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By Timothy A. Clancy

To help reduce the Nation's dependence on imported chromite, the Bureau of Mines is conducting research on the use of dolomites as an alternate material. Dolomite is a plentiful domestic resource and offers certain advantages as a refractory raw material. A review of the literature has indicated that there are many sources of high-purity dolomite in this country and that European nations use a greater proportion of dolomite refractories, primarily in steelmaking, than the United States, The Bureau of Mines characterized 14 domestic dolomites as to chemistry, density, mineralogy, microstructure, and thermal behavior, to develop baseline data on their suitability as refractory raw materials.

Jan 1, 1983

By R. W. Bruhn

The objective of the study is to examine the apparent influence of soil and near surface rock strata on the severity of damage experienced by surface structures subjected to mine subsidence. The report discusses: 1) modes of ground movement that might complicate or be confused with mine subsidence; 2) prevailing concepts concerning mine subsidence in the Northern Appalachian Coal Field and Illinois Basin; 3) apparent influences of soil and near surface rock strata on the character of subsidence-related ground movements; 4) classifications and criteria for characterizing damage due to ground movements; and 5) types of subsidence damage experienced by homes above active mines in western Pennsylvania. Presented is a damage classification system incorporating a severity index for characterizing subsidence damage to homes with basements above active mines. A series of case histories illustrate subsidence damage to structures above active and abandoned mines.

Jan 1, 1983

By Adrian Coombs

The York Durham Sewage System (YDSS) Interceptor Tunnel Project is located in the Town of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, just north of Toronto. Construction commenced in September 2006 and completion is planned for early summer, 2008. The project involved public and agency buy-in of construction technologies and methods that minimized dewatering, design and construction of sealed shafts with jet grout break-in and out blocks in order that Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) mode could be maintained by the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) during shaft entry and exit. This paper will discuss the advances that were made possible through the opportunity to apply and test these technologies in order to accommodate the aquifer and artesian conditions present on this project.

Jan 1, 2008

By O. C. Blade

The term "Ichtnyol" is a name applied loosely to certain preparations used in pharmacy. These preparations do not occur as such in nature but are manufactured by various chemical processes. Ichthyol is the name trademarked for a product manyfactured by the Irhthyel-Gescllschaft (Cordes Hermanni & Co.) of Hamburg, Germany, and marketed in thin, country by Merck & Co., Inc., (5, 86, 87)3/. Although used in the literature rather loosely, the correctly applied word refers to the product obtained by sulphonating and then neutralizing with ammonia a distillate from the oil retorted from a certain high-sulphur bituminous shale found near the village of Seefeld in the Austrian Tyrol. Due to the fact that fossils of fish and marine animals occur in the limestone associated with the bituminous shale, these deposits have long been known as, the "lchthyolite schistc of Seefeld" ( 55) . The Greek word "ichthys"" for fish and the Latin word "oleum" for oil are the words from which the term is derived. The crude, tarry shale oil, whose distillate is the raw material for the sulphonation process, has been referred to since the Middle Ages as "Dürsten" or "Tirschen" oil, and the term "ichthyel oil" has been used occasionally in the literature to designate the retorted crude oil (92, 93, 106, 117). The first application of the name "Ichthyol" to a particular product is credited to Schröter (35, 129). Various names for products manufactured by sulphonating bituminous distillates have been coined, and in some of these names the root from the word ichthys has been retained. Some of these names can be found in New and Nonofficial Remedies under the heading, Sulphoichthyolate Preparation, and Substitutes (5).

Jan 1, 1938

By Primak. George J.

"In the development of a new product as well as during its introduction on the market, it is very important to give due consideration to problems involving patents, licenses and trade marks. At the very beginning of the research and development program, it is obviously essential to ascertain, through a suitable patent search, that the product in question will not infringe any patents which are still in force. Then, a possibility of achieving one's own patent or proprietary position on the product or the process of its manufacture should be carefully explored. Licensing arrangements that one may reach with respect to patents and know-how covering such new product may, in the final analysis, determine its over-all success or failure. If one can count on licensing revenues or some favourable cross-licensing arrangements with respect to a newly developed product, this may go a long way to achieving profitability and success. The selection of a good trade mark is probably one of the most important acts that one has to perform once the product is developed, as customers will identify the new product by such a trade mark. In many instances, successful marketing and widespread acceptance of a product are largely due to its appealing name or trade mark, accompanied by proper promotion and advertising. Once the trade mark has been adopted, it should be registered in the Trade Marks Office to provide the protection afforded by federal statute. If the product is to be manufactured, sold or licensed in some other countries, similar considerations should be made with regard to each such country."

