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By James W. Pennington

MERCURY, also widely known as quicksilver, ranks tenth in quantity in world output of nonferrous metals. However, its unusual and desirable combination of properties- liquid liquidity at ordinary temperatures, high density, uniform volume expansion, electrical conductivity, ability to alloy readily, high surface tension, chemical stability, and toxicity of its compounds -gives mercury an industrial and military importance out of proportion to the small physical size of the production industry. Although mercury has been known and used for over 20 centuries, until the 16th century consumption was small and chiefly in medicine. Since then mercury's applications have paralleled scientific advancements, kind current principal uses of mercury are in electrical apparatus, industrial and control instruments, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and the electrolytic prepa¬ration of chlorine and caustic soda. Other materials may be substituted for mercury in come applications; yet, for those uses that require mercury's unusual combination of physical and chemical properties, there is no ideal substitute.

Jan 1, 1959

To develop a conceptual design for an automated longwall mining system, one should know what has been done, what is being done today and what is being planned for tomorrow. The bibliography referenced and discussed in this report provides a good source for that knowledge. To scientifically determine where attention should be focused to up-grade a system, the system must be quantized as far as possible. The Mechanization Profile of Appendix A-I is discussed in this report and has been used to analyze and determine the degree of mechanization currently in use and/or described in the literature for all three major elements of the long-wall system, namely, Winning, Roof Support and Haulage. The charted profiles make it self-evident where attention and design effort is needed to remove human operators from the face of the mine.

Jan 1, 1975

By H. L. Bibbs, H. D. Snedden

"INTRODUCTION The use of beryllium and its alloys has increased rapidly during the last decade. Further expansion of its use is limited; in part, by lack of adequately developed ore reserves. The principal commercial beryllium mineral is beryl, which is found chiefly in pegmatites and produced for market as a byproduct of the mica and feldspar industries. The coarse beryl is mined selectively, sobbed and sorted by hand, and then sold without further beneficiation. The known reserves of coarse beryl are small. No method has been available for concentrating small disseminated beryl crystals, so ores of this type have not been mined or have been left on waste dumps. Disseminated ore in low-grade unmined areas and waste dumps on developed properties is a potential source of beryl, provided a method is developed for its beneficiation.Published literature on the concentration of beryl is lacking in detail or deals chiefly with tests on artificial mixtures of pure minerals, and procedures as given were not applicable to the beryl ores tested at the Salt Lake Station. The testing procedures described in this report are independent developments. By employing these procedures, beryl was satisfactorily con¬centrated from several run-of-mine and dump ores, although these ores wore low in grade and part of the contained beryl was finely crystalline and disseminated.Beryl, quartz, and feldspar, when ground to flotation sizes, are so alike in color and general appearance that they cannot he distinguished by visual observation. The progress of the work depended on rapid determination of the grade of test products by means of the petrographic microscope. Small samples of concentrates and tailings were often cut after each addition of reagents, dried, and examined under the microscope."

May 1, 1947

The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) was established in the public interest to conclude inquiries and scientific and technologic investigations on mining and the preparation, treatment, and utilization of mineral substances; to promote health and safety in the mineral industries; to conserve material resources and prevent their waste; to further economic development; to increaseee efficiency in the mining, metallurgical, quarrying, and other mineral industries; and to inquire into the economic conditions affecting those industries. The organic act of the Bureau, as amended by Congress and approved February 25, 1913, made it the province and duty of the U.S. Bureau of Mines to "disseminate information concerning these subjects in such manner as will best carry out the purposes of this Act." In accordance with this directive, USBM reports the findings of its research and investigations in its own series of publications and also in articles that appear in scientific, technical, and trade journals; in proceedings of conventions and seminars; in reference books; and in other non-USBM publications. The number of these reports, the wide range of subjects they cover, and the variety of mediums in which they appear make this kind of list both necessary and valuable. This edition describes reports and articles published during calendar years 1992 and 1993. It supplements the 50-year list of Bureau publications from July 1, 1910, to January 1, 19602; and these 5-year lists of publications and articles: from January 1, 1965, to December 31, 1969\ from January 1, 1970, to December 31,19745, from January 1, 1975, to December 31, 19796, from January 1, 1980, to December 31,19847, and from January 1, 1985, to December 31, 19898?.

