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By R. V. Ramani

In this report, the application and limitation of the various equipment available for surface coal mining are discussed. The correction factors for adjusting equipment performance arising from machine design, material characteristics, and modes of operation are presented. Engineering design, pit layout and equipment selection are discussed with mathematical derivations. Two computer programs (SMCALC and SMRES) have been written to aid in pit design and equipment selection. The Strip Mine Calculation Program (SMCALC) can be used to select the bucket size and reach of shovels and draglines for various pit widths. It will also calculate the number of drills, loading shovels, trucks and bulldozers needed to achieve a production target. The Surface Mine Reclamation Equipment Selector (SMRES) can be used to select the number of bulldozers, scrapers and front-end loaders needed to achieve the desired production.

Jan 1, 1976

This report is a proceedings of a briefing recently sponsored by the Bureau of Mines at which Bureau personnel presented findings from their research efforts to improve steelmaking techology currently used in the United States. The papers contained in this report address many areas of concern to the iron and steelmaking industry. Among these are improving arc stability in electric arc furnaces, preheating ferrous scrap to reduce energy consumption, fluorspar substitutes in steel-making, basic steelmaking refractories, corrosion of iron-based materials, improvements in stainless steel acid pickling processes, recycling of stainless steel dusts and other wastes, and use of wastes as a source of zinc for electro/galvanizing.

Jan 1, 1988

By Will H. Coghill, I. L. Feld, G. D. Coe

"INTRODUCTION During the course of research on the beneficiation of the Big Seam iron ores of Birmingham, Ala., an urgent need was felt for quick iron assays of grab samples for mill control. Since the gangue minerals in these ores - quartz, limestone, and clay - all have about the same specific gravity, the use of a specific-gravity method was anticipated as a means of measuring the iron content. The idea of estimating the composition of a mineral mixture by measuring its specific gravity is by no means new. However, the usual method of carry in out this idea proved unreliable when applied to the Big Seam ores. The usual rapid method of determining specific gravity consists of measuring the volume of a known weight of sample that has been dried at high temperature. The inadequacy of this method led to the development of the rapid, modified, specific-gravity determination described in this paper.This work- was an incidental development resulting from research on beneficiation of iron ores by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the University of Alabama and ore producing companies of the Birmingham district."

Jan 1, 1946

By Lulie H. Crump

Salient historical data on consumption of fuels and energy have been summarized by State and census district for the years 1960 through 1972. This Information Circular covers States west of the Mississippi, and Information Circular 8704 covers States east of the Mississippi. These data replace previously published compilations of energy consumption statistics by States and districts. Future annual studies are planned using the same Btu conversion factors applied in these two Information Circulars.

Jan 1, 1976

By Katherine A. Klein

Refuge chambers may potentially save the lives of miners during a mine emergency. For this reason, it is crucial that miners know how to operate them. Unfortunately, because refuge chambers provide so many services, they can be very complicated and difficult to operate. Therefore, NIOSH has created this document with suggestions for developing manuals and educational materials. A multidisciplinary team comprised of NIOSH engineers, sociologists, psychologists, health communication professionals, and geologists developed the recommendations contained in this document. These recommendations are based on an evaluation of manufacturers? instruction manuals from both the U.S. and globally, interviews with over 20 mining and safety experts, and an extensive literature review. This research, focused on the best practices for refuge chambers, led to the formulation of this document. It is intended to offer suggestions to manufacturers and mine operators on how to create effective and easy-to-understand training manuals for miners as well as tips to create the most comfortable and usable refuge chambers. It should be noted that these recommendations are not meant to substitute for manufacturer-supplied materials but rather to be used in conjunction with manufacturer?s materials. Manufacturers should always be consulted for up-to-date information about their chamber. Although different states and different mines refer to underground refuges by different names, this guide will simply refer to underground refuges nearest to the face as refuge chambers, whether inflatable from a skid or constructed from steel. Other popular terms for refuge chambers are rescue chambers, rescue shelters, and refuge shelters. Refuges that are nearer to the shaft, whether a prefabricated refuge chamber or one built into a crosscut, will be referred to as outby refuges because of their location in the mine. Outby refuges can be permanent, semipermanent, or portable and are usually located at every other SCSR cache. Outby refuges are sometimes called hardened rooms, outby shelters, and in-place shelters. When discussing outby refuges and refuge chambers collectively, this guide will refer to them as underground refuges. Other terms for underground refuges include refuge alternatives, locations of safety, and safe havens. This document is designed to be read either cover to cover or by specific section. It is recommended that on first read, this guide be read cover to cover. In subsequent readings, manufacturers and mine operators may find it easier to use the table of contents page to locate specific information on parts of the refuge chamber.

