Dictionary of Quarrying Term

Dictionary of Quarrying Terms

A
AAV: abbr. see 'aggregate abrasion value'.
AC: abbr. see 'alternating current'.
ACOP: abbr. see 'approved code of practice'.
ACV: abbr. see 'aggregate crushing value'.
AIV: abbr. see 'aggregate impact value'.
AN/FO: see 'ANFO'.
APS: abbr. see 'Assisted Private Study Course in Quarrying'.
ASR: abbr. see 'alkali-silica reaction'.
Abney level: A small surveying instrument used either as a hand
level or for the measurement of vertical angles.
Absolute pressure: Pressure which is measured from the absolute zero
of pressure, ie the sum of gauge pressure and atmospheric pressure.
Absolute volume method: A means of calculating the yield of concrete
on the basis that the volume of compacted concrete equals the sum of
the absolute volumes of the aggregates, cement and water.
Acceleration: The rate of change of the velocity of a point with
respect to time. If no change of direction is involved linear
acceleration units are m/s2. See also 'angular acceleration'.
Acceleration due to gravity: Acceleration with which a body would
fall freely under the action of gravity in a vacuum. This varies
according to the distance from the centre of the earth but the
accepted value is 9.81 metres per second. Note: Variations from the
accepted value may occur where, for instance, there are massive ore
bodies close to the surface and these anomolies are employed in
mineral exploration. Symbol: g.
Accelerator: In concrete technology, an admixture which speeds up
the hydration process to produce a high early compressive strength.
Accumulator: 1 A voltaic cell which can be charged and discharged, a
portable store of electric power usually called a battery. 2 see
'hydraulic accumulators'.

- A -

Page 1 of 8

Dictionary of Quarrying Term

Action level: The Noise at Work Regulations 2005 define several

action levels corresponding to particular exposure levels: notably
80 and 87dB(A) and a peak level of 135dB(C).
Activators: 1 Added active items which enable an otherwise inert
material to demonstrate improved properties, eg cement with ground
granulated blast-furnace slag. 2 see 'regulators'.
Active component: The component of the phasor current or voltage
which is in phase with the voltage or current respectively.
Active power: The product of the active component of the current and
the voltage, or of the active component of the voltage and the
current. Units: watts.
Active tip: A term no longer in use to describe a tip on quarry
premises which is in use and covered by the now revoked Mines and
Quarries (Tips) Regulations 1971.
Actual power: see 'active power'.
Actuator: A machine using a form of energy (electrical, hydraulic,
pneumatic) to move a load or apply a force.
Adiabatic: A process during which no heat transfer takes place.
Admixture: A material, usually a liquid, which is added to a batch
of concrete during mixing in order to modify the properties of the
fresh or hardened concrete. There are many types of admixtures for
concrete including: accelerators, retarders, plasticizers, airentrainers etc. see British Standard 5075, Parts 1,2 and 3.
Advance reduction: The process of overburden removal ahead of the
coaling operation on an open cast coal site.
Aeolian: Wind-borne materials.
Aerated concrete: Concrete made by adding constituents to the mix,
usually powdered aluminium, which, by chemical reaction, cause gas
bubbles to form within the concrete. This reduces the density and
increases the insulation value of the concrete.
Aerial surveying: see 'photogrammetry'.
Aggregate: Particles of rock or inorganic manufactured material
which when brought together in a bound or unbound condition form
part or whole of a building or civil engineering structure.

- A -

Page 2 of 8

Dictionary of Quarrying Term

Aggregate abrasion value: A BS test retained after adoption of EN

standards. A measure of the resistance of an aggregate to abrasion
as determined by the abrasion test defined in BS 812. abbr. AAV.
Aggregate crushing value: An obsolete measure of the resistance of
an aggregate to crushing determined by the compression test as
defined in BS 812. abbr. ACV. Largely replaced first by the Ten
Percent Fines test and then by the Los Angeles test following
harmonization of European standards.
Aggregate impact value: An obsolete relative measure of the of the
resistance of an aggregate to sudden shock as determined by the
impact test defined in BS 812. abbr. AIV.
Agitator: A rotatable truck-mounted
plant-mixed concrete in a fresh state.

