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By C. E. Julihn, Lowell B. Moon

"INTRODUCTION To increase the supply of ore needed to produce steel the Bureau of Mines has explored 187 mineral deposits containing chromium, iron, manganese, cobalt, nickel, fluorspar, tungsten, vanadium, or coal during the fiscal years. 1940-44, the deposits thus explored were selected from several thousand that were first examined to appraise their possibilities. The objective of the exploration was to determine the tonnage and grade of ores upon which mining, operations might be based, and the metallurgical processing that was most suitable for their utilization.Most of these deposits were sub-marginal by pre-war standards; hence there had been no incentive for their exploration, yet many such deposits were known to exist that probably contained ore sufficient in grade and amount to be utilized as war reserves.Some of the Bureau's exploration projects have disclosed substantial or even very large amounts of ore, much of which is fairly high in grade. In a few of them bodies of high-grade ore have been found, though in others the tonnage has proved to be too small or too low-grade for utilization."

Mar 1, 1945

By Chris Jobes, Alan Mayton, N. Kumar Kittusamy, Dean Ambrose

NIOSH researchers conducted a study to compare seat designs on underground coal mine haulage vehicles. The objective of the study was to support prior findings that NIOSH-designed seats, which incorporated ergonomic design features (e.g., viscoelastic foam padding and low-back support), are improved designs. Based on measured levels of vehicle jarring/jolting and perceived discomfort, researchers evaluated four different designs - two in-use and two NIOSH-developed, ergonomic designs. Researchers collected data using a short questionnaire, a linear, visual analog scale, and accelerometers with a data recorder. Results showed that vehicle operators favored the NIOSH seats with added adjustability, low-back support, and improved seat padding over the existing seats. In addition, the measurements indicated all NIOSH seats performed better than the existing seat, under the no-load (worse of two) conditions, in reducing peak acceleration, crest factor, and RMS acceleration. The authors summarize the data collected and operator preferences for seat designs and different foam padding arrangements.

By A. C. Fieldner

Much activity is called for in the present period of hightened national effort, and wise direction of such a program must always be conditioned by positive knowledge gained in years of slow and painstaking study and development. Research and technologic investigations on coal by the Bureau of Mines have been described in a series of annual

Jan 1, 1941

By David R. Wilburn

The U.S. Bureau of Mines investigated the resources, costs, capacities, market relationships, and short-and long-term supply of bauxite, alumina, and aluminum. The 45 evaluated mines and deposits in 14 market economy countries (MEC's) have a demonstrated resource of 8.4 billion mt of bauxite and an aluminum content of approximately 2.1 billion mt. Developed world bauxite resources and existing primary aluminum smelting and refining capacity are sufficient to satisfy demand through at least 1995, when additional properties (with higher cost levels) would need to be developed to satisfy future demand levels. It is anticipated that new alumina or aluminum production most likely would occur in developing regions with large bauxite potential, low-cost energy sources, and a close proximity to refining and/or smelting capacity. An increase in aluminum recycling capacity would help meet future demand increases. A series of network model supply analyses was performed for the period 1988 through 2000. Based on announced future production levels and assuming demand grows at the level outlined in the analyses, model results indicate there is sufficient material available to meet demand until 1998, where-upon an aluminum shortfall is projected. Additional analyses investigated the effect of a reduced growth rate of demand and regional production variations in Venezuela on the international aluminum industry.

Jan 1, 1993

By D. Harrington

Hatch (260) made the following pertinent statement regarding the present status of engineering design of dust-control equipment: Textbooks on ventilation and engineering handbooks devote little or no space to methods of control of industrial dust, and in the technical journals papers on fundamental engineering design of equipment are conspicuous by their absence. In a recent bibliography of the literature on pneumoconiosis less than 1 percent of the articles dealt with the engineering control of the disease. The science of dust control has not developed beyond the stage of trial and error, and the design of structures for the suppression of dust is based almost entirely upon empirical data together with one or two elementary formulas. The latter were derived from the generalized experience in a limited number of Industries such as woodworking, where conditions and requirements are not at all like those, for example, in a sand-pulverizing plant. Wide experience and good judgment are essential to the proper use of the scanty information that has been collected and systematized. Without attempting to minimize the importance of experience in engineering design, it is necessary to point out that most of the past experience obtained in the empirical design of dust-control equipment was not evaluated by means of quantitative studies of the actual reduction in dust , fence, past experience does not necessarily furnish the proper guide for future design. In fact, recent surveys in certain industries, employing modern methods of investigation, have shown that existing equipment is in many cases inadequate.