Jan 1, 2009

By R. R. Faddick

A mineral slurry data hank has been compiled, containing slurry pipelining data on sixteen ores, concentrates, and tailings. The data bank it in the form of a computer print-out all they necessary system constants and headloss data for each mineral commodity. The purpose of the data bank was to assist in the development of a universal head loss correlation for mineral slurries, if such a thing exists. Present headloss correlations were tested and found to be inconsistent for the various mineral slurries. Consequently, a different approach was taken, that of compiling a library or Stanton diagrams relating friction factor and Reynolds numbers for a given slurry in a given pipe diameter. The advantages of the diagrams arc demonstrated and discussed. While this correlation shows excellent potential, it is necessary that additional work, both theoretical and experimental, be performed. In addition, two equations are given from which a design velocity may be obtained to minimize deposition or formation of bedload. The equations are based on data taken from the mineral slurry data bank.

Jan 1, 1972

By James J. Jessop, Richard E. Thill, Michael J. Friedel

As part of an investigation aimed at improving the health and safety and competitiveness of the mining industry, the U.S. Bureau of Mines evaluated the application of common offset radar profiling, using a 250-MHz ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system, for the detection of fractures in igneous rock. A series of radar reflection surveys were conducted to detect and delineate the extent of fracturing at various granodiorite and gabbro quarries and outcrops located in Minnesota. The application of radar profiling for detecting joints, sheeting fractures, shear zones, and depth to water table was demonstrated to be feasible with minimal processing. Radar reflection interpretations were verified by visual inspection of the rock mass and field mapping of local structure. The radar reflection section provides a simple, rapid, and cost-effective means for mapping of shallow (less than 10 m) small-scale fractures (greater than 0.25 cm) in igneous rock masses (characteristic of velocities between 0.061 m/ns for gabbro and 0.125 m/ns for granodiorite). Depth or distance estimates to fractures are within 10 pct of the actual, and time-shift compensation is necessary only when topographic irregularities exceed 30 cm.

Jan 1, 1992

By S. E. Burton

The White Rock area of the Boiling Springs manganese-iron deposits comprises about 3,200 acres of land in Monroe Township, Cumberland County, Pa. (See fig. 1.) This property was brought to the: attention of the Bureau of Mines by Pennsylvania Geological Survey Bulletin 128, entitled "Manganese Ores of Pennsylvania" by R. M. Foose. It was examined by an engineer of the Bureau of Mines in August 1942 and was further investigated by the Bureau by churn drilling and underground development during the period December 1942 to February 1944. Beneficiation tests were made on samples of the ore. This report describes the work done during the investigation and presents the results obtained.