container

used

for

keeping

Air classification: The process of sizing of particles in a current

of air.
Air compressor: A machine, driven by a motor, for compressing air
for power purposes, eg rock drilling.
Air entrainment: The deliberate incorporation of air into a concrete
mix, usually by admixture. See 'aerated concrete'.
Air overpressure: The pressure in excess of ambient atmospheric
pressure which occurs when an air blast wave passes a given
position. The maximum excess pressure is known as the peak
overpressure and it is when this is excessive (>180dB) that
structural damage may occur.
Air-flush: Term applied to drilling using compressed air to clear
the chippings and to cool the bit.
Air-line lubricator: An oil reservoir connected into the compressedair supply line 2m or 3m from the drill or air motor to which it
feeds lubricating oil in the form of an atomized spray.
Airblast: An airborne shock wave resulting from the detonation of
explosives. May be caused by burden movement or the release of
expanding gas into the air. Airblast may or may not be audible.
Airblaster: Pervious ceramic pads introduced into the base cone of a
hopper so that compressed air can be introduced to assist the flow
of difficult powders.
Airleg: A device incorporating a
support and thrust for a jackhammer.

- A -

pneumatic

cylinder,

providing

Page 3 of 8

Dictionary of Quarrying Term

Airlift pump: A pump for the raising of water from a well or sump by
the injection of compressed air into the bottom of a pipe which has
been submerged to a considerable depth in the water. The compressed
air expands and rises, and, as the overall density of water and air
bubbles is lower than that of the water, it is forced to the surface
by the higher pressure of the water outside the pipe.
Alidade: 1 The rotatable part of a theodolite. 2 An instrument used
in plane-tabling.
Alkali-silica reaction: A process of deterioration in concrete
resulting from the reaction between alkalis, principally from the
cement, and certain types of aggregate. abbr. ASR.
All-in aggregate: A mixture of coarse and fine aggregate.
Alligator fastener: A type of fastener used to join the ends of
conveyor belts. It consists of a pair of steel strips, each
incorporating a series of teeth along both edges which are hammered
through the belt and their ends bent over; the ends of the belts are
connected by a hinge pin.
Alloy steels: Steels to which have been added elements not present
in plain carbon steels to impart to them certain special properties.
Alluvium: A collective term for unconsolidated detritus such as
clay, silt, sand and gravel deposited by streams and rivers as
sorted or semi-sorted sediment in channels and over flood plains and
deltas.
Alternating current: A current varying with time in a cyclic manner,
the current direction reversing periodically.
Alternator: A machine used to generate alternating current.
Aluminium: A metal commonly used as a fuel or sensitizer in
explosives and blasting agents, normally used in finely divided
particle or flake form. It is also used, in a powdered form, as a
foaming agent in the production of lightweight bricks and blocks.
Ammeter: An instrument for measuring current. It is connected either
in series with the circuit carrying the current or, where heavy
currents have to be measured, to the secondary winding of a current
transformer the primary of which carries the current to be measured.
Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3): The
explosives and blasting agents.

most

commonly

used

oxidizer

in

Amortization: Depreciation of assets over a fixed life.

- A -

Page 4 of 8

Dictionary of Quarrying Term

Ampere: The SI unit of electric current. Symbol: A.

Ampere-hour: A unit of electric charge. It is the quantity of
electric charge which passes in one hour at a current of one ampere.
Symbol: Ah.
Amplitude: The maximum displacement from the mean position in an
oscillating motion, ie the height of the wave measured from the
axis. Note: In the case of a screen with a straight-line motion or
elliptical motion, it is half the total movement or half the major
axis of the ellipse. In the case of a circular motion, it is the
radius of the circle.
Anchor bolt: see 'foundation bolt'.
Anchor dredger: a marine aggregate recovery vessel which dredges
from one point on the sea-bed. See 'trailer dredger'.
ANFO: A mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil in such proportions
that the mixture can be detonated with a suitable initiator.
ANFO mixer: A trailer-or truck-mounted machine for on-site mixing of
ammonium nitrate and fuel oil and charging the blasthole.
Angle of friction: The angle between the normal to two contacting
surfaces and the direction of the resultant reaction between them,
when a force is just tending to cause sliding.
Angle of nip: Angle between the faces of a crusher.
Angle of repose: The maximum angle between the surface of a heap of
loosely piled material and the horizontal.
Angledozer: A bulldozer with the blade set at an angle so that it
pushes material forward and to the side.
Angular acceleration: The rate of change of angular velocity. Units:
rad/s2.
Angular velocity: The rate of change of angular displacement. Units:
rad/s.
Angularity number: An indication of aggregate shape which relates
the voids content of a compacted sample to that of a rounded gravel
sample.
Annealing: A process which removes stresses set up during the
manufacture of a structure of steel and restores it to its normal
condition, at the same time softening it and refining the grain
structure. It involves heating the metal to a selected temperature,

