METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS
Metallurgical Analysis
• is the application of analytical-chemical methods
(using of laboratory and assaying) to chemical
problems of metallurgy, including problems of
valuation (knowing the worth and value of price,
assets , commodities or products through
evaluation) and utilization (where it can be use) as
well as production.
• Example: coal deposit, to determine the quality of
the ore. To know which deposit having higher
quality, anthracite or Bituminous.
• the quantitative estimation of the metals in ores
and furnace products
• Determination of all the constituents, both metallic
and non-metallic, of ores and metallurgical
products
PERTAINING LARGE SCALE (INDUSTRIAL SCALE)
• Mining – run of mine ore
• Tonnage -
• Truck Scale -
• Ore
PERTAINING LOW SCALE (LABORATORY SCALE)
• Grade
• XRF (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) is a non-
• destructive analytical technique used to determine
the elemental composition of materials.
• X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) is a technique used
in materials science to determine the
crystallographic structure of a material
• Sample
• Assaying – a particular practice to know the grade
of the ore, percentage, quality, or content of a
metal. To determine the commercial value of the
ore.
Why Do We Assay Ore/Materials?
As basis for the estimation of a material’s commercial
value you need to cnonsider:
• Price of Metal ($/tonne) – LME metal prices
whether the material is profitable or not
• Volume (m^3) – strike x depth x width –
tonnage- length x width x height x SG
• Specific Gravity – Table of S.G. for different
minerals
• Grade – obtained from assay result.
Concentration of metal content in ore sample.
• To determine the material’s fitness or
adaptability to a certain use
We do metallurgical assaying to determine if the
coal qualifies as metallurgical and thermal coal
Measured in British
thermal unit
Low moisture –
high quality of coal
Coke is an ingredient of blast furnace and high content of carbon, derive
from metallurgical coal
• Serves as guide in the operation of a process or
in determining the efficiency of a process or
treatment. Or kind of process to use
Metal of
interest
Tailings undergoes processes, waste don’t undergo processes
Choosing the best Assay Technique
• Accuracy
• Results are demanded to be the most accurate in
the time allowed.
• Cost
• If only approximations to a fair degree of
accuracy are demanded. First to consider if need
to do in a set of time but only amount of money
Conduct an assaying regardless what the client wants if
accuracy or cost. We consider the cost if the there is a
time and date deadline. Better to balance the two.
The Metallurgist/Chemist should ordinarily select for any
particular determination, the method by which he can
obtain the most accurate result in a time allowed; but in
cases where only approximations to a fair degree of
accuracy are demanded, methods will be selected that
are less expensive in time and materials.
How is assaying performed?
Sampling
Re sample
Sample Preparation
Result
Analysis
SAMPLE
• In statistics and quantitative research
methodology, a sample is a set of individuals or
objects collected or selected from a statistical
population by a defined procedure.
• In extraction industry, it is a small portion of a
whole mass that accurately represents the whole
mass
Sampling
• The process of taking a small portion of a
material such that the consistency of the portion
shall be representative of the whole (NEED TO
MIX)
• SAMPLING is the PRE-REQUISITE of effective
analysis.
• Sampling is a progressive process in which the
original material is reduced in quantity to the
final mass of sample convenient for analysis
“If a sample is correct and sufficiently reproducible, it
automatically qualifies as representative” -(D. Francois-
Bongarcon and P. Gy)
Exploration stage
• Sediment Sampling - Sediment is collected from
beneath an aqueous layer either directly, using a
hand-held device such as a shovel, trowel, or
auger, or indirectly using a remotely activated
device such as an Eckman or Ponar dredge.
procedure must be efficient
• Geochemical sampling and Drilling
• Determining the cost and profit
• Feasible to mine – profitable
Mining
• Face sampling - is the cutting of pieces of ore and
rock from exposed faces of ore and waste. The
faces may be natural outcrops or faces exposed
in surface trenches and pits or in the backs, walls,
and floors of development openings and stopes.
• Truck sampling – to determine the grade of the
ore in the truck
• Stock pile sampling - need to sample a stockpile
manually, start at the top and take at least three