Jan 1, 1949

By L. F. Willmott

The Bureau of Nines at Morgantown, W. Va., has been investigating, on a pilot plant scale, various methods of gasifying bituminous coal with oxygen and superheated steam to produce synthesis gas, as part of the broader program of finding new uses for coal. Differences in the pressure gasification methods used have depended on differences in the manner in which the pulverized coal is fed to the gasifier. One of the methods of feeding the coal that was investigated was the continuous, integrated coal-water slurry system. Goal and water were first mixed to produce a slurry; then the slurry was pumped through a heated coil. to evaporate the water fraction; the resulting steam was superheated, and some of it was separated so as to adjust the ratio of the residual steam to the coal fraction and make the resulting mixture suitable for partial combustion with oxygen in a pressure gasifier. Both before and during this reported3 developmental work it was necessary to make an extensive literature search into the technology of aqueous slurries in order to establish design criteria for the pilot plant and to correlate results of various phases of the work with that of other investigators, The pilot work coincided with the commercial development of a long-distance pipe- line for the transportation of coal as a coal-water slurry, and this fact tended to broaden the scope of the pilot plant work and the extent of the literature search. This bibliography is the compilation of the material that was collected.

Jan 1, 1963

By J. H. Hedges

During the World War Leadville was an important producer of manganese and maganiferous ores for then steel industry. Normally, the market for these ores is limited to the requirements of the local steel mill at Pueblo for low-grade ores used in making, basic pig iron containing 1 to 2 percent Mr and spiegoloison containing 20 percent Mn, but during the war and a brief period of postwar readjustment, a good deal of 25- to 40-percent manganese ore qua shipped to in-stern steel-manufacturing centers. Throughout the active life of the camp, manganiferous iron ore carrying a little silver and lead and sometimes as such as 35 percent Mn was chipped to load smelters for flux. The total reordered production is 936,024 tons of metallurgical ore shinned to steel mills and 2,576,514 tons of fluxing ore, much of it of metallurgical grade.

Jan 1, 1940

By H. Tomlinson

Fatalities from falls of roof and coal are responsible for the death Of more than 1,000 miners annually in the bituminous coal mines of the United States, or practically one-half of the total fatalities In and about these mines. The men are killed by falls singly or in small groups and little or no publicity is given these accidents as they lack the spectacular features of gas and dust explosions. As a result, the public and even the miners have the impression that accidents from falls of roof and coal are just one of the unavoidable hazards of the coal-mining industry. This belief is not true. Accidents caused by falls can be avoided largely by the application of sound engineering principles, by education, and by proper leadership in the industry, just as gas and dust explosions and accidents caused by explosives have been reduced in recent years. The necessity for studying falls of roof and coal becomes apparent by referring to the following data from a table by Adams and Chenoweth:3

Jan 1, 1933

By H. Tomlinson

Fatalities from falls of roof and coal are responsible for the death of more than 1,000 miners annually in the bituminous coal mines of the United States, or practically one-half of the total fatalities in and about these mines. The men are killed by falls singly or in small groups and little or no publicity is given these accidents as they lack the spectacular features of gas and dust explosions. As a result, the public and even the miners have the impression that accidents from falls of roof and coal are just one of the unavoidable hazards of the coal-mining industry. This belief is not true. Accidents caused by falls can be avoided largely by the application of sound engineering principles, by education, and by proper leadership in the industry, just as gas and dust explosions and accidents caused by explosives have been reduced in recent years.

Jan 1, 1933

By F. Sillers, R. T. C. Rasmussen

"INTRODUCTION This is the third report of investigations by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with industry to establish the value of electrolytic manganese in the manufacture of ferrous and nonferrous alloys. The manganese was produced by the Bureau at its Boulder City pilot plant from domestic ores and by the process developed by it. 4/ The work was done under the direction of R.S. Dean, assistant director, Bureau of Mines, and R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, metallurgical branch. The first report dealt with the use of electrolytic manganese in the manufacture of stainless steels 5/ and the second with its use in acid electric or open-hearth low- and medium-carbon steel castings. 6/The present report treats of the use of electrolytic manganese in the manufacture of low—carbon rimmed and killed steels. A résumé of these three investigations and two others appeared in the magazine STEEL. 7/ Further reports will be published as tests are completed at some 70 industrial plants. All tests were made on full—scale heats or melts, and the resultant product was processed and used commercially."