Jan 1, 1935

By Robert A. Jankowski, J. Drew Potts

In this U.S. Bureau of Mines study, four underground respirable dust surveys were conducted to determine factors affecting belt entry dust levels and how using belt air to ventilate work areas affected dust exposures. Belt entry dust levels on the surveyed longwall and continuous miner sections averaged 0.59 and 0.26 mg/m3, respectively. The stageloader-crusher contributed an additional 0.5 to 0.9 mg/m3 of dust to belt air, while the feeder-breaker contributed 0 to 0.2 mg/m3 of dust. A 1,000-ft increase in belt entry length or a 200- to 500-st-per-shift increase in production resulted in roughly a 0.1-mg/m3 increase in dust. Using the belt entry as an intake entry on the continuous miner section appeared to reduce dust levels by 0.1 to 0.3 mg/m3 during cutting. Belt air was not used to ventilate the face on the longwall section.

Jan 1, 1992

By A. M. Cummings

Each mining district presents different problems as to the methods of ore extraction cad underground support, which are dependent upon the type of the ore deposit and the character of the inclosing rock. Mining costs, however, depend largely aeon the efficiency with which the methods employed underground are [applie] as well as upon the selection of the method best adapted to the physical conditions. The purpose of this paper is to present to the operator in other districts a detailed description of ho mining method used ins results obtained in tie exploitation of the bedded magnetite deposits of the Mineville district. The town of Mineville is situated in the Adirondacks, five miles west of Port Henry on Lake Champlain.

Jan 1, 1928

By John F. Wiss

A series of controlled experiments was conducted at four surface coal mines to study the effects of certain blast parameters upon the ground and air vibration. Preliminary scale-model blasts were conducted at a quarry to provide basic data. It was found that the amplitudes of the ground and air vibration were controlled by the maximum explosive weight per delay. Either cube root or square root scaling could be used for the seismic amplitudes, and cube root scaling could be used for the overpressure amplitudes. Both amplitudes were not significantly affected by the total charge weight per blast, the attitude of the boreholes, or the charge length or diameter. The overpressure amplitudes were affected by the charge depth, the use of cover over surface detonating cord, and the use of adequate stemming. The length of the delay intervals and the spacing of holes were important in determining' the potential fur reinforcement of the amplitudes in certain directions from the blasts. In downwind directions from the blast, the attenuation of the overpressure with distance decreases. Surface terrain did not significantly affect the overpressure amplitudes within the range investigated. The type of overburden affects the generation of both amplitudes and the propagation of the seismic amplitudes. Spectral analysis of the ground and air vibration is reported. A bibliography of pertinent literature is included as an appendix. A scaled distance of 300 ft/lb1/3 should produce a peak particle velocity of less than 1 ips and an overpressure of less than 128 dB linear peak. For square root scaling, a scaled distance of 75 ft/lbl/2 should limit the ground vibration to less than 1 ips.

Jan 1, 1978

By F. E. Brantley

Research was undertaken by the Bureau of Mines to assess the technical feasibility of smelting cement-copper precipitate in an electric furnace to produce commercial-grade copper. The blister-grade copper produced in smelting was refined by gaseous oxidation and reduction methods to rive a product equal in quality to fire-refined copper. The cement copper used in the study was typical of the material produced in commercial operations. The sample product was received in a partially oxidized state and analyzed 77.5 percent Cu, 3.4 percent Fe, 0.8 percent Pb, 0.05 percent Ni, 0.6 percent Sn, and 0.9 percent S. Smelting tests were made on the precipitate using laboratory-size induction and electric-arc furnaces. Three types of furnace linings were tested during, the investigation: Carbon, including graphite; clay-graphite; and silicon carbide. Although all proved satisfactory, either carbon or graphite was preferred because of their superior refractory properties and low permeability to molten copper. Copper recoveries in the induction and arc smelting tests averaged 92 percent in commercial-grade metal assaying 99.8 percent copper. Refining the molten copper by oxidation and gaseous reduction or by chlorine lancing increased the purity to plus 99.9 percent.

