Papers - Technique - A Résumé of Bureau of Mines Experience with Oversize Core Barrels (Mining Tech., May 1948, T.P. 2385)

The Bureau of Mines has used various sizes of core barrels above 2 in. and below 10 in. in diameter to core manganese, potash, coal, brown iron ore and bauxite. The paper describes in some detail the methods and types of equipment used to obtain maximum sampling accuracy. Introduction On December 11, 1946, R. D. Longyear, in his capacity as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Exploration Drilling, wrote the author requesting him to prepare a paper presenting the collective ideas of engineers in the Bureau of Mines on the design, standardization and application of core barrels using diamonds or other hard cutting media for drilling holes larger than two inches and less than ten inches in diameter. In subsequent correspondence it was indicated that similar papers covering the experience of other government agencies would be solicited and all such papers received would be combined in a symposium on the subject for discussion at the March 1947 meeting of the Mining Methods Committee AIME. In soliciting such information from other Bureau engineers, it developed that most Bureau experience had been confined to standard core size, two inches or less in diameter, and that larger sizes had been used only for special purposes. It is hoped the data contained herein will be of help to other operators in solving problems encountered in the field. Acknowledgments This paper was made possible by the request of Lowell B. Moon, Chief, Mining Division, Bureau of Mines, to all Division engineers to send to the author any data they had on the subject. Engineers of the Mining Division contributing were: M. H. Kline, Chief, Raleigh Branch. Paul T. Allsman, Chief, Salt Lake City Branch. J. H. Hedges, Chief, Tucson Branch. C. H. Johnson, Chief, Rolla Branch. A. M. Evans, Mining Engineer, College Park Branch. Wing Agnew, Engineer in charge, Mount Weather, Virginia. Andrew Brown, Mining Engineer, Tus-caloosa Branch. In addition Albert L. Toenges, Supervising Engineer, Bituminous Coal Mining Section, Pittsburgh, contributed his experience in coring coal beds. The author's experience in the use of cores within the limits stated has been confined to the brown iron-ore work described by Brown and coring bauxite and clay in Arkansas. Design and Standardization of Core Barrels Bureau engineers are primarily interested in obtaining core that will best represent