Jan 1, 2007

By M. R. Geer, H. F. Yancey

"INTRODUCTION Throughout the history of coal washing, the jig has been one of the most important coal-cleaning appliances. In 1935 34.7 percent of the 45,361,021 tons of clean coal produced was the product of jigging. 4/ Previous to 1928, most of the jigs used in the United States were of the piston type, with which sufficient mobility to allow stratification in bed is imparted by the reciprocating up-and-down movement of a piston in the water compartment adjacent to the screen compartment. In 1928, the Baum type of jig was introduces in this country and has since come into wide spread use. In this type, water pulsations are imparted by application and release of compressed air to the water compartment. All prior studies of the mechanism of seperating cleared coal from impurity by piston-type jigs. 5/ The same laws of settling, of course, apply to both types, piston or Baum, but the character of the separation with the Baum type may be modified more easily because of the flexibility with which air may be handled, as distinguished from the fixed action of eccentrics commonly used in piston jigs. Since no detailed studies are available to show the performance, that is, the character of the separation between coal and impurity, of the Baum type the Bureau of Mines undertook the investigation recorded in this report."

Jan 1, 1938

By R. Y. Williams

The investigative work described in this report was undertaken by the Bureau of Mines under a cooperative agreement with the department of mining engineering of the University of Illinois and the Illinois State Geological Survey." The purpose of this agreement was to provide for a comprehensive investigation of coal-mining conditions in the State, with especial reference to the possibility of lessening waste in the mining and preparation of coal and of reducing the dangers to which miners are exposed. The Bureau of Mines paid particular attention to those phases of the investigation that were of general interest from their bearing on safety and efficiency in the coal-mining industry as a whole. Thus, it studied the occurrence of gas (methane) in the mines of the southern part of the State," tested the inflammability of the coal dust from many mines, examined the efficiency of the control of ventilating currents, and investigated the factors affecting the humidity of mine air with respect to their bearing on the occurrence of mine explosions. Following the establishment of the fact that under certain conditions dry bituminous coal dust is inflammable, there arose the problem of finding efficient methods of preventing or limiting coal-dust explosions. Experiments in the gas-and-dust gallery at the Pittsburgh testing station of the Bureau of Mines verified the fact that certain dusts that explode violently when dry are rendered inert by proper humidi- .fication of the atmosphere within the gallery, and the importance of humidity as a factor in limiting the inflammability of coal dust in a mine is demonstrated by the fact that there has never been in Illinois a dust explosion during the summer months, whereas the records show a number of dust explosions during cold weather. It is easy to see that the warm moisture-laden air that enters a mine in the summer must deposit moisture on cooling, whereas the cold and relatively dry air that enters in winter must take up moisture as it becomes heated in traveling through the mine.

Jan 1, 1914

By O. M. Schaus

This paper is one of a series, prepared by the Bureau of Mines and deals with the Montreal mine, one of only two active properties in Wisconsin on the Penokee-Gogebic range. The purpose of this paper is to describe the conditions of occurrence of iron ore in a particular property and to present sufficient details of equipment and production methods to convey to the unacquainted operator a correct idea of the mining practice.

Jan 1, 1930

By E. D. Gardner

The American petroleum industry is supplying the present domestic demand for liquid fuels. Known reserves of petroleum in the ground, however, are limited, and the .cost per barrel of finding new oil pools is increasing. Any deficiencies of domestic production in the near future doubtlessly could be made up by imports: Dependence upon foreign oil for part of our industrial requirements is not necessarily cause for alarm, but in time of war an adequate, dependable, domestic source of liquid fuels is vital to the defense of the country. As a national defense measure, and to insure a future continuous oil supply for our economic machine, it would appear logical to take steps now to develop methods for producing petroleum substitutes within our own borders. This undoubtedly was in the mind of Congress when it passed the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act (58 stat.190; 30 U. S. C. Sup. Secs. 321-325), Approved April 5, 1944.The title' of the Law reads: An Act authorizing the construction and operation of demonstration plants to produce synthetic liquid fuels from coal, oil shales, agricultural and forestry products, and other substances, in order to aid the prosecution of the war, to conserve and increase the oil resources of the Nation, and for other purposes. Congress authorized $30,000,000 for a 5-year program and directed the Bureau of Mines to carry it out. The part of the program pertaining to oil shale is being conducted on Naval Oil-Shale Reserves Nos. 1 and 3 (fig. 1) at Anvil Points, near Rifle, Colo.

Jan 1, 1948

By Richard G. Stearns

Extensive thick lignite apparently lies within 250 feet of the land surface in Dyer, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion and Tipton counties. Information on geology, land use, soils, groundwater and instability is compiled, along with a bibliography. A test and monitoring site was investigated at Fort Pillow Prison in Lauderdale County. Analyses were made of lignite, overburden, associated water and leachate. Lignite has high BTU (about 7800) and low sulfur (1.1% avg.). A year or more of data are presented on rainfall, water levels, and chemistry of surface water, groundwater, leachate and water from test pits. Main potential environmental problems are quality of surface water, and possibly shallow groundwater. The main aquifer of the region will likely be un-affected by mining. Low transmissibility of shallow aquifers will minimize lowering water levels of wells. Soil reclamation and conservation should be readily accomplished, Dangerous earthquakes have a low probability and mines are not significantly more hazardous than steep bluffs.

