Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Tunnelling has been used for several purposes for thousands of years. In the coming years the world's population will increase in the urban areas. So, the urban centres will have to adapt, in order to guarantee that their future population will have the necessary and sustainable growth. Due to the constraints for surface construction, also connected to environmental issues, this population growth will imply a greater use of the underground. With this optimal growth, the population of the cities will have better mobility, quality of life, and economic and social sustainability. In a first phase, this report will present a historic approach to tunnelling and its foreseeable future. Afterwards, we will present some considerations on the three factors which tunnelling impacts: mobility, quality of life and social sustainability. As a case study, we will analyse the 2nd phase of the construction of the Marão Tunnel (TDM) - the longest ever built in the Iberian Peninsula- and describe the options made regarding each of those factors. In this case study, the options implemented made it possible to successfully execute the works. For the industry, this work is important because it describes a successful management of the aspects under analysis.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Damper optimization is a new area which has been investigated in recent years. There are various methods employed in optimization, among which are highlighted the classic and the most recent that are functioning with reliability, efficiency and speed for optimum results. This paper proposes a method for simultaneous optimization of placement and forces of friction dampers using the Firefly Algorithm, which is a recent meta-heuristic algorithm inspired in the behavior of fireflies. Herein, three different optimization objective are presented: i) minimize the maximum displacement at the top of the structure; ii) minimize the maximum inter-story drift; iii) minimize the maximum acceleration at the top of the structure. The three objective functions were evaluated in two civil structures (a nine-story building and a sixteen-story building) subjected to two real seismic records. The first seismic record is El Centro, which took place in the southeastern California on the boarder of the United States and Mexico in 1940. The second one is the earthquake that occurred in Caucete, province of San Juan, Argentina, in 1977. The results showed that the proposed method was able to optimize the friction dampers, reducing considerably the response of the structures.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Viscoelastic materials can dissipate a large amount of energy when subjected to cyclic shear deformations, but they have low bearing capacity. Therefore they are often employed as a damping layer in sandwich structures. These sandwich structures present a high damping ratio and simple application. In order to design sandwich structures, many aspects ranging from computer modeling to laboratory testing should be considered. In this study, a test set of experiments were performed and results are compared with a numerical GHM (Golla, Hughes and Mc Tavish method) based model, in order to establish a method to support viscoelastic sandwich beam design. In this way, starting from the dynamic properties of a viscoelastic material, a numerical model is used to evaluate the behavior of these structures. Comparisons with uncontrolled structures are also presented, showing the dissipative characteristics of this passive control.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Beryl, Be3Al2(SiO3)6, is a natural gemstone with many colors. Some of these colors can be induced or modified by exposure to ionizing radiation, by heating, and maybe by electrodiffusion. Small contents of chromophore chemical elements are related to the colors of beryl, like iron, chromium, vanadium, manganese, and others. There is great interest in relation to methods of improving or inducing colors in beryl. There is evidence that infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) can contribute to foresee beryl behavior submitted to procedures for color change. It was observed that electrodiffusion with or without contaminant ions did not alter the FTIR spectrum of aquamarines, unlike heat treatment. Green samples have a higher content of type I water molecules, whereas blue samples have a higher content of type II water molecules. Significant changes in FTIR spectra of aquamarines were observed only in green samples after exposure to gamma rays or to heat. The vanishing of the band at 3633 cm-1 may be related to the position of Na+ ion in the crystal lattice of beryl.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Despite the AISI 304 stainless steel has high corrosion/oxidation resistance, its tribological properties are poor, being one of the barriers for use in severe wear applications. Thus, there is a wide field for studying technologies that aim to increase the surface hardness and wear resistance of this material. In this work, hardness and wear resistance for AISI 304 stainless steel submitted to the thermochemical treatment by low temperature plasma carburizing (LTPC) in a fixed gas mixture composition of 93% H2 and 7% CH4 are presented. Through the evaluation of the carburizing layers, it was possible to observe a substantial improvement in tribological properties after all temperature and time of treatment. This improvement is directly related to the increase of the process variables; among them temperature has a stronger influence on the wear resistance obtained using LTPC process.