Jan 1, 1973

By Henry Kreisinger, WALTER T. RAY

In its investigation of more efficient methods for utilizing the coals and lignites in the United States, to the end that waste might be avoided, the value of low-grade coals increased, and the life of the nation's fuel resources prolonged, the technologic branch of the United States Geological Survey carried on a study of the factors involved in the manufacture and use of briquets, including the suitability of various coals for briquetting, the cheapest and most satisfactory binders, and the furnace behavior and evaporative efficiency of briquetted fuel. The investigations had their beginning in the work done at the coaltesting plant at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Mo., in 1904, and were continued at St. Louis and later at Norfolk, Va. Accounts of various tests and statements of the conclusions to be drawn from them have appeared in a number of bulletins. a In connection with the work at Norfolk, comparative steaming tests were made in stationary, marine, and locomotive boilers with run-ofmine coal and the same coal formed into briquets of two sizes. The tests in a locomotive boiler that are described in detail in this bulletin were undertaken to add cumulative evidence to work done at other places. They were made possible through the courtesy of the Seaboard Air Line Railway Company in supplying both the locomotive and the coal used. During the trials the locomotive stood on a side track in the shop yards of the railway company at Portsmonth, Va. No running tests were made.

Jan 1, 1911

A record $19.7 billion in minerals was produced by United States industries in 1963. This was some $800 million above the previous high established in 1962. Preliminary statistics compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Mines show that most metals, nonmetals, and fuels gained both in value and volume of production. The 1963 total represents the largest value increase since 1956 and continues an upward trend begun in 1959. Product.ion and value of all mineral fuels rose, with anthracite registering a remarkable 20% value increase. Nonmetals advanced 591 in value, gains exceeding losses by 213 to 1 among individual commodities. Heavier industrial demand and the settling of labor difficulties were among the factors contributing to increased output of such materials as iron ore, bauxite, molybdenum, lead, and zinc, which accounted for most in€ the growth in metal output. Silver prices continued to rise and, as a result, production value of that metal gained 132,.

Jan 2, 1964

By S. Burks

This paper develops the themes explored by the authors at the Fourth International Platinum Conference,. Optimization techniques can be used to significantly increase the value of mining businesses by enabling better long-term planning decisions. Open pit and underground mine design, mine scheduling, cut-off grade and blending, stockpiling, and the linking of these to flexible elements of the metallurgical recovery processes are all evaluated together. Transport or sale of intermediate products and the requirements of the product metal markets can also be considered. Experience shows that net present value (NPV) can potentially be increased by 5-35 per cent or more, usually even before the expenditure of significant amounts of project capital. The case studies presented include: > An existing operation with multiple open pits and PGM concentrators linked to offsite downstream processing facilities, and with infrastructure constraints for which the scheduling of current operations and the potential for expansion were investigated > An existing operation with an integrated portfolio of mines, concentrators, smelter, and refinery, for which the various possible sources of ore for processing were prioritized to match the downstream process plant constraints and the product markets > An underground operation in Zimbabwe for which the optimum mining width was calculated and expansion plans were evaluated > An underground mine with many separate mining sections, for which a revised schedule was developed aiming to keep the shaft system and processing plant at capacity with the highest net value material available at any time throughout the life of mine. In the concluding section of the paper, a few brief notes are included suggesting how the strategic recommendations from enterprise optimization studies may be implemented by the owner's team.

Jan 1, 2013

The STATE MINERAL SUMMARIES publication provides estimated data and summaries of mineral activities at the State level for 1991. Most of the estimates are based on nine months data. Individual State summaries are published separately as State Mineral Industry Surveys and copies can be obtained from the appropriate State mineral officer or Bureau field office specified in each State summary.

Jan 1, 1992

By J. E. Dutrizac, J. B. O'Reilly

"Zinc is a relatively abundant element which occurs as both high-grade sulphide ores {sphalerite ZnS) and oxide ores which the ancients collectively termed ""calamine"" (smithsonite ZnC03 and/ or hemimorphite Zn4Si201(0H)2 - H20 and/ or hydrozincite Zn5(C03) 2(0H)6). Although oxidic zinc is readily reduced by carbon, the process becomes thermodynamically viable only at - 1000°C, and at this temperature the zinc is released as a vapour (B.P. 907°C). Casual cooling of the vapour results in its re-oxidation by excess combustion air or even the carbon monoxide product of the reduction reaction. ZnO + C = C09,, + Zn vapom Only fairly rapid quenching of the zinc vapour and the isolation of the reduction products from the combustion gases will yield metallic zinc; these conditions were not produced deliberately until the advent of distillation technology. Until quite recently, the principal use of zinc was in brass manufacture; galvanized iron was not discovered until the 19th century and zinc casting alloys are a relatively recent invention. As will be seen, brass could be produced without recourse to a pure zinc intermediary, and the discovery of brass preceded that of zinc by many centuries. The purpose of this paper is to outline the discovery and early development of both zinc and brass with special reference to the European scene."