Jan 1, 1961

By G. H. Keith

Electrowon tungsten powders were investigated with respect to consolidation, fabrication, and mechanical properties. Sheet, 0.03 inch thick, was produced and its tensile strength measured between 250° and 1,935° C. The large particle size of electrowon tungsten effectively precluded sintering to a density sufficient to allow hot working to sheet or bar. The powders were consolidated by die pressing to 70-percent density, sheathing in molybdenum, and high-energy-rate extruding to either round or sheet bar of 100-percent density. The material was then rolled conventionally to sheet. The mechanical properties of the sheet prepared from the electrowon powders compared favorably with those reported in the literature for sheet prepared from commercially produced hydrogen-reduced powder.

Jan 1, 1970

By Philip C. Tully

This bibliography contains 3,062 different citations to technical and scientific literature about helium and alpha-particles abstracted by 13 abstract service publications during 1963. Multiple subject classification has increased the total number of entries to almost 5,000. Helium citations are listed by 23 major classifications. The number of subclassifications has been greatly increased to minimize the time required for literature search. The use of automatic data processing has been extended in compiling the bibliography.

Jan 1, 1970

By D. J. Parker

On Thursday, March 18, 1937, the country was shocked by news of a terrific explosion at the New London, Tex., school, which caused the death of 280 pupils avid 14 teachers. The explosion occurred at about 3:05 p.m. in the largest of the 11 school buildings on the campus. Fire 1 shows this building, marked "Main high school building", with respect to other buildings, pipe lines, oil wells, and gas lines or the property.

Jan 1, 1937

By W. T. Wertman

LABORATORY research has been started at the Bureau of Mines Morgantown Petroleum Research Laboratory, Morgantown, Va., to investigate the possibilities thermal-recovery methods for producing crude oils of high API gravity found in oil reservoirs of the eastern United States. This bibliography on thermal methods of oil recovery was compiled as a part of the work. Crude oil discoveries to December 31, 1958, in the United States were estimated to exceed 270 billion barrels. Cumulative production of crude oil through 19.55 was about 60 billion barrels, and the American Petroleum Institute estimates that an additional 30.5 billion barrels are economically recoverable by present methods. On this basis, about two-thirds of the oil that has already been found can be classified as economically unrecoverable for lack of a satisfactory method. The rap icily rising costs of proving new deposit; of domestic petroleum, the lack of new discoveries of large oilfields in the united States, and I he growing demand for crude oil have caused an acceleration of research to develop new or improved methods fur producing "unrecoverable" oil in known reservoirs.

Jan 1, 1960

By Doris M. Hyde

In the past, mining has represented between 11% and 12% of the gross domestic product (GDP). In 1982, mining contributed over $150 million to the estimated $1.4 billion GDP.2 Overall economic growth for 1983 was projected at about 2%, primarily as a result of increased tourism. The inflation rate remained at or fell below the 1982 level of almost 4%. The Government continued its efforts to strengthen the industrial base by improving infrastructural systems and the establishment of a free trade zone. Laws against property ownership by foreigners or foreign-owned companies were strengthened, but the prohibition was softened to allow for close family inheritance. Otherwise, Government approval must be obtained to retain property acquired through inheritance, court order, mortgage, or other means. Special consideration was granted to foreign investors seeking to promote industries beneficial to the economy.

Jan 1, 1985

By C. W. Whitten

Iron ore deposits in south-central Missouri have emerged as a possible resource for the rare-earth elements. The Pea Ridge Iron Mine is one such deposit. Rare-earth minerals at the Pea Ridge Iron Mine are contained in breccia pipes consisting primarily of silicon oxides and feldspars. These pipes extend up through the magnetite ore body and appear to be alterations and replacement of earlier hematite. The mineralogy of these pipes is very complex and varied, which could complicate the concentration and extraction of the rare-earth minerals. This U.S. Bureau of Mines !eport represents a study by characterization of the mineral phases to assess the amenability and development of concentration and extraction techniques. Previous characterization of rare-earth minerals has been mainly by transmitted light microscopy. This method along with reflected light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction was used to identify and characterize the rare-earth and associated minerals. The minerals identified were the major ore minerals, magnetite and hematite; the rare-earth phosphates, monazite and xenotime; the rare-earth silicate, allanite; the minor associated minerals, cassiterite, pyrite, and apatite; and the gangue minerals, feldspar, quartz, and actinolite.