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Investigation of microstructure and texture has been done for cold rolled Fe-30.5Mn-8.0Al-1.2C (8Al) and Fe-30.5Mn-2.1Al-1.2C (2Al) (wt.%) steels. They were rolled to a strain of ~0.70. Refinement of a crystallographic slip band substructure in low to medium rolling strain and nucleation of twins on the mature slip bands at a higher strain were suggested as deformation mechanisms in the 8Al steel. Mainly shear banding contributed to the formation of a Copper texture in such steel. Brass-texture development in the 2Al steel is mainly due to deformation twinning and shear banding formation. Detailed images of KAM maps showed that the stored deformation energy was mainly localized in the twinned areas and shear bands, which generated the inhomogeneous deformation microstructures in both steels at a higher strain. Goss and Brass texture intensity decreases and Cu-texture intensity increases as the Al wt.% increases in different cold rolled High-Mn (Mn ~30 wt.%) steels.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract The aim of this study is the risk analysis evaluation about argon release from the GERDA experiment in the Gran Sasso underground National Laboratories (LNGS) of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN). The GERDA apparatus, located in Hall A of the LNGS, is a facility with germanium detectors located in a wide tank filled with about 70 m3 of cold liquefied argon. This cryo-tank sits in another water-filled tank (700 m3) at atmospheric pressure. In such cryogenic processes, the main cause of an accidental scenario is lacking insulation of the cryo-tank. A preliminary HazOp analysis has been carried out on the whole system. The risk assessment identified two possible top-events: explosion due to a Rapid Phase Transition - RPT and argon runaway evaporation. Risk analysis highlighted a higher probability of occurrence of the latter top event. To avoid emission in Hall A, the HazOp, Fault Tree and Event tree analyses of the cryogenic gas extraction and ventilation plant have been made. The failures related to the ventilation system are the main cause responsible for the occurrence. To improve the system reliability some corrective actions were proposed: the use of UPS and the upgrade of damper opening devices. Furthermore, the Human Reliability Analysis identified some operating and management improvements: action procedure optimization, alert warnings and staff training. The proposed model integrates the existing analysis techniques by applying the results to an atypical work environment and there are useful suggestions for improving the system reliability.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract This study evaluates the stability and transport behaviors of hazardous nanoparticles into soil landfills using experimental procedures to simulate the effects of natural silica nanoparticle suspensions during their percolation into the soil layers of municipal waste landfills. For this, we prepared stabilized suspensions of nanoparticle oxides containing silicon (NPSiO2), titanium (NPTiO2), copper (NPCuO) and zinc (NPZnO), which are recognized as hazardous to the environment, and we conducted leaching experiments within the soil column by simulating landfills layers and simulating the capture and attenuation of nanomaterials into municipal waste landfills. The results demonstrated that the presence of NPSiO2 in suspensions increases the stable concentrations of copper, zinc and titanium oxides and strongly decreases soil layer effectiveness. In contrast, NPZnO improves effectiveness due to its ability to promote agglomeration and setting conditions, allowing further complexation.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Risk mapping processes in mine planning and ore recovery are constantly used in the mining industry to increase decision making certainty based on the available information. However, it is not possible to predict the risk behavior in all of the project's boundary conditions and small variations in some of these conditions can cause a great impact on its financial return. Among the countless uncertainties existing in a mining project (operational, costs, market change), many authors define the geological uncertainty as the most critical one, capable of influencing the success of the project. Measurement and evaluation of the geological uncertainty of a mine planning project is crucial because the calculated risk can be translated into a financial risk of the project. This article presents a possible way to consider the geological uncertainty in the pit optimization step by using sequential Gaussian simulation. The results obtained from the case study on a copper deposit results in a simple procedure with significant increase in reliability for the project.