Jul 1, 1945

By S. H. Lorain

"INTRODUCTION The veins of the Clark Fork district have been mined on a small scale since 1913. In May 1943, the district was examined by an engineer 3/ of the Bureau of Mines with a view to possible exploration for larger ore deposits that might be of value to the war effort. The area adjacent to the Hope, Whitedelf, and Lawrence mines was re-examined 4/ December 27, 1943. As a result, the Bureau of Mines started exploratory operations in the district during the summer of 1944 which was continued until the late spring of 1946. This report presents the data obtained from the investigation.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIn its program of exploration of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Mines has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy. It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratory project' as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts the preliminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurgical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests."

Aug 1, 1946

By Edmund S. Leaver, Charles E. Van Barneveld

In response to numerous requests from metallurgists and operators for information regarding the status of the sulphur dioxide leaching process , developed at the Southwest experiment station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines , Tucson , Ariz . , the following statement has been prepared . A more complete report is now in course of publication and will appear as Technical Paper 312. This process was devised to provide a cheap and efficient method for treating the so- called "porphyry " copper ores of the Southwest which generally contain both " sulphide " and "nonsulphide " copper minerals , mixed in such proportions that they can only be satisfactorily treated by a method which will concurrently recover both the sulphide copper and the nonsulphide copper . The latter term has been adopted to include all the minerals commonly referred to in operating phraseology in the mills of the Southwest as " oxidized" , " oxide " , or " soluble " copper . confident that the sulphide dioxide leaching process , as developed by us with the cooperation of the Miami Copper Co. and the Arizona Copper Co. , is suitable and commercially available for a wide range of ores .

May 1, 1922

By Anthony D. Szpak

The purpose of this program was to demonstrate the feasibility of Illuminating various types of underground coal mining machinery as required by the Federal Coal Mine Illumination Standards Part 75.1719 to 75.1719-4 Code of Federal Regulations Title 30. Nine various machines were illuminated and the illumination systems were evaluated for a 3 month period of operation. Factors evaluated were ease of implementation, reliability, ease of maintenance, acceptance by mine workers and operators, Illumination degradation and durability.

Jan 1, 1981

By Wilbur A. Haley

One of the purposes of the investigation was to determine and report on how coal augers are used to mine bituminous coal that is near outcrops and may not be mined otherwise by any other present-day method. Such increased overall recovery results in the conservation of coal resources. Other reasons for the investigation were to determine and report the production rates of such operations and the types of equipment used. Auger mining of coal as a means of coal recovery supplementary to strip mining has been introduced and developed since World War II. This type of coal mining has grown rapidly, and bituminous-coal production by auger mining has been estimated at 6,000,000 tons in 1955. Mines were selected for study to give reasonably representative information on auger mining in different types and thicknesses of coal beds in different geographic areas and on different types and sizes of equipment operated under various conditions. This report is based on field studies of 8 auger-miming operations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio and in 5 different coal beds. Operations were observed in active strip mines, in strip mines reopened for auger mining, and along benched coal-bed outcrops. At the time of this study, no augers were reported to be operating in underground mines. The diameters of holes drilled ranged from 26 to 52 inches, and the lengths of holes ranged up to 208 feet. At some operations auger holes often penetrated abandoned underground mine workings.

