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By F. W. Wood

The method described may be used to delineate irregularities, inclusions, porosity, or shrink holes in ingots up to 43 inches in length. Rou¬tine testing does not require technical personnel, and the equipment is easily maintained. INTRODUCTION For a number of years, the Northwest Electrodevelopment Laboratory of the Bureau of Mines, Albany, Oreg., under contract with the Atomic Energy Commission and the Naval Reactors Division of the Bureau of Ships, has studied the production of zirconium and has adopted the Kroll magnesium-reduction process3/ as the, most economical means of producing high-purity zirconium sponge in quantities commensurate with demand. Consumable-electrode arc melting4/ provides a practical means of melting the sponge without increasing the impurity content. The ultimate application for which the metal is intended requires that strict specifications be met to insure workability and maintain the nuclear properties and corrosion resistance. The control measures employed to satisfy these specifications include chemical, spectrographic, and metallographic analyses, mechanical and corrosion tests, and ultrasonic inspection of the finished ingot. The primary purpose of ultrasonic inspection is to augment the other control measures by checking the soundness of each ingot leaving the laboratory. An incidental but important function has been the revelation of information leading to better understanding of the arc-melting process. For example, information obtained through ultrasonic inspection relative to the occurrence and distribution of porosity in ingots has resulted in a. modification of melting practices that minimizes the occurrence.

Jan 1, 1955

By S. R. B. Cooke, J. Bruce Clemmer, F. P. Diener

"The limestone deposit utilized by one of the plants of the Universal Atlas Cement Co. is covered in part by a stratum of cherty limestone. If this overlying deposit could be utilized by removing the excess of chert economically, quarry costs could be reduced and the amount of rock economically available would be increased greatly. On account of the distribution of flint and limestone, a product fairly free of flint can be obtained until the quarry face is about 50 or 55 feet high. As the face is worked farther back into the hill, the comparatively clean stone is overlain with a constantly increasing amount of high-flint limestone. If this flint remained with the limestone, there would be a prohititively high silica ratio in the finished cement; if the flinty layer were removed as overburden a very large tonnage would be handled and much good stone lost. Consequently it was felt that means should be devised for separating the flint from the limestone after it reaches the plant.The investigation was undertaken by the Mississippi Valley Experiment Station of the United States Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Universal Atlas Cement Co. and the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Rolla, Mo.CONSIDERATION OF PROCESSESMany schemes for the separation of Minerals are based on differences in the specific gravities of the minerals to be separated. In this case the flint has a specific gravity of approximately 2.62 while the limestone averages about 2.70. This differential is not large enough to permit separation by any method based on specific gravity. Furthermore, all the limestone particles in any given sample are not alike; usually about 10 percent of them have a specific gravity the same as, or lower than, the flint."

Mar 1, 1935

Tax for Toxic Waste Cleanup. - The Superfund Act of 1980 became effective April 1, and provides that producers of certain metals and chemical substances are to be taxed in order to fund toxic waste cleanup. Industry will provide 88% of the 5-year, $1.6 billion fund. The Environmental Protection Agency will administer the Act, but the Internal Revenue Service will be responsible for collection of the industry tax. Under the Act, nickel companies, for example, will be required to pay a tax of 0.225 cents per pound on pure nickel products produced or imported into the United States. Standard for Exposure to Lead. - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSPA) has announced a stricter standard on the test of a worker's exposure to lead. Effective May 15, in all lead intensive occupations with the exception of those at primary and secondary lead smelters, a worker would have to be removed from his work station if the level of lead in his blood tests out at 60 micrograms of lead per 100 grams of blood, instead of the previous standard of 70 micrograms. In the case of primary and secondary lead smelters, the ruling has been stayed until June 1, 1981, to allow time for further study.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. H. Sprute

Extensive Bureau of Mines laboratory testing has shown that electrokinetic densification can be an effective method for dewatering and consolidating unclassified metal mine mill tailings. The report describes results of a limited field test of this technique. Eighteen-cubic-yard concrete model stopes, 18 feet long by 6 feet deep by 56 inches wide, were filled with unclassified tailings slurry from a metal mine in the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, district. Five different tests were performed. They showed that a strong, dense, dewatered fill can be obtained in a reasonably short time using electrokinetics, with typical power consumption of 25 to 30 kW-hr/yd3 of densified fill. At present power costs in the Coeur d 'Alene district, this would amount to 10 to 12 cents/yd3.

Jan 1, 1975

By C. J. Thompson

Two sulfur compounds--the 2,2,5-trimethyl- and the 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl derivatives of thiacyclopentane--were identified in Wilmington, Calif., crude oil, using microdesulfurization and gas-liquid chromtography techniques.

