Coal Age

DEC 2014

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scope and scale of the new concept, confirmed that the Freedome could be built without increasing the budget, a n d w a s s u b s e q u e n t l y r e t a i n e d t o design a dome that would fulfill the very irregular design. The site's equip- ment and buildings dictated its shape: c r u s h e r s a n d s c r e e n s h a d t o b e e n c l o s e d , w h i l e a h o p p e r h a d t o r e m a i n u n c o v e r e d . T h e s u p p o r t i n g structure had to bridge existing build- ings. There was no way to fit a conven- t i o n a l c i r c u l a r d o m e o n t h i s s i t e . D i a z ' s l a y o u t w a s r o u g h l y h e a r t - shaped — three-sided with rounded c o r n e r s a n d a d i m p l e i n o n e o f t h e s i d e s . T h e F r e e d o m e a l s o s o l v e d a major concern: no equipment modifi- cations would be required. According to Geometrica, the dome was truly a custom design, but preci- sion prefabrication of components enabled installation by local labor, who reportedly had no problems following the simple procedures required to build it. Construction of the dome started on the foundation and progressed toward the apex, ring by ring. No scaf- folding was needed and no plant downtime was required — the rising dome supported its own weight plus that of the construction crews through- out the process. Cladding consisted of rectangular corrugated metal sheets with a polyester finish. The company recently announced t h a t i t a l s o h a d i n s t a l l e d w h a t i s regarded as the largest dome of its type i n S o u t h A m e r i c a f o r S C M M i n e r a Lumina Copper at its Caserones cop- per ore storage and concentrate facili- ty located 4,000 m (13,000 ft) above sea l e v e l i n t h e C h i l e a n A n d e s , 1 6 0 k m s o u t h e a s t o f C o p i a p ó i n C h i l e ' s A t a c a m a R e g i o n . T h e o p e r a t i o n i s o w n e d 7 5 % b y J a p a n ' s P a n - P a c i f i c Copper — a joint venture between JX Nippon Mining & Metals and Mitsui M i n i n g & S m e l t i n g — a n d 2 5 % b y M i t s u i a n d C o . L t d . A c c o r d i n g t o G e o m e t r i c a , d o m e d e s i g n a n d c o n - struction had to overcome challenges posed by the site's rugged location, freezing temperatures, high winds and s c a r c i t y o f r e s o u r c e s . T h e d o m e s installed at Caserones must withstand snow loads that reach 800 kg/m 2 and wind pressures of up to 300 kg/m 2 . At 145 m (475 ft) in span and 94 m ( 3 0 8 f t ) t a l l , t h e o r e s t o c k p i l e c o v e r d o m e b u i l t b y G e o m e t r i c a a t Caserones stands out as a prominent example of its design principles, along with the nearby 52-m (170-ft) copper concentrate storage dome. Both are geodesic-style Freedomes, and illus- t r a t e h o w t h e f r e e - s t y l e d e s i g n approach takes advantage of form as a structural element and allows domes a n d v a u l t s t o b e d e s i g n e d w i t h o u t i n t e r m e d i a t e c o l u m n s , e l i m i n a t i n g w a s t e d s p a c e , a n d m a x i m i z i n g t h e unobstructed management of inven- tory, equipment and personnel. o p e r a t i n g i d e a s c o n t i n u e d December 2014 www.coalage.com 47 This Geometrica-designed dome for ore storage, installed at the Caserones copper mine, measures 145 m (475 ft) in span and 94 m (308 ft) tall.

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