- A -

Page 5 of 8

Dictionary of Quarrying Term

holding at this temperature for some time and cooling at a slow,

controlled rate. Annealing is also applied to copper and other
metals, as well as glass.
Anode: The electrode from which an electric current flows.
Anticline: An arch-like fold in stratified rocks.
Aperture size: The dimension or dimensions defining the opening in
the screen deck, usually with a qualification as to the shape of the
aperture, eg round hole, square mesh, long slot.
Apparent dip: The dip in any random vertical section, having a value
between zero in the section containing the line of strike and full
dip at right-angles to that line.
Apparent power: In an ac circuit, the product of the r.m.s. values
of the voltage and current. Units: voltamperes (VA).
Appoint: legally, to appoint a person to a position in writing.
Approved code of practice: A publication giving guidance on the
implementation of requirements laid down in Regulations made under
the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Apron feeder: A device, consisting of a series of steel flights
(pans) bolted to heavy-duty chains which run on sprockets, used to
draw material at a regulated rate from a stockpile, storage bin or
feed hopper. The rate of flow is controlled by varying either the
speed of the apron or the depth of material on it.
Aquifer: A permeable water-bearing stratum which
storing and yielding water when tapped by a well.

is

capable

of

Arc welding: Welding in which the heat necessary to melt both the
plate and filler material is supplied by an electric arc.
Are: The metric unit of area equal to 100m2. A hectare is 100 ares.
Arenaceous: Sandy.
Argillaceous: Clayey or silty.
Armature: 1 The part of a machine in which electromotive forces are
induced. 2 The movable part of an electromagnetic circuit which, by
attraction, can do useful mechanical work, as in a relay. 3 A piece
of ferromagnetic material placed across the ends of a permanent
magnet to complete the magnetic circuit.

- A -

Page 6 of 8

Dictionary of Quarrying Term

Armour-stone:
defences etc.

Large

irregular

lumps

of

hard

rock

used

for

sea

Armouring: The steel wires or tapes incorporated in an electric

cable to provide mechanical protection for the conductors and
insulation and to provide a low-resistance earth path between the
two ends of the cable.
Artesian well: A well sunk into a permeable stratum which has
impervious strata above and below it and from which water flows
without pumping.
Articulation: The Articulated dumptruck connection of two parts in
such a way as to permit the same relative movement, eg the two
sections of the frame joined by two or more pins to form an
articulated dumptruck.
Asphalt: A natural or artificial mixture in which bitumen
associated with a substantial proportion of mineral matter.

is

Asphalt plant: A heating, mixing and storage installation for the

production of bitumen-coated aggregate.
Asphaltic cement: Bitumen, a mixture of lake asphalt and bitumen, or
lake asphalt and flux oil, or pitch used as a binder.
Asphaltic concrete: A term applied, particularly in the USA, to a
rolled asphalt incorporating a continuously graded aggregate.
Assets: Resources owned by a company which have been acquired at a
measureable money cost.
Assisted Private Study Course in Quarrying: The distance learning
and tutorial scheme to prepare candidates for the Institute of
Quarrying's Professional Examination. abbr. APS.
Atomizer: A nozzle through which fuel oil is sprayed into the
combustion chamber of an oil engine or burner. Its function is to
break up the oil into a fine mist in order to ensure good
combustion.
Auger: A tool developed from the Archimedean screw, used for soil
sampling or drilling of shallow holes.
Authorized capital: The total amount of capital which the company is
allowed to issue as shares of different types, as stated in its
Articles of Association and its Memorandum lodged with the Registrar
of Companies.

- A -

Page 7 of 8

Dictionary of Quarrying Term

Auto-transformer: A transformer having only one winding per phase;

part of the winding is common to both primary and secondary sides.
The uses of auto-transformers include the supplying of reduced
voltages when starting large induction and synchronous motors.
Auto-transformer starter: A tapped auto-transformer reduces the
voltage supplied to a motor during the starting period in order to
limit the current taken during that time.
Autoclaving: The curing, in a steam chamber, of freshly cast
concrete or sand-lime bricks for up to 24 hours at a steam pressure
of about 10 atmospheres, which results in the material acquiring the
same strength as would be achieved after a month if air-curing was
used.
Autogenous: A term applied to grinding mills which use tumbling
action to effect comminution which is achieved by the action of rock
or ore particles on one another; no steel balls or rods are used.
Average value: see 'mean value'.
Axial priming: A system of priming for blasting agents in which a
core of priming material extends through most or all of the length
of the charge.
Azimuth: The horizontal bearing of a line measured clockwise from
the meridian from 0 to 360. See 'whole-circle bearing'.

- A -

Page 8 of 8