Jan 1, 1999

By R. J. Goodman, P. Lafleur

This paper presents a current interpretation and projections of recent statistics on raw materials availability based on familiarity with the Canadian steel industry and its development. Problems and opportunities are recognized and discussed.

Jan 1, 1976

By M. D. Heresy, H. F. Coward

"Whenever a manometer has been used for recording explosion pressures it has been calibrated under a series of static pressures. Whether the readings taken during the rapidly changing pressures of an explosion (dynamic pressures) truly represent the actual pressures therefore is an open question. The authors had hoped to solve this problem by conducting the calibration with the aid of known pressures, applied at about the ammo rate as in an explosion, for example, by means of a cylinder and piston, the piston being driven in by an eccentric cam at a rate which would be determined accurately by the shape and rate of revolution of the cam. If the rate of compression were great enough, then the pressure in the cylinder (to which the manometer is attached) could be calculated from the laws of adiabatic changes of pressure and volume. It seems highly probably, however, from H. T. Tizard's observations on pressure changes in a cylinder during rapid compression (55) 4/ that there is much heat loss, therefore pressure loss, in the very small interval of time during compression; although Tizard was able to estimate the amount thereof, he did so only by relying on his nanometer, which is exactly the procedure that the authors challenge on the grounds that the manometer was not standardized under the conditions of its use. Hence the authors were driven from this scheme of calibration to another, namely, comparing records of ono and the same explosion taken simultaneously on several instruments of as varied a type as possible. If 2 of a number of instruments agree, perhaps both are accurate; if 3 agree, probably each of the 3 is accurate; if 4 agree, it is almost certain each of the 4 is accurate.There was a second objective in the present work. If the Bureau of Mines and the B.C.D. (British Coal Dust) manometers differ in their records, then from a sufficiently comprehensive series of experiments it may be possible to coordinate the extensive results already obtained at the American and British stations.Thirdly, it was hoped to learn which is the best available instrument for observing the pressures of coal-dust and as explosions and, if possible, to indicate means for improvement in manometry."

May 1, 1935

By James K. Richardson

STATISTICAL evidence shows that continued efforts made by Government and industry to make mining safer during the last two decades have had most favorable results. In the copper-mining industry an accident frequency of 146 per million man-hours worked in 1925 dropped 71 per cent by 1945 to 43. This downward trend was relatively consistent except for a high period in 1937 which was probably due to a resumption of large-scale operation with many untrained miners. The iron-mining industry showed a similar trend, but at the relatively lower accident frequency of 66, which dropped to 24 in 1945. The close relationship between the steel and iron-mining industries may be one reason for the lower accident frequencies, because the steel industry is noted for its greater recognition of the fact that safe working conditions are an important part of labor-management relations.

Jan 1, 1948

By R. H. Pemberton

"THE Mattagami district of Quebec has, during the past few years, experienced intense exploration by virtually every mining company operating in Canada. As a result of this activity, a number of well-mineralized zinc-copper bearing bodies have been found, some of which will almost certainly go into production. Much of the area has undergone what is now termed ""Saturation Prospecting"" or intense and detailed geological and geophysical surveying, followed by the drilling of nearly all possible bets. Considering only the airborne geophysical surveying, some blocks of ground have been flown by virtually every geophysical instrument which has to date been installed in an aircraft. A list of these different geophysical instruments would include: l. Fluxgate-type total field magnetometers 2. Vertical field magnetometer ,3. Nuclear-precession magnetometers 4. Single-frequency out-of-phase electromagnetometers 5. Dual-frequency out-of-phase electromagnetometers 6. Horizontal component measuring electromagnetometers 7. In-phase and out-of-phase electromagnetometers8. Dip-angle measuring electromagnetometers."

Jan 1, 1961

By Milton H. Fies

To present some idea as to how the Bureau of Mines may most effectively serve mining, it is necessary that we make some resume of its pact accomplishments in order to determine what, if any, changes will be of greatest service to the industry and to the nation. There are a great many times in life when one begins to wonder whether or not Emerson, in his famous epigram about "mousetraps" and "beaten paths" and "final recognition of intrinsic worth", took into account the item of time. The intrinsic value of any movement, of any work, of any accomplishment will ultimately be recognized, of that there is no doubt, but may a man in history has gone to his end in martyrdom because the world was slow in the acknowledgement of the true excellence of his worth, and this is likewise true of institutions.