Jan 1, 1981

By Terrence J. Stobbe

The authors investigated the nature, cause and treatment of 234 back injuries which occurred in 156 different situations in underground coal mines. A detailed interview was conducted with each injured miner as 137 variables were explored to provide a complete picture of the injury scenario. The miners worked at 23 mines in six states. An important finding of the study was that sudden movement, which occurred in 527 of the injuries, is a more frequent factor than heavy lifting in causing hack injuries. Along with sudden movement, other major injury causing factors were equipment seat design, lifting, cable handling, and slips/trips. No significant differences were found between the injury scenarios associated with lost time and non-lost time injuries; thus, both sets of scenarios should he used in doe loping back injury control strategies. Medical treatment and rehabilitation varied in content and quality. Dialogue between the medical, rehabilitation and mining communities is needed to develop an effective treatment strategy. Back injury control related training was found to be inadequate in most mines. Mine specific training for physical stress recognition and potential sudden torte release should he added to the training currently given. Based on the information collected in this study, recommendations were made regarding equipment design, mechanical assists and procedures for material handling, training, etc., which, if implemented, will assist in reducing the frequency of back injuries in underground coal mining.

Jan 1, 1989

By R. A. Hatch

This report summarizes the results of nearly 8 years research on and production of synthetic mica at the Electrotechnical Experiment Station of the Federal Bureau of Mines, Norris, Tenn. This program was undertaken at the request of the United States Department of the Navy and was financed mostly by the Army Signal Corps and the Navy Bureau of Ships through a contract with the Office of Naval Research, The original objectives included fundamental studies of fluor-phlogupite and other fluorine-micas and production of synthetic mica sheets on a pilot-plant scale. The first 3 years of this project were devoted mainly to a search for practical solutions of the many problems involved in designing and constructing a pilot plant for crystallizing fluor-phlogopite mica. The first and most urgent need was a suitable container for the corrosive mica melt. After extensive study, it was concluded that platinum, graphite, high-silica fire clay, and silicon carbide were the most promising refractories for crucibles; but none was perfect. Silicon car¬bide seemed to have the better combination of qualities, combining good corrosion resistance with oxidation resistance.

Jan 1, 1957

By John A. Kost

Previous work performed under Contract H0220003 suggested that the mean incombustible content could be obtained with fewer samples and smaller samples without greatly increasing the sampling error. Under Modification No. 4 additional surveys were made in twelve coal mines, representing six states. Same 2,500 samples were collected, analyzed for incombustible content, and statistically evaluated. The earlier findings were substantiated.

Jan 1, 1975

Research 86 highlights significant studies conducted during the past fiscal year at Bureau facilities and offices. Readers who want more information about the projects and studies summarized here can contact the researchers whose names and locations appear with each summary. General information on Bureau of Mines programs is available from the Office of Technical Information 2401 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 20241. A listing of principal officials, a location map of field facilities, and a selected bibliography of publications and patents issued on Bureau developments during the past 3 years are provided.

Jan 1, 1986

By S. S. Venkata

This volume describes a comprehensive program of research into the reliability of mine electrical power system components and the resultant reliability of the total system. The research effort encompassed analytical models, laboratory testing and field testing. The analytical work included definition of terms, fail rate functions and distributions, failure rate estimation and techniques and procedures for theoretical reliability assessment. One of the primary mine power system components addressed in the study was the ac molded case circuit breaker. This device is known to have low reliability and hence an unfavorable impact on mine safety and productivity. Ac molded case circuit breaker reliability was studied by analytical means, laboratory testing and field monitoring. A similar three-pronged' effort was made to study the reliability of undervoltage relays/releases. Particular emphasis was placed on new solid state undervoltage relays. The reliability of bulk power components, such as trailing cab les, motors, control gear, and other equipment, was assessed by gathering maintenance records from active mines. These data were compared to similar records from other industries. The work was extended to include the reliability, availability, maintainability and safety of these components.

