Aussie miners to smash overseas competitors | Mining Australia

Aussie miners to smash overseas competitors | Mining Australia

FIFO workers believe bosses don’t care

IFO workers say their employers do not care about their wellbeing and most do not feel valued for the work they do, a new survey has found.

Libby Brook, of Murdoch University's school of psychology, said a survey of 223 FIFO workers found most feel their needs not are not being met, while many believe their companies are not doing enough to support them, The West Australian reported.

 

The survey is part of ongoing research at Murdoch University into the possible health affects of working in the mining industry.

Murdoch University's Graeme Ditchburn said the survey results show that employee support was important when it comes to job satisfaction.

"From an organisational perspective, companies need to be looking at how they can empower managers and supervisors to support their employees more efficiently and effectively," he said.

Another survey of FIFO workers and their partners showed that less than 50 per cent were aware of the resources and support available to employees in the industry.

"A number of companies have made major efforts to improve their support for FIFOs but our study shows more needs to be done to inform workers of what is available," Brook said.

A survey by Australian Coal and Energy conducted earlier this year by researchers at Griffith University highlighted the mixed experiences of workers in the sector.

It found unpredictable shift work rosters in the industry are having physical and psychological effects on workers and their families.

According to the research 61 per cent of mine and energy workers had no say in how many hours they worked a week, 70 per cent had no say in their types of shifts, 74 per cent had no say in which shifts they worked on particular days, and 79 per cent had no say in start and finishing times.

Professor David Peetz from Griffith University’s Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing said lack of control over work hours is being attributed to increasing levels of depression among shift workers and resulting in an increased use of a variety of prescription drugs.

“The respondents showed sleeping difficulties. And when you had lack of control combined with wanting to work fewer hours, it not only made mining and energy workers more likely to feel unsafe, it also had negative health effects, including on psychological health,” Peetz said

“The lack of say was having a flow-on effect.  Their partners often confirmed that their spouses were indeed too tired or emotionally drained to function properly and that it affected them.  Mining and energy workers and their partners were less satisfied with their free time or with how much they felt part of their community than were the broader Australian population,” Peetz said.

 

Australian Mining reported on mine site health earlier this year, stressing an alternative after it was found behind the tough exteriors many workers engaged in the mining industry in Australia experienced stress, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, feelings of anxiety, loneliness and depression.

Rio South of Embley Bauxite Mine

Rio Tinto Alcan announced it expects to spend $528 million over the next three years developing is new South of Embley bauxite mine, located near Weipa in Queensland’s Far North.

The project’s developers have commenced meetings to discuss the provision of goods and services for the mine’s construction which is scheduled to begin next year, pending environmental and company approvals, Cairns.com.au reported.

Project director Laurie Hicks said recruitment and materials supply was currently being considered in Cairns, however preferential treatment for local suppliers would not be given.

“Where several options exist, a bid process will be adopted which may include other local, regional, Australian or offshore suppliers," he said.

"While there will be no preferential treatment, options that promote local content, shorten supply chains, offer indigenous employment and deliver value to the project will be due consideration."

Employing about 950 people, the construction phase will include the building of two beneficiation plants which separate bauxite from waste materials, a diesel-fuelled power station, warehouse, offices, sewage treatment plant, two ferry and barge terminals, a roll-on/roll-off barge facility, temporary accommodation for 2000 people, a water supply dam and a new shiploading and tug-mooring port.

Construction is estimated to take between 2.5 and 3 years with 24 hour bauxite production predicted to begin in the first half of 2016.

Hicks said Far North Queensland "will be the focus of the project's labour recruiting activities”, and that the feasibility of Cairns as a fly-in/fly-out hub and project support centre will be assessed.

Advance Cairns CEO Stewart Christie said the group had been working with Cairns FIFO co-ordinator Jeremy Blockey to actively engage Rio Tinto Alcan to recruit personnel from the Far North of the state.

"We are very hopeful that both Rio Tinto Alcan and Bechtel will hire contractors, personnel and use suppliers from this region for the construction and ongoing operations of this project as the project evolves," he said.

The operation aims to extend current Weipa mining operations for another 40 years.

Mining Drafting Services

Hamilton By Design offer a Professional service with the highest Quality Drafting service

Our team have been offering Computer Aided Design and Drafting Services to the mining industry for the past 20 years providing quality service that is cost effective for  design and documentation.

