their source to a receptor using the standard gridded model output, particularly during complex meteorological scenarios. In this paper we present a method to clearly and easily identify the pathway taken by only those emissions that arrive at a receptor at a particular time, by combining the standard gridded output from forward (e.g., concentration) and backward (e.g., residence time) LPDM simulations. By comparing the pathway determined from this …

Electric Discharge Caused By Expanding Armatures In Flux Compression Generators, Sergey I. Shkuratov, Jason Baird, Evgueni F. Talantsev, Larry L. Altgilbers

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this letter, we experimentally demonstrate that explosively driven expansion of metallic armature of the magnetic flux compression generator (FCG) plays a dominant role in the formation of plasma and electric discharge initiation inside the FCG.

Hydrometeor-Enhanced Tephra Sedimentation: Constraints From The 18 May 1980 Eruption Of Mount St. Helens, Adam J. Durant, William I. Rose, A. M. Sarna-Wojcicki, S. Carey, A. C. M. Volentik

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Uncertainty remains on the origin of distal mass deposition maxima observed in many recent tephra fall deposits. In this study the link between ash aggregation and the formation of distal mass deposition maxima is investigated through reanalysis of tephra fallout from the Mount St. Helens 18 May 1980 (MSH80) eruption. In addition, we collate all the data needed to model distal ash sedimentation from the MSH80 eruption cloud. Four particle size subpopulations were present in distal fallout with modes at 2.2 Φ, 4.2 Φ, 5.9 Φ, and 8.3 Φ. Settling rates of the coarsest subpopulation closely matched predicted single-particle terminal …

Creating Lakes From Open Pit Mines: Processes And Considerations, Emphasis On Northern Environments, Christopher H. Gammons, Les N. Harris, James M. Castro, Peter A. Cott, Bruce W. Hanna

Geological Engineering

Creating Lakes from Open Pit Mines: Processes and Considerations, Emphasis on Northern Environments. This document summarizes the literature of mining pit lakes (through 2007), with a particular focus on issues that are likely to be of special relevance to the creation and management of pit lakes in northern climates. Pit lakes are simply waterbodies formed by filling the open pit left upon the completion of mining operations with water. Like natural lakes, mining pit lakes display a huge diversity in each of these subject areas. However, pit lakes are young and therefore are typically in a non-equilibrium state with respect …

Multiple Pulsejet Boring Device, W. A. Berger, J. A. Carter, Marian Mazurkiewicz, R. M. Pell, R. A. Spalletta

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method and device for boring a hole [5] through a material along a desired path includes an umbilical subsystem [2000] connected to a boring subsystem [3000] having a plurality of pulsejets [3100]. These pulsejets [3100] repeatedly receive and ignite a combustible fluid [7] in a combustion chamber [3230] causing a portion of the fluid [7] to be forced out of a nozzle [3260] at high speeds as a fluid slug [10] that impacts materials ahead of the pulsejet [3100]. A controller [3310] controls the amount of fluid provided to each pulsejet [3100], and the firing timing, thereby controlling the …

Shear-Driven Liquid Film In A Duct, Magesh Thiruvengadam, B. F. Armaly, J. A. Drallmeier

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Two-dimensional flow simulations of shear-driven thin liquid film by turbulent air flow in a duct is performed using the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes and continuity equations along with the Volume of Fluid (VOF) model that is part of the FLUENT-CFD code. the purpose of this study is to determine the suitability of using this code/model for predicting reported measurements of shear driven liquid film in a duct. Both a laminar and a turbulent flow model were examined for the liquid film flow region to assess their impact on film thickness and velocity. the Low Reynolds number k-ε turbulence model is …

Nepa And The Dynamics Of Public Participation In The Environmental Review Process: An Analysis Of The Northmet (Polymet) Mining Project Near Hoyt Lakes Minnesota, Amber Neumann

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Hypothesis: That comments collected from agency “experts” during the scoping phase of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process would be disproportionately represented as changes in subsequent drafts of NorthMet’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Methods: Tabular analysis of data collected from the Minnesota DNR publication of Response to the Public Scoping Projects PolyMet Mining Inc.; NorthMet Project. 2005

Results: There is an excellent cross section of comment sources represented in changes to subsequent drafts of NorthMet’s EIS. A lot of overlap exists between various types of participants and their concerns, resulting in many of the successful comments stemming from …

Mining Mining Data: Bringing Empirical Analysis To Bear On The Regulation Of Safety And Health In U.S. Mining, Alison D. Morantz

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Workers At Risk: The Unfulfilled Promise Of The Occupational Safety And Health Act, Lynn Rhinehart

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Integrating Technology To Improve Mine Safety In The Wake Of Recent Mine Disasters, Jeffery L. Kohler

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Free Markets, Individual Liberties And Safe Coal Mines: A Post-Sago Perspective, C. Gregory Ruffennach

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Failed Promise Of Workplace Health Regulation, David C. Vladeck

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dedication, Joyce E. Mcconnell

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Approaching Coal Mine Safety From A Comparative Law And Interdisciplinary Perspective, Anne Marie Lofaso

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Let's Not Abandon What Works, Edward Chair

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dpm Dispersion Study Using Cfd For Underground Metal / Nonmetal Mines, Yi Zheng, Jerry C. Tien

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM) is considered carcinogenic after prolonged exposure. With increasing use of diesel-powered mining equipment in underground mines, miner's exposure to DPM has been increasing. Most studies on the issue has been DPM control measures with few studies on diesel exhaust propagation patterns after leaving the tailpipes. This study uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to investigate the airflow pattern in an underground metal/nonmetal mine for a single heading. Several high DPM concentration areas are identified in the study and common practices for compliance are suggested. Airflow and DPM distribution are compared between blowing and exhausting face ventilation systems. …