increments from the top, middle, and bottom of
the pile.
Mineral processing
• Crushing and grinding
Core logging
• Core logs are used to model potential ore deposits,
determine size, grade, and mine feasibility which
logging is a highly specialized skill requiring careful
observation and accurate recording to provide a
factual, accurate, and concise record of the important
geological and physical characteristics of engineering
significance.
Semi detailed exploration – interval from one hole to another
20 m
Detailed exploration- 10 m
GOVERNING CONDITIONS IN SAMPLING
1. Uniformity of Composition of the Bulk
- Differently-graded ores
- Ores with select portions with value
- High grade ore less sample used than low grade
- Ores with different sizes and SG.
“Ore which breaks into lumps of large variation of sizes
are probably of different composition”
Solution: crushing the materials into fine powder having
different variation of minerals and thorough mixing is
desirable to obtain a true sample.
Classification of Materials
1. Fluids (anything can follow the shape of the
container)
- Liquids – water, oil, molten metals and slags
- Gases – flue gas, producer gas (coal)
2. Tough or Sectile Metals (cut into thin sheets)
- Metals, alloys
3. Brittle or Frangible Materials
- Ores, fluxes, coal, brittle metals, alloys, etc
- Fluxes - any substance introduced in the smelting of ores
to promote fluidity and to remove objectionable
impurities in the form of slag. Limestone is commonly
used for smelting iron ores. silica, dolomite, lime, borax,
and fluorite.
General Principle in Sampling
1. Fluids
- Necessary to be mixed thoroughly and withdraw any
convenient portion.
2. Fragmental Materials
- Quantity to be taken depends upon the value and
uniformity of the material and the size of the largest
particles (broken ores)
- Easy: very large bulk + uniform in composition (less
sampling procedures)
- Difficult: metal is carried by a comparatively few
pieces in a large mass of barren material
(disseminated ores)
- Imperative - reduce everything to smaller size and
mixing before taking the 1st cut for samples
- Quantity to be taken depends upon the value and
uniformity of the material and the size of the largest
particles
Prof. R.H. Richards’ (MIT) Rule: “the weight taken for
sample shall be proportional to the square of the
diameter of the largest particle“.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
1. Channel Sampling
- this method consists of cutting channels across the
face of exposed ore and collecting the resulting
chips, fragments and dust from each channel to
make a sample. (soft materials)
- o Enhancement of geologic knowledge
2. Chips Sampling
- a series of chips (broken) of rock is taken either in a
continuous line across the exposure or at random
intervals over a face. (Not soft materials)
3. Muck Sampling
- a grab-sample of the muck pile after blasting is
sometimes taken instead of a channel sample of a
face. It picks pieces of rock of convenient size.
4. Car Sampling (rock sampling)
- a shovelful of ore or a series of pieces selected either
at random or according to a pre-arranged system is
taken from each car that comes from the face. This
gives a fairly large sample
5. Geochemical Sampling (exploration stage)
- usually done at established or grid points where
soil/rock chips, sediments, water, mud, etc. are
collected for analysis
6.Bulk Sampling
- is done to further determine the mining and
metallurgical properties of the deposit such as
o a) grade of ore
o b) degree of homogeneity if mineralization;
o c) rock hardness and strength;
o d) ore and gangue mineralogy & their variations;
o e) grain size of mineral;
o f) response to ore drilling process
Prime Purpose of Bulk Sampling
- To confirm grade indicated by prior sample data from
drill holes or workings
- Other Objectives:
o Establishment of metallurgical criteria
o Development of material-handling data
o Investigation of rock mechanics parameter
(tensile strength, compressive strength)
Bulk Sampling General Flow
1.From mine
2.Where to keep
 3. Front-end Loader
- wheel loaders” or “bucket loaders” are purpose
built for the task of moving large solid materials

4. Loading hopper
- receiving hopper, a device designed to
receive/collect materials to be delivered for further
processing in a downstream production cycle.

-
5. Conveyer
6. Portable crushing plant
- Portable crushers, or portable crushing plants, are
wheel-mounted crushing machines that are made
to process rocks and other hard materials.

SUBSURFACE SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

1. Excavation of Test Pits/Trenches
- horizontal and vertical excavation are made to
collect mineral samples located beneath the surface.