Jan 1, 1957

By J. W. Thompson

This work is a codification and annotation of the Congressional enactments relating to minerals, mineral lands, and mining. It covers every enactment of Congress from the original ordinance of 1785 to the present time, as well as all sections of the Revised Statutes of the United States relating to these subjects. These laws are grouped according to their general subject matter, and are arranged thereunder in numerical or chronological order. Many of the mining statutes include matter not pertinent to the subject, and only those parts of such acts are quoted as will properly show their relation to minerals and mineral lands and indicate how they should be construed. Some mining acts have been repealed or have become obsolete, and others have become incorporated substantially in sections of the Re- vised Statutes; but these are retained in order to show the changes made, and the constructions placed thereon by the courts are given as aids in construing the new or repealing acts. The annotations consist of legal propositions abstracted from the decisions of the various courts and executive officers of the Govern- ment that have interpreted the sections and statutes so codified. These legal propositions are arranged under the different sections and acts with appropriate headings, titles, and subtitles, in logical order, exhibiting the present status of each particular section or act and its application to the subject of mines and mineral lands. The annotations do not purport to be abstracts of decisions on the sub- stantive law of mines and mining generally, but are limited strictly to the interpretation placed on a given section or act definitely re- ferred to by a court or executive officer by the number of the section of the Revised Statutes or the volume and page of the Statutes at Large in which the Congressional enactment is found. It may be observed that the legal propositions stated are not always pertinent to the particular section or act under which they are classed and of which they purport to give a construction. The arrangement, however, is not an arbitrary one, but is so made for the reason that the courts or officers in the construction of a particular section or act definitely referred to by number or volume and page incorporated in the decision matter not strictly pertinent to the par- ticular section or act so designated. This statement applies especially to the interpretations placed on the sections of the Revised Statutes. The decisions abstracted for the purpose of this work are those of the United States Supreme Court, 234 volumes; the various Federal courts, 214 volumes; the decisions of the Department of the Interior

Jan 1, 1915

By J. J. Forbes

First - aid training is an essential part of safety programs in the mining industry , but it is only a means to an end ; first -aid training will not eliminate accidents , but unquestionably it is of considerable value in any accident prevention program . Numerous features should be incorporated in any efficient , well - developed safety plan ; in addition to first -aid training safety work , to be reasonably effective , should include the establishment and maintenance of a safety organization , safety competitions between mines or sections of mines , safety- inspection committees , accident - investigation committees , safety meetings of mine officials , safety bulletins and posters , employees ' safety publications , Holmes Safety Chapters (which provide for monthly safety meetings of all employees ) , and numerous other activities looking to safe operation of mine or plant . These features are supplementary to the fundamentals of safety-- adequate and effective supervision and discipline . Years of experience , however , have demonstrated that first - aid training is a good accident -prevention auxiliary and should be made an integral part of every company's safety program . Many safety-organization plans have failed because they have been based upon the assumption that the supervisory force should be given full authority and responsibility for achieving safety and eliminating accidents and that the workers , who are most vitally concerned , are nonessential . First -aid training causes the employees to feel that they have a personal and full participation in the safety program and is now available so readily that no individual or organization has any valid excuse for not having it . Early investigations made with a view to bettering health and safety conditions among the employees in the mineral industries demonstrated the need of prompt care of injured employees because , under the difficulties inherent in the occupation , seemingly unimportant wounds , when not treated promptly, became infected and caused permanent disability and even death . Many seriously injured persons , brought out of mines and plants by fellow workers who were ignorant of the approved methods of giving first aid or of safe means of transportation

Aug 1, 1934

By K. H. Johnston

This guide was written to furnish the coal industry with a description of techniques, instruments, and clues on how to find abandoned oil and gas wells that have penetrated coal seams. The report includes specific information on searching techniques currently in use by several coal mining companies, gas-transmission companies, and waterflood operators, as well as information on State agencies responsible for the enforcement of laws and the preservation and distribution of data pertaining to the drilling, development, and abandonment of oil and gas wells. Comparative tests were performed with several commercial electronic metal detectors to determine the feasibility of using them to aid in the search for abandoned wells and to determine the instrument most suited for that particular use. The role of methane detectors to locate abandoned wells is described, including a case history. Tests were made to develop an efficient procedure to follow in systematically searching an area for metallic clues or hydrocarbon evidence to abandoned wells. The guide describes, in detail, a search sequence, including the collection of basic data, preparation of the selected area, and the physical search. Methods are given for evaluating the results.

Jan 1, 1973