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By Nicholas Kyriazi, John P. Shubilla

A joint effort by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) and the US. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was undertaken to determine how well self-contained self-rescuers (SCSR's), deployed in accordance with Federal regulations (30 CFR 75.1714), held up in the underground environment with regard to both physical damage and aging. This report presents findings regarding laboratory-tested SCSR's in the fourth phase of testing from 1989 to 1993. The SCSRYs were tested on human subjects and on a breathing and metabolic simulator (BMS). These results indicate that most of the apparatus, if they pass their inspection criteria, perform as expected except units with manufacturing defects. However, when the apparatus are carried in and out of the mine daily and stored at the working section, they may suffer abuse. Physical signs of abuse, unless extremely obvious, are frequently not detected by the miners or mine operators. In addition, some apparatus collected for this study had not been returned to the manufacturer in a recall effort for correction of a manufacturing defect. In both cases, the apparatus would have presented problems in emergency use. Recommendations include improved training in inspection procedures and better enforcement of recall notices.

Jan 1, 1994

By G. G. Campbell

Bureau of Mines research to develop an in situ retorting recovery method for oil shale has involved field testing of fracturing techniques for creating fluid-flow paths in impermeable oil shale. Electrolinking, hydraulic fracturing without and with sand propping, and explosive fracturing with a liquid explosive were tested in a 25-ft-square, five-spot pattern. These wells were drilled into oil shale at 50-to 88-ft depths near Rock Springs, Wyo. Results of the fracturing tests were evaluated by injecting air into a test well and measuring flow rates and flow profiles in adjacent test wells before and after each test. To identify points of air entry (location of fractures) in wells, flow profiles were determined by use of inflatable packers and by continuous logging with an airflow probe developed during the fracturing program. Electrolinking and hydraulic fracturing without sand propping were relatively ineffective; hydraulic fracturing with sand propping created horizontal fractures with desirable flow capacity; and fracture flow capacity was significantly increased by detonation of nitro-glycerin displaced in the natural and hydraulically induced fracture systems.

Jan 1, 1970

By Thomas C. Denton

The Old Reliable copper mine was first examined by Harlow D. Phelps , an engineer of the Bureau of Mines , in October and November 1942 , in compliance with a request from the War Production Board , which furnished copies of assay maps of the 100- and 200-foot levels and requested that they be check-sampled . The author and R. li. Grantham and W. D. Hughes , engineers of the Bureau , made a second and more detailed examination later , after a number of manways had been opened that were inaccessible when the first examination was made .

Feb 1, 1947

By N. S. Dalal, X. Shi

"It has been recently suggested that the exceptionally high antitumor and antibacterial activity of natural fredericamycin A (FMA) is related to its ability to spontaneously generate the superoxide anion (02-) and hydroxyl (""OH) radicals in aerobic solutions [Hilton, B. D., Misra, R., & Zweier, J. L. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 5533]. With a view to understand the mechanistic details, attempts were made to reproduce earlier electron spin resonance (ESR) evidence for the oxygenated free radical formation in well-aerated solutions of natural FMA in dimethyl sulfoxide and dilute H 20 2• Little or no evidence was obtained for the formation of the 0 2- and methoxy (""OCH3) radicals, while the detected formation of the 'OH and methyl ('CH3) radicals was attributable largely to mechanisms not involving FMA. These results thus reopen the T question regarding the mechanism of its exceptionally high tumoricidal-bacteriocidal activity. This paper reports on an electron spin resonance (ESR) investigation of the formation of oxygenated free radicals in solutions of natural fredericamycin A (abbreviated as FMA) which has recently been reported to be a highly potent anti¬tumor antibiotic (Pandey et al., 1981; Warnick-Pickle et al., 1981). The impetus for this undertaking was provided by recent reports (Hilton et al., 1986; Stinson, 1986) suggesting that the strong tumoricidal activity with high therapeutic—toxic index of FMA was related to its ability for the spontaneous generation of superoxide anion (02-) and hydroxyl (OH) radicals. For example, the suggested mechanism for the formation of 02- by FMA was (Hilton et al., 1986)FMA-OH + O2 FMA-O + H+ + 02-Here FMA—OH is simply the FMA molecule emphasizing the —OH moiety which becomes FMA-O, the free radical rep¬resenting the oxidized form of the drug. While some other highly effective anticancer drugs in current clinical application, such as bleomycin, are also thought to exert their antitumor effects via the formation of reactive drug-based or oxygenated free radicals (Carmichael et al., 1985; Gianni et al., 1983), FMA was considered unique in that only in this case the free radical formation was thought to be spontaneous, rather than through a metal- or an enzyme-activated process (Hilton et al., 1986; Stinson, 1986). Thus it was suggested (Hilton et al., 1986; Stinson, 1986) that FMA could be the forerunner of a new class of anticancer drugs. However, we noted that while the hypothesis seemed plausible, the reported ESR spectral evidence appeared to be ambiguous. Because of the high significance of the earlier conclusions (Stinson, 1986), we undertook a systematic ESR study of the radical formation in FMA solutions, and as discussed below, our conclusions disagree with those reported earlier."