We have extensive experience in the mining industry experience in providing Strucutal, mechanical and pipework design and drafting documentation. Our team will be your project on track our services include:

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Cad Drafting - Mining Services

Hamilton By Design offers a broad range of CAD Drafting Services to the mining, Oil, Petrochemical Gas and Fabrication sectors.

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2D Drafting - Structural Drafting

Hamilton By Design is a quality drafting service provider dedicated to assisting companies of all sizes improve their business outcomes. Our highly trained team offer a 1st class services in terms of 3D CAD design, 2D CAD drawing, 2D CAD drafting and 3D CAD Modelling.

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From Pit to Port - Mine Infrastructure

The Team at Hamilton By Design have vast experience in detail drafting of mining, in most cases our drafting service projects have falling somewhere from pit to port, projects have included: 

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Design Drafting Services

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construction, based on a practical foundation provided by experienced an combination of Fabricators Machinists, Designers and Engineers.

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• Conceptual and Preliminary Designs
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Design Drafting  |  Mechanical Drafting  |  Structural Drafting

Mining Infrastructure Design - Sydney

Mining Infrastructure Design - Sydney

With the Mining Industry's ever increasing appetite for increases in Production Hamilton By Design have opened a new office in Chatswood Sydney. Hamilton By Design offer a specialist drafting service in terms of Structural Drafting and Mechanical Drafting with vast experience in both over and underground equiptment along with fixed and mobile plant.

For more information about Hamilton By Design Drafting services for the Mining Industry in terms of Structural and Mechanical Drafting

Sydney – NSW – Australia

Level 20, Tower A,

821 Pacific Highway,

Chatswood NSW 2067, Australia

Phone (02) 8448-2079

 

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Structural | Mechanical | Drafting | Sydney | Chatswood

Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: CHPP - Detailed Drafting

Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: CHPP - Detailed Drafting: Hamilton By Design have assisted in the design and detailing of Coal Handling Preparation Plants in terms of: Site Layout - CHPP Buildi...

CHPP - Detailed Drafting

Hamilton By Design have assisted in the design and detailing of Coal Handling Preparation Plants in terms of:

• Site Layout - CHPP Building Layout
• Transfer Stations including In feed and out feed conveyor systems
• Medium Separation Drums
• Conveyor Platforms
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Delivered outcomes - results from these projects have included:

• Increase in production (Tonnes per hour)
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Detailed Drafting | CHPP Drafting | Structural Detailing | Materials Handling

Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: Structural Detailing

Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: Structural Detailing: A considerable amount of work done by Hamilton By Design falls within the structural engineering field. We are continually involved in proj...

Structural Detailing

A considerable amount of work done by Hamilton By Design falls within the structural engineering field. We are continually involved in projects which require some degree of structural engineering, from small stair and platform jobs, to the design of large workshops.

 Hamilton By Design has the facilities and man power to follow a project from inception to completion, and we are able to visit you on site for job evaluation and site measuring as required. We regularly visit most of the Hunter Valley mine sites, liaising with the individual engineers as to the job specific requirements. Photographs are taken and all necessary site measuring is done to ensure accurate integration of the new project into existing structure.

 Qualified Hamilton By Design drafts people are available to visit you Australia wide at your convenience or if you prefer to come and see us in person to discuss your project.

www.hamiltonbydesign.com

Our draftsmen are able to meet your drafting needs in either a 2D or 3D environment, depending on your requirements, utilizing the latest cutting edge software such as SolidWorks and Smart Structures for the SolidWorks platform.

 For more information on Structural Detailing

Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: Soildworks - Hamilton By Design

Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: Soildworks - Hamilton By Design: Hamilton By Design, a Mechanical / Structural Detailing services company, have completed a wide range of projects in the infrastructure, mi...

Soildworks - Hamilton By Design

Hamilton By Design, a Mechanical / Structural Detailing services company, have completed a wide range of projects in the infrastructure, mining and industry, defense, property and building and environment sectors.

Established in 1995, Hamilton By Design combine their industry experience with advanced technical tools to ensure clients’ objectives and aspirations are met. Hamilton By Design having used the SolidWorks design software from Solidtec (Sydney), found that its parametric environment enabled Hamilton By Design to complete mechanical and structural work in much more detail, which means their projects are likely to be right the first time and delivered to clients’ exact specifications.

