Pit & Quarry articles from June 1998

Pit & Quarry archives from June 1998

Positive pays. (effect of being positive on patients)
June 1, 1998... WAGs(1) are probably responsible for more than 50 percent of the loss-prevention initiatives in mines and plants. SWAGs(2) are responsible for a much smaller fraction of the ideas turned into safety practices that may or may not work. An even...

S&S revisited. (decision of Dept of Labor Assistant Sec Davitt McAteer to suspend the Mine Safety and Health Act's 'Interpretive Bulletin')
June 1, 1998... Industry wins, MSHA wins, everybody wins with the decision of Assistant Secretary of Labor Davitt McAteer to suspend MSHA's "Interpretive Bulletin" regarding the meaning of "significant and substantial" (S&S). The purpose of MSHA's bulletin,...

Aggregate specs: let's bring sanity to testing.
June 1, 1998... Over the last few years, there have been several instances of overly restrictive specifications involving not only riprap and armor stone, but also concrete aggregates throughout North America and the Caribbean. In an age of environmental...

Seeing through blinding. (use of triple-deck vibrating screens from Midwestern Industries)
June 1, 1998... Heated screens increase productivity up to 25 percent at American Limestone's Midway Quarry. In simplest terms, the pit and quarry industry is about making big rocks into little rocks. While this is true, the process becomes more when making...

Taking up the tension. (telescoping conveyor-belt take-ups at Vulcan Material's quarry in Kennesaw, Georgia)
June 1, 1998... At Vulcan's Kennesaw Quarry, telescoping conveyor-belt take-ups maximize tension and tracking to maintain peak performance. In many quarry and mining operations, belt conveyors must perform and survive in a sometimes-wet, sometimes-dry and...

Big wheels keep on turning. (maintenance of tires)(includes related article on automatic monitoring systems for tires)
June 1, 1998... New technology and traditional strategies help quarry operators get the most out of off-highway tires. Automated monitoring systems that report a tire's pressure and temperature are rapidly gaining importance for many quarry operations - but...

Playing it straight. (Laserod straight-hole drilling system from Boart Longyear)
June 1, 1998... A new integrated drilling system offers down-the-hole accuracy with top-hammer efficiency. With increased competition in the rock-breaking industry, the issues of safety, efficiency, production and profitability are evaluated daily. Drilling...

Managing by satellite. (application of Global Positioning Systems for managing mobile equipment assets)(includes related article on integrated data reconciliation)
June 1, 1998... Satellite GPS offers cutting-edge technology to help operators manage maintenance more efficiently. The challenge of managing high-cost, capital-intensive mobile equipment assets is being met by systems incorporating new and emerging...

North Central report. (business conditions at the North Central region of the US)
June 1, 1998... Stone producers in the sprawling North Central region of the United States say business conditions should be strong through the rest of 1998 and should remain so throughout 1999. A buoyant U.S. economy, mild weather and generous spending in the...

Superpave: the basics. (Superior Performing Asphalt Pavements system from the Strategic Highway Research Program)
June 1, 1998... Confused about Superpave? Here are five things you should know. With Superpave projects already underway and many more on the horizon, quarry operations, large and small, are scrambling for information. Following are answers to some of the...

Quarry first to achieve ISO 9002.
June 1, 1998... A facility that is functioning at peak efficiency is much less likely to create environmental controversies and invite the scrutiny of regulators. To that end, a Virginia quarry is the first mining operation in the United States to reach ISO 9002...