Jan 1, 1989

Develop a reliable, portable device for non-destructively testing the support integrity of a friction rock support (commonly referred to as a Split Set ). Approach The friction rock support, used to support mine roof and ribs, is a slotted tube driven into a drilled hole of smaller diameter. Upon installation, the tube is compressed radially. The amount of compression is a function of the hole diameter, the strength of the host rock, and the properties of the split set itself. A simple lightweight self-contained device was developed to determine the pull-out resistance of the friction rock supports in-situ, based on measurements of the tube's deformation. The tester measures the com-pressed internal volume of the slotted tube, which has been found to provide an estimate of the support's resistance to pull out. How It Works The tester consists of a pump and expander sections. The expander sections are made from an elastomer membrane which is stretched over two cores, each one inch in diameter and twelve inches long. The expanders are connected by a flexible coupler so that they can fit any alignment of the support.

Jan 1, 1984

By Roger J. Morrell

Disk-cutter experiments were performed on five rock types ranging in compressive strength from 9,000 psi to 27,000 psi. A specially constructed testing machine called a linear-cutter apparatus (LCA) was designed to load and traverse a free-rolling disk cutter across a sawed rock surface. The LCA was instrumented to measure the vertical and horizontal forces acting on the cutter during the run.. The ability of disk cutters to fragment rock was determined for both 60--degree and 90-degree cutting-edge angles, and relationships and regression equations were developed to predict cutter performance based on rock physical properties and applied forces,

Jan 1, 1970

By A. W. Fahrenwald

Coarse sand flotation, both alone and in conjunction with gravity concentration, is a subject of research at the U. S. Bureau of Mines Field Office, Moscow, Idaho. One of the most important results of this work which is being carried out in cooperation with the University of Idaho, has been the development of a concentration process embodying flotation, classification, and tabling, in the order named. The flow sheet of the process is given in Figure 1. The type of feed desired for this process is coarser than is common in present "all flotation" practice, and is about the size of table feed.

Jan 1, 1929

By Jr. Smith

To investigate the effects of flow geometry on laminar flames, studies are in progress in this laboratory employing Bunsen-type burners with rectangular cross section. Interpretation of these studies requires a determination of the flow velocity at all points of the rectangular cross section for one dimensional steady laminar flow. In addition, values of the velocity gradient at the boundary for such flows are needed in the interpretation of blow-off and flash-back studies with burners of rectangular cross section. The hydrodynamical problem of steady laminar flow of a viscous fluid in channels of rectangular cross section was solved by Stokes. His results have been quoted by Love21 and by Dryden, Murnaghan, and Bateman,§/ and they have been discussed by Boussines and by Paschoud. It may be noted that the steady laminar flow of a viscous fluid in channels of rectangular cross section constitutes a hydrodynamical analogue for the problem of the torsion of an isotropic prism of rectangular cross section.