Challenges:

• Detail required for mechanical and structural projects very time consuming to complete in a 2D environment
• Process to convert concepts into detailed designs was inefficient
• Difficulty integrating new projects on brown field sites
• 2D drawings not easily understood by non-technical parties who needed to use them to complete safety checks

SolidWorks benefits:

• Up to 60 per cent reduction in requests for clarification on drawings and model views for specific projects
• 3D models and views created efficiently and accurately furthermore offers the team to complete safety studies prior to building the plant
• New projects can be virtually modeled to ensure no disruption to existing services and equipment
• Construction crews less prone to errors as they can easily relate 2D drawings with the model

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Mining | Infrastructure | Solidworks | Design | Detailing

Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: Structrual - Mechanical - Design

Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: Structrual - Mechanical - Design: www.hamiltonbydesign.com

Structrual - Mechanical - Design

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Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: Design - Steel Making - Mining

Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: Design - Steel Making - Mining: Hamilton By Design offer a specialise Modelling and Detail Design service to the Mining and Steel making industries Bluescope Steel's ...

Design - Steel Making - Mining

Hamilton By Design offer a specialise Modelling and Detail Design service to the Mining and Steel making  industries

Bluescope Steel's Steel making Vessel No. 3

Vessel Cone Manufacturing

Specialist 3D modelling Servicing the Mining and Steel making Industries

The wall thickness of material was 80mm rolled plate

Pipework underside of Vessel

Hamilton By Design offer Steel Making and Mining Industry a Services that ensures that Machined and Fabricated Components Assemble together first time every time.

 

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Mining Mobile Plant

Hamilton By Design are partnering with a successful global industrial leader that design in both fixed and mobile plant for the mining industry across the world. The team is committed to achieving first class innovative product delivery and engineering, making this an exciting and dynamic work environment.

• Drafting & Design of Fixed and Mobile Mining Equipment
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Due to high levels of demand alone with growth in our business we are seeking to expand their team. On offer is an excellent long term contract opportunity for a Mechanical Drafter. By taking a key role in the drafting and design of fixed and mobile plant equipment, both surface and underground mining and bulk materials handling. 

 

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Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: Milling of Materials

Mining Infrastructure - Solidworks Design: Milling of Materials: Ball Mills A Ball Mill grinds material by rotating a cylinder with steel grinding balls, causing the balls to fall back into the cylinder a...

Milling of Materials

Ball Mills

A Ball Mill grinds material by rotating a cylinder with steel grinding balls, causing the balls to fall back into the cylinder and onto the material to be ground. The rotation is usually between 4 to 20 revolutions per minute, depending upon the diameter of the mill. The larger the diameter, the slower the rotation. If the peripheral speed of the mill is too great, it begins to act like a centrifuge and the balls do not fall back, but stay on the perimeter of the mill.

The point where the mill becomes a centrifuge is called the "Critical Speed", and ball mills usually operate at 65% to 75% of the critical speed.

Ball Mills are generally used to grind material 1/4 inch and finer, down to the particle size of 20 to 75 microns. To achieve a reasonable efficiency with ball mills, they must be operated in a closed system, with oversize material continuously being recirculated back into the mill to be reduced. Various classifiers, such as screens, spiral classifiers, cyclones and air classifiers are used for classifying the discharge from ball mills.

Rod Mills

Rod mills are very similar to ball mills, except they use long rods for grinding media. The rods grind the ore by tumbling within the the mill, similar to the grinding balls in a ball mill. To prevent the conditions leading to rod charge tangling, the length to diameter ratio is maintained at 1.4 to 1.6. Rod mills accept feed up to about 50 mm (2 in.) and produce a product in the size range of 3000 to 270 mm (–4 to –35 mesh). Grinding action is by line contact between the rods extending the length of the mill. Rods tumble and spin in roughly parallel alignment simulating a series of roll crushers. This results in preferential grinding of coarse material and minimizes production of slimes.