Jan 1, 1990

By D. K. Ingram, P. Jurovcik

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) identified hearing loss as the most common job-related disease in the United States in its 1996 National Occupational Research Agenda. Previous studies by NIOSH have shown that operators of surface drill rigs without cabs are commonly exposed to A-weighted sound levels exceeding 90 dB. During hammer-drilling, A-weighted sound levels exceeding 100 dB were recorded at the operator station. NIOSH collaborated with a local drilling company to design and install a partial cab between the operator and the drill steel in an effort to reduce the sound level at the operator station. Sound level measurements in the field show the partial cab reduces the A-weighted sound level by 5 to 9 dB at the operator’s left ear and 2 to 5 dB at the operator’s right ear while hammer-drilling. This paper briefly discusses the preliminary design of a cab and the testing of materials for construction of the prototype. An explanation of the ideas behind the prototype design and fabrication are covered. Finally, the field test method and results are discussed in detail.1

By James N. Bayne

An examination and analysis of Landsat digital data in the monitoring of surface mines in selected counties of South Carolina.

Jan 1, 1979

By A. J. Miscoe, W. M. McKewan, J. R. Bartels

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has established a wire rope research laboratory to examine the factors that affect the life of wire rope. Two 2 in-diameter 6x25 fiber core (FC) ropes were degraded on a bending fatigue machine. These were the second and third ropes in a series of tests on this construction and size rope. Tensile and nondestructive tests were performed on samples of the rope Lo determine the relationship between rope deterioration and rope breaking strength. The tests indicated that once a wire rope nears the end of its service life, both deterioration and the consequent loss of rope strength begin to increase at an accelerated rate.

Jan 1, 1992

By Terry L. Muldoon

This report describes development and demonstration of an upgraded stench fire warning system for underground wines. Current systems, which have been used since before 1920, release an ethyl mercaptan mixture into the mines' compressed and/or ventilation air during emergencies. Miners, when smelling ethyl mercaptan, evacuate the mine according to predetermined plans. These systems, while simple, have problems with safety and reliability. The upgraded system overcomes these problems. The system uses a different stench agent, is less toxic, less nauseating, and less corrosive than ethyl mercaptan. These combined with the feature of thiophane not reacting with iron oxides, makes the upgraded system safer and more reliable. The system also uses a combination of two simple principles: a standpipe with pressure balancing to provide a constant head, and a sized orifice to control the rate of release of the stench agent. This system enables the mine to release the agent for a longer period which provides better coverage and to ensure that miners will not be exposed to potentially toxic concentrations of the stench agent. The system is easy to operate, requiring only the turning of two 1/4-turn ball valves. The upgraded system has been successfully tested during two evacuation drills at an underground uranium mine. Using three injectors (one on the compressed air line and one on each of two intake air shafts), the system exhibited significant improvements in warning times over the mine's existing system. This report provides a detailed description of the system design and its demonstrated performance in two mine demonstrations.

Jan 1, 1981

By Clyde L. Holmberg, Paul Zinner

"INTRODUCTION In view of the large tonnage of low-grade iron ore and iron-bearing material known to exist at the western limits of the Gogebic range, the Bureau of Mines undertook an investigation of the area for the purpose of evaluating the iron-bearing formations as sources of iron for possible future utilization.After 6o years of exploration an, development on the Gogebic range, the area investigated by the Bureau represents the known western limit of direct-shipping ore mined from operations on the Gogebic range.An area about 2 miles in length between the villages of Pence and Iron Bolt in Iron County, Vic., was selected for investigation, and trenches wore excavated through the overburden and fully across the iron-bearing formation to obtain 108 bulk samples for beneficiation tests. Exhaustive tests involving gravity and flotation methods, magnetic separation, and magnetizing roasts followed by magnetic separation were conducted on the samples to determine the ammability of the individual formations and the entire iron-bearing zone to beneficiation.Empirical data on the character and mineral content of the formations arc tabulated herein, as well as the results of the beneficiation tests."

Dec 1, 1947