Jan 1, 1952

By Jr. Joyce

This report describes sulfatization of nickeliferous laterites from Puerto Rico and the Philippines for recovery of water-soluble nickel and cobalt sulfates. Temperatures ranging from 665 C to 710 C and a 10-percent sulfur dioxide-air reaction gas were employed during batch-roasting tests and during continuous countercurrent treatment in a 2-inch-diameter shaft furnace. A maximum of 69 percent of the nickel and 76 percent of the cobalt were recovered from one sample of Puerto Rican laterite, and a maximum of 96 percent of the nickel and 91 percent of the cobalt were recovered from the Philippine laterite.

Jan 1, 1965

By T. E. Swigart

In connection with experimental work by the Bureau of Mines to determine effects of back pressure . on oil wells * , data were compiled on the engineering conditions in the oil field selected , in order to afford a more complete understanding of the wells tested , and to illustrate the extent to which underground conditions should be studied when making oil -field experiments of this nature . This report , containing the data mentioned, may be of interest to the oil industry , as it describes briefly the methods of operation employed in developing and exploiting shallow well territory .

Feb 1, 1923

By K. J. Miller

A laboratory electrophoresis column was designed to separate pyrite from fine coal by utilizing an observed difference in the electrophoretic mobilities of the two materials in water. The apparatus worked well when tested with synthetic mixtures of coal and pyrite, but some modifications in design and procedure were necessary to provide a sharper separation. After these changes were made, the column was tested with a high-pyritic-sulfur raw coal sample. The column successfully fractionated the sample, removing not only the pyritic refuse, but a siliceous refuse as well. The invest ion demonstrated on a laboratory scale that pyrite and other impurities can be separated from fine coal by electrophoresis.

Jan 1, 1970

By Harold L. Gibbs

The purpose of this paper is to encourage petrographers to prepare thin sections, as the demand for microscopic examination of rocks, ores, and metallurgical products is becoming more general in .the mining metallurgical-fields. This paper has been written with the knowledge that the successful thin-section methods and the several new techniques herein described will be helpful to all engaged in this field of work. Detailed instructions for making thin sections by methods developed at the Salt Lake-City laboratory of the Bureau of' Mines are given in this paper. Several new techniques are described for making thin sections of loose grains and fine sands and for making good thin sections of highly altered and friable rocks. The methods described insure superior bonding of the rock to the glass slide, thus virtually eliminating any failures due to parting of the section from the glass slide, and permit fast mounting, grinding, and finishing, thereby materially lessening the time required to prepare thin sections.

Jan 1, 1950

By Juel H. Stears

Research was done to determine if a hydraulically operated penetrometer developed by the Bureau of Mines could be used to estimate the roof-bolt anchorage capacity of mine roof rock. Tests were conducted both in the laboratory using cement cylinders and underground in shale rock. Hardness readings were measured by the penetrometer around the periphery of the bolt holes at the anchorage horizon. Roof bolts Nere then installed and subjected to an anchorage test. The results showed that the penetrometer readings could be used to determine the optimum stratum for roof-bolt anchorage but could not be used to make an accurate estimate of the anchorage capacity.

Jan 1, 1965

By Austin B. Clayton

The magnetite deposits of the Big Ore Bank, in Lincoln County, N.C., were mined during the reconstruction period following the Civil War. The country rock at the Big Ore Bank property consists of micaceous schists and schistose quartzite with a few beds of dolomitic marble. Magnetite occurs with micaceous chlorite schist and is often so schistose that it is hard to distinguish from associated minerals. A magnetic survey by the North Carolina Geological Survey indicated several magnetic anomalies that appeared to justify exploration. The Bureau of Mines drilled 10 diamond-drill holes, totaling 4,493 linear feet, to delineate the deposits. More than 500 sludge samples and 119 core samples were collected for analysis. The project was begun in November 1943 and completed in April 1944.