Jan 1, 1979

By R. S. Warfield

The Kasna Creek copper deposit near Lake Kontrashibuna in the Lake Clark region, Alaska, was the object of an investigative project by the Bureau of Mines during the fall of 1948. Recessed because of inclement weather, it was completed in 1949. This project was a part of the Bureau of Mines program in Alaska for the development of critical and strategic minerals. The ore bodies are contact-replacement deposits in limestone. Mineralization is mainly specular and micaceous hematite associated with chalcopyrite, calcite, chlorite, quartz, and amphibole. The deposit, on the right limit of Kasna Creek approximately 2 miles from the shore of Lake Kontrashibuna, is composed of two mineralized zones that range in altitude from 2,350 to 2,650 feet. This report contains a brief history of the prospect, description of the physical setting of the property, its geology, and the factual results of the Work performed by the Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1951

By Charles B. Carpenter

In general terminology, the West Texas Permian Basin companies the area south of the Texas Panhandle and west of the Bend Arch or Central Basin region. It is outlined more definitely by geologists however, as that area underlain by the south half of the Permian Salt Basin4/ and includes Scurry, Mitchell, Sterling, Howard, Glasscock, Reagan, Crockett, Upton, Midland, Martin, Gaines, Andrews, rotor, Crane, Pecos, Ward, Winkler, and Loving Counties in Texas, and.. Lea and Eddy Counties in New Mexico. The oil fields of the area, of which more than 70 have been discovered, are shown in fire 1. Approximately 4,200 producing oil wells have been drilled in these fields. Oil has been produced from limestones and dolomites of Permian age in most of the fields in the West Texas Permian Basin. Some of the fields produced oil from sandstone beds above the limestone, and in two fields production has been found below the limestone in formations of Ordovician age.

Jan 1, 1936

By Charles B. Carpenter

In general terminology, the West Texas Permian Basin comprises the area south of the Texas Panhandle and west of the Bend Arch or Central Basin region. It is outlined mere definitely by geologists, however, as that area underlain by the south half of the Permian Salt Basin4/ and includes Scurry, Mitchell, Sterling, Howard, Glasscock, Reagan, Crockett, Upton, Midland, Martin, Gaines, Andrews, Ector, Crane, Pecos, Ward, Winkler, and Loving Counties in Texas, and Lea and Eddy Counties in New Mexico. The oil fields of the area, of which more than 70 have been discovered, are shown in fire 1. Approximately 4,200 producing oil wells have been drilled in these fields. Oil has been produced from limestones and dolomites of Permian age in most of the fields in the West Texas Permian Basin. Some of the fields produced oil from sandstone beds above the limestone, and in two fields production has been found below the limestone in formations of Ordovician age.

Jan 1, 1936

By Frederick H. Raab

The electromagnetic retransmission system is a new, automated method of locating trapped mine workers. This technique overcomes many 1 imitations inherent in electromagnetic direction finding by reducing the effects of the conducting ground to an acceptable maximum, by finding position accurately in the presence of antenna tilt, and by eliminating the need for the receiver to be located directly above the subsurface transmitter. Three transportable three-axis magnetic-dipole transmitters on the surface create a system of electronic grids in which the phases of the downlink Signals convey position information. The subsurface retransmitter modulates the uplink carrier of the existing beacon transmitter with the received downlink signal; the coal-pillar loop antenna is used for both receiving and transmitting. The uplink receiver uses a three-axis antenna and extensive digital signal processing. A small computer integrates data, estimates position, and controls system operation through VHF-FM communications. Both coal-mine and deep-mine operation are possible by selecting appropriate transmitting power and signal frequencies. This report shows such systems to be both feasible and practical.

Jan 1, 1980

[Module 10. Internally Cued Operating Contingencies Prerequisite: Modules 1-7 - Estimated Instructional Time: 2.42 hrs. Module Abstract Trainees, using programmed instruction, describe the cues, consequences, operational sequences, and possible causes resulting from loss of air pressure from power fluctuations, and from a failure of the automatic lubrication system. Although some of the contingencies may be initially signaled by an alarm or from the oiler, each trainee will demonstrate proficiency in the appropriate operating techniques and procedures. This module also includes a review component for those trainees identified in the assessment exam as requiring less detailed instruction.]

Jan 1, 1976

By John D. Foulkes

An investigation is made into whether commercially available equipment can be used to engineer effective emergency warning systems for underground coal mines. Discussions with members of the Bureau and the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration established that the preferred system should operate over the existing Pager Phone twisted pair, and broadcast an audio alarm. Applicable equipments such as voice band tone signaling equipment, alarm sounding equipment, mine telephones and complete alarm systems from over thirty manufacturers are listed. Factors affecting the range over which an alarm could be detected in representative mine situations were studied. These included (a) the subjective masking effects of typical background noise found in mines, such as that due to continuous miners (b) the attenuation of sound in mines (using both a theoretical and experimental results) and (c) the attention-getting qualities of different sound for miners. Audio alarm systems meeting the requirements can be installed and representative systems are described.

Jan 1, 1977