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract The mineral exploration activity consists of a set of successive stages that are interdependent on each other, in which the main goal is to discover and subsequently evaluate a mineral deposit for the feasibility of its extraction. This process involves setting the shape, dimensions and grades for eventual production. Geological modeling determines the orebody's possible format in subsoil, which can be done by two approaches: vertical sections (deterministic methods) or geostatistical methods. The latter approach is currently being preferred, as it is a more accurate alternative and therefore, more reliable for establishing the physical format of orebodies, especially in instances where geologic boundaries are soft and/or with widely spaced sample information. This study uses the concept of indicator kriging (IK) to model the geologic boundaries of a limestone deposit located at Indiara city, Goiás State, Brazil. In general, the results indicated a good adherence in relation to samples. However, there are reasonable differences, particularly in lithological domains with a small number of samples in relation to the total amount sampled. Therefore, the results showed that there is a need for additional sampling to better delineate the geological contacts, especially between carbonate and non-carbonate rocks. Uncertainty maps confirmed this necessity and also indicated potential sites for future sampling; information that would not be obtained by usage of deterministic methods.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract The planning stages of mining activities require many comprehensive and detailed analyses. Determining the correct orebody model is the first stage and one of the most important. Three-dimensional solid modeling is one of the significant methods that can examine the position and shape of the ore deposit. Although there are many different types of mining software for determining a solid model, many users try to build geological models in the computer without knowing how these software packages work. As researchers on the subject, we wanted to answer the question "How would we do it". For this purpose, a system was developed for generating solid models using data obtained from boreholes. Obtaining this model in an AutoCAD environment will be important for geologists and engineers. Developed programs were first tested with virtual borehole data belonging to a virtual deposit. Then the real borehole data of a cement raw material site were successfully applied. This article allows readers not only to see a clear example of the programming approach to layered deposits but also to produce more complicated software in this context. Our study serves as a window to understanding the geological modeling process.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Increasing throughput during the mining cycle operation frequently generates significant capital gains for a company. However, it is necessary to evaluate plant capacity and expand it for obtaining the required throughput increase. Therefore, studies including different scenarios, installation of new equipment and/or optimization of existing ones are required. This study describes the sampling methodology, sample characterization, modeling and simulation of Mineração Serra Grande industrial grinding circuit, an AngloGold Ashanti company, located in Crixás, State of Goiás, Brazil. The studied scenarios were: (1) adding a third ball mill in series with existing two ball mills, (2) adding a third ball mill in parallel with existing mills, (3) adding a vertical mill in series with existing mills and (4) adding high pressure grinding rolls to existing mills. The four simulations were carried out for designing the respective circuit, assessing the interference with existing equipment and installations, as well as comparing the energy consumption among the selected expansion alternatives. Apart from the HPGR alternative, all other three simulations resulted in the required P80 and capacity. Among the three selected simulations, the Vertimill alternative showed the smallest installed power.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Tailings recovery has been a constant challenge for most engineers. Along more than five years, GAUSTEC joined major players in the mining Industry to scavenge Iron from tailings produced by flotation making use of WHIMS (Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separation). In the early 1980s, in USA, the US 4,192,738 patent was granted with promising results. Despite this, thirty years have passed with no significant application worldwide. One main reason is reported: the market missed a really high feed capacity WHIMS in order to avoid the huge number of the WHIMS that were available at that time (such projects would typically require more than 20 WHIMS to scavenge iron from tailings produced by flotation plants). Such a huge asset to scavenge low grade iron tailings would not payback. The Mega sized WHIMS launched by GAUSTEC in 2014, the GHX-1400, improved by the Super-WHIMS Technology (18.000 Gauss) and BigFlow Magnetic Matrixes (Gaps smaller than 1.5 mm), faced this challenge. Specially designed ancillary equipment described here also played a decisive role in the scene.