Jan 1, 1948

By Arnold M. Lansche

Domestic Production.-Domestic production of white arsenic, AS,03, was derived entirely as a byproduct of smelting arsenic-containing copper ores by The Anaconda Company at Anaconda, Mont., and American Smelting and Refining Company at Tacoma, Wash. The Anaconda Company discontinued production of white arsenic in 1965. Arsenic metal was not produced. Consumption and Uses.-Most of the white arsenic produced in 1965 was consumed in manufacturing lead and calcium arsenate insecticides.

Jan 1, 1966

By Nicholls Harry R.

The Bureau of Mines studied the effect of varying the, diameter of explosive charges on the generation and propagation of strain waves. The parameters compared were strain amplitude, impulse, energy, and pulse shape. Three different explosives were detonated in three different charge diameters. Charges of cast 50/50 pentolite-detonated at the same velocity in 5-, 2.5-, and 1.5-inch diameters. Charges of ammonium nitrate-fuel oil prills and 45-percent semigelatin dynamite showed a strong detonation rate-diameter dependency. Detonation of these two explosives was considered nonideal. Differences in the diameter of the charge caused less difference in the strain-generating abilities of pentolite than in those of the other two explosives. This was also true for impulse and energy. Rise and fall times of the strain pulses for all three explosives were proportional to detonation time and cavity volume, respectively.

Jan 1, 1966

By David Schlain

This Bureau of Mines report describes a method for electrodepositing titanium diboride from a molten salt bath. Initially, the electrolyte is a mixture of LiBO2, NaB02, Na2 Ti03 , Li2Ti03, and Ti02? The cell is operated at 900° C in a dry, inert atmosphere with consumable anodes of titanium or hot-pressed titanium diboride (TiB2) powder. Agitation of the electrolyte is essential. Current densities may be 6 to 9 amperes per square decimeter (amp/dm2) with titanium anodes and 9 to 30 amp/dm2 with titanium diboride anodes. A current density of 6 amp/dm2 is equivalent to a plating rate of about 35 micrometers per hour. The adherence of the TiB2 deposit varies with the substrate material. It is most adherent on molybdenum and on 4130 steel that has been preplated with copper and nickel, less adherent on nickel, and still less adherent on Inconel and on 4130 steel without the preplate. Cathode and anode reactions are suggested.

Jan 1, 1976

By A. Z. Dimitroff

An improvised rock-dust disseminator, consisting of a 10-gallon galvanized metal milk can that dispenses rock dust in return air currents by the injection of compressed air has reduced the float dust explosion hazards at the Koehler coal mine, Koehler, N. Mex.

Jan 1, 1965

By RUDULF KUDLICH

Pennsylvania anthracite coal is almost universally recognized to be the solid fuel best suited for domestic use when cleanliness , convenience and cost are considered . At various times and in various localities , however, conditions so affect the supply that it becomes insufficient or is too high in price and recourse must be had to other fuels as substitutes . In practically every district in the United States where anthracite has been the common domestic fuel , some other fuel is available as a substitute . In even the most severe climates such fuels are used either as emergency substitutes for anthracite , or as the ordinary domestic fuel . There may be some drawback to the use of such fuel , such as the need of more frequent attention to the furnace , smoke , soot and dust , in the case of solid fuels lower in price than anthracite , but these inconveniences must be accepted as necessary accompaniments to a decreased fuel bill . The cleanliness and ease of handling anthracite in the house must be considered in the light of a luxury and a higher cost of heating with this fuel must be expected . That a growing number of people are willing to pay for such added convenience is evident from the increasing mumber of heating installations using oil , gas and electricity , all of which are more convenient and usually more expensive even than anthracite .

Aug 1, 1923

By Ruth F. Brinkley

Principle activities of the Bureau of Mines Explosives Research Laboratory from July 1, 1960 to June 30, 1961 are reviewed briefly in Part 1. Part 1 also includes data obtained in connection with several minor investigations which are not sufficient to warrant separate publications. Part 2 gives brief abstracts of publications that appeared during fiscal year 1961; in general, the research reported in these publications antedates this period.

Jan 1, 1963