Jan 1, 1934

By Jack E. Brockway

As tunnel boring machine technology has expanded, so has its range of application. Tunneling machines (TBM's) are tackling tasks today that fifteen years ago were considered "inappropriate". A case in point is incline/decline TBM boring. An incline or decline bore presents peculiar design considerations that differentiate it from a horizontal bore. This paper reviews those design considerations as they apply to TBM's, backup, muck handling and other tunneling subsystems. In addition, several abbreviated case studies are presented. By the review of real life tunneling techniques as well as design considerations, the "appropriateness" of TBM incline/ decline boring today becomes apparent. INCLINE Introduction In contemplating the impact of incline versus horizontal tunnel boring system design, the obvious consideration is gravity. Up-hill boring can be quite different than horizontal boring. Muck, water and machine weight all tend to slide down the incline. In addition, hydraulic and lubrication systems if unaltered, will find their fluids pooled in the lower corners contentedly ignoring such higher elevation items as gears and bearings. In order to address this inherent gravity problem, a review of

Jan 1, 1983

By K. E. Barnes

"The “Jameson Cell” flotation cell was developed at Mount Isa Mines in the late 1980’s to address deficiencies in our flotation column installations. Early base metal installations had a variable record. The test work and trials showed they made an improvement metallurgically when operated correctly, but performance of the early installations was hindered by a range of operational and maintenance issues. The installations needed to be more robust, and we needed a better understanding of how to successfully integrate the cells into the plant flow sheet.During the 1990’s, Jameson Cells had great success in coal fines flotation and organic removal in SXEW applications, and became the standard in these applications in Australia. These installations improved the cell design and materials of construction and the cell flow sheet design, to make it low wear with self-regulating control, producing good performance with little operator input.These improvements have enabled a fresh look at the use of Jameson Cells in base metals. Recent new installations have shown significant benefits in “hybrid” circuits, that combine the best features of both Jameson Cells and conventional flotation cells, achieving better overall circuit performance in a smaller footprint than either technology could do by itself.Case studies of successful base metal applications are discussed, using size-by-size mineralogical performance to explain the improved circuit performance. The new methods of flow sheet test work design are also described."

Jan 1, 2006

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. announced that it planned to spend $66 million to increase the efficiency of its Baton Rouge, Louisiana, alumina plant. The improvements are designed to reduce energy consumption but will not change the annual capacity of the plant, now rated at about one million short tons. The project was expected to be initiated immediately and be completed by 1982. ALUMINUM Producers in this country posted unalloyed 99.5 percent aluminum ingot at 53-57.5 cents per pound, yet actual selling prices were closer to 53 cents. Domestic merchants quoted unalloyed ingot on a spot basis at 54-56.3 cents. London Metal Exchange 3-month forward contracts fell during November's trading from 55,2 cents to 52.8 cents per pound.

Jan 1, 1978

By Christopher Mark

This proceedings volume contains papers presented at W U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) technology transfer seminars on New Technology for Longwall Ground Control. These seminars were conducted in Washington, PA, on April 12, 1994, and Denver, CO, on May 10, 1994. The papers herein describe several new, highly practical USBM technologies now available for ground control in longwall mines, including lie Coal Mice Roof Rating (CMRR), cable bolts, the MULSIM/NL model, and the Wood Crib Performance Model. Other significant topics addressed include longwall panel layout, coal pillar design, horizontal stress in longwall mines, roof support selection for gate entries, and ground control monitoring.

Jan 1, 1994

By S. Akhtar

Interstitial compounds of iron, cobalt, and nickel, and their binary and ternary mixtures with silver, gold, palladium, and platinum were prepared and tested as fuel cell catalysts. The first step in the preparation of the interstitial compounds consisted of preparing finely divided metals. This was done either by the Raney method or by reduction of precipitated hydroxides of the metals. The finely divided reduced metals were then treated with carbon-and/or nitrogen-containing gases to prepare their carbides, nitrides, and nitrocarbides. The materials were tested for cathodic activity towards O2 and for anodic activity towards H2, C3H8, NH3, CO, and N2H4 in acid and alkaline electrolytes at 25° to 90° C in half-cell assemblies. Samples of carbided and nitrocarbided INi-lAg-1Au were about one fifth as active as Pt-black in the reduction of O2 in 35 percent KOH solution, whereas the activities of several interstitial preparations exceeded the activity of Pt-black in the reduction of O2 in 12M KOH containing N2H4. Nitrocarbides of x-Fe2C, 3Ni-1Au, and 1Ni-3Au were effective catalysts for oxidizing N2H4 in liquid NH3 containing NH4SCN. Corrosion of the catalysts by electrolytes was severe in many cases.

Jan 1, 1970