Of the three main types of rod mill, overflow, end peripheral discharge, and center peripheral discharge only the overflow mill is in common usage. Wet grinding rod mills are normally used in the mineral processing industry. Dry grinding is used in some areas; however, it is confronted with problems and should be avoided except where absolutely necessary. Rod mills operate at lower speed than ball mills since the rods are rolled and not cascaded. For an equivalent grind, a rod mill uses less steel than a ball mill because of the lower speed and better contact between the media and ore. The rod charge must be maintained in good working condition, and broken and worn rods must be removed. Rod mills usually require greater operator attention. It is important that the rods stay essentially parallel to one another. If rods become misaligned, grinding action is lost and, more importantly, rod tangles occur. Maximum rod length is limited to about 6.1 m (20 ft). This in turn limits the length, diameter, and capacity of rod mills. The heavier rods acting upon the lifters and liners result in greater wear on the mill liners.

Rod mills normally carry 35 to 65% rod charge by volume. The limits on charge level are (1) keeping the feed end trunnion open so that feed will get into the mill, and (2) keeping the rod charge low so rods will not work their way into discharge openings where they can cause rod tangling.

Hammer Mill

A hammermill crushes material that is friable, by impacting it against a rotating hammer (typically traveling between 750 RPM and 1800 RPM). Then the material is forced against a rugged solid plate called a "breaker plate" which further degrades the particle size. Finally, the material is forced over a discharge grate by the hammers, where crushed finer particles drop through the discharge grate and larger particles travel around for another crushing cycle, until they fall through the discharge grid. During the entire time the material is traveling around in the hammermill it is constantly being impacted by the hammers, and the side of the mill casing, causing breakage of the particles. This sequence repeats itself between 750 - 1800 times each minute, until the particle is ground fine enough to fall through the discharge grid.

One big drawback to hammermills is they wear, due to the abrasiveness of the material being crushed and the high speed of the mill. It should not be used to grind any material harder than a medium hard limestone. They are used most in crushing coal, but are also common in limestone operations. Large particles can not usually be crushed in hammermills, so they are almost never used for run of mine material or primary crushers, but secondary or tertiary crushers. Six to eight inches is a typical top size of feed for hammermills.

Another possible drawback for using hammermills, is that they tend to produce a lot of fine material (50 mesh to -100 mesh). Crushers like jaw crushers, cone crushers, and roll crushers, which operate a much lower speeds, tend to produce very few fines (generally less than 1% finer than 50 mesh). For some processes, excess fine material is a drawback, for others, it is not a problem.

On the positive side, hammermills are relatively inexpensive, as crushers go, can produce relatively fine material (1/4" to -10 mesh) from 6" or 8" feed in one step, and they take up relatively little floor space. The are easily repaired, and simple to operate. Production size hammermills can produce products ranging from 1" to as fine as 10 mesh, or finer, depending upon the material being crushed.

Roller Crusher

Roll Crushers are compression type crushers, and were once widely used in mining. They have, within the last 10 or so years, fallen into dis-favor among mining and processing companies. The probable reason is because the large mines require very large crushed product output with minimal cost, makes the roll crusher uncompetitive. The roll crushers are not nearly as productive as cone crushers, with respect to volume, and they do have a little higher maintenance associated with them. Roll crushers do, however, give a very close product size distribution, and if the ore is not too abrasive, they do not have high maintenance costs.

Roll crushers have a theoretical MAXIMUM reduction ratio of 4:1. If a 2 inch particle is fed to the roll crusher the absolute smallest size one could expect from the crusher is 1/2 inch. Roll crushers will only crush material down to a minimum particle size of about 10 Mesh (2 mm). A roll crusher crushes using compression, with two rolls rotating about a shaft, towards the gap between the rolls. The gap between the rolls is set to the size of product desired, with the realization that the largest feed particle can only be 4 times the gap dimension.

The particles are drawn into the gap between the rolls by their rotating motion and a friction angle formed between the rolls and the particle, called the nip angle. The two rolls force the particle between their rotating surface into the ever smaller gap area, and it fractures from the compressive forces presented by the rotating rolls. Some major advantages of roll crushers are they give a very fine product size distribution and they produce very little dust or fines. Rolls crushers are effectively used in minerals crushing where the ores are not too abrasive and they are also used in smaller scale production mining of more abrasive metal ores, such as gold. Coal is probably the largest user of roll crushers, currently, though. Coal plants will use roll crushers, either single roll or double roll, as primary crushers, reducing the ROM coal. Usually, these crushers will have teeth or raised forms on the face of the roll. (Roll crushers used for minerals and metal ores have smooth faced rolls.) 

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Milling Of Materials  | Upgrading Milling Process  |   Types Of Mills  |

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