Jan 1, 1963

By Samuel W. McNary

In August 1984 the U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted a study of the mineral resource development potential of the Badger Canyon-Antelope Creek area, within the Boulder-Pioneer wilderness study area, about 5 miles northeast of Ketchum, 10. The purpose of this study was to investigate in greater detail an area which was designated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Bureau as having a moderate mineral resource potential for zinc, molybdenum, lead, and silver, and a low potential for copper. One hundred twenty-eight soil samples were taken along a 6,2S0-ft traverse on the ridge separating Badger Canyon and Antelope Creek. 5 Five rock samples were collected from old prospect pits and mineralized outcrops. All samples were analyzed for gold. Silver, copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, arsenic, antimony, vanadium, and mercury. The metal concentrations in the soil samples along the traverse are irregularly distributed. Samples collected near old prospect pits tend to be high in lead and zinc, undoubtedly a reflection of underlying galena-and sphalerite-bearing quartz veins. All of the copper and mercury values in the soils are less than the detection limit, as are most of the lead, molybdenum, and antimony values. Except for lead and zinc values, the metal concentrations in the rock samples are low. Galena and sphalerite were observed in quartz vein samples collected at the old prospects. The results of the study indicate that the galena-sphalerite-bearing quartz veins and veinlets are too narrow, widely-spaced, and low in metal values to be economic. Low concentrations of metals in the soil and rock samples, combined with the lack of major mining activity in the past, indicate that the area has a low likelihood for economic development.

Jan 1, 1986

SCOPE AND APPLICATION The rules cover the installation and use of electrical equipment in coal mines.- For generating stations, substations, lines, and equip¬ment aboveground, reference is made to existing rules covering such locations, viz, the National Electrical Code and the National Electrical Safety Code and any existing State or municipal regulations. The purpose of the rules is to set forth methods for safe electrical installation. In preparing the rules five basic measures for safe¬guarding the use of electricity in mines have been followed, viz 1. Remove the contributory causes of accidents or danger. 2. Remove from the vicinity of electrical apparatus all elements susceptible to the influence of electricity. 3. Keep the electric current where it belongs, if possible; if not, limit the area of its activity by protective devices. 4. Use a. large factor of safety in the selection, installation, and in¬ spection of equipment. 5. Have full control of the operation of electrically driven machines. Each rule that is given is proposed as necessary or helpful to the accomplishment of one or more of these measures. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED Alive.-See definition of " live." Approved.-The term " approved " means accepted as suitable by a competent committee, board, or organization designated by those adopting the rules. Authorized person.-The term " authorized person " means a per¬son appointed or permitted by the official designated by the State mining laws as the one in charge of the operation of the mine to carry out certain duties incident to the generation, transformation, and distribution or use of electric energy in the mine, such person be-

Jan 1, 1926

By G. Nuñez, M. A. Pathak, C. F. Stanley

"Holographic interferometry is a non-destructive technique to detect small deformations1 of an object. It is a whole-field technique· with an accuracy of a few microns. An adaptation of holographic interferometry is time-averaged holographic interferometry which is particularly useful in detecting small vibration amplitudes of an object under investigation. Its application to biological tissue is especially difficult due to the combination of (a) the high sensitivity of the technique, and (b) the tendency of these objects to deform excessively, or move during the testing period. (This is also compounded by the changing moisture content of the tissue surface.)Ideally, a pulsed laser and fast-acting thermoplastic film camera could be chosen to overcome these difficulties, but the total equipment cost could exceed $75,000. In this paper we describe our relatively economical method to apply time· averaged holographic interferometry to an excised animal lung, utilizing holographic plates and a mechanically-shuttered continuous-wave Argon laser.EXPERIMENTAL METHODThe schematic of the experimental setup is shown in Fig. 1. The holographic equipment, including the laser, is fixed on a 3 ft x 6 ft x 4 in. honeycomb holographic table. This table is functionally similar to one described by Mark and Horsch2 which can be constructed for about one thousand dollars. The holographic table itself rests on six inner tubes to absorb floor vibrations. All unnecessary vibrations must be reduced to preserve the quality of the holograms. A laser beam from a 0.5-watt continuous-wave Argon laser is split by a circular variable beamsplitter (Newport Corporation Model 50GOOAV.1) into two beams, i.e., an object beam and a reference beam. The object beam is again split into two beams of equal intensity by a 50150 beamsplitter (Newport ·Corporation Model BS.1). These beams are optically filtered and expanded by spatial filters (Newport Corporation Model 910) to cover as much area of the object as possible. Soft biological tissues exhibit low reflectives, resulting in a relatively high reference to object beam ratio of roughly 5 : 1 at the holographic plate."

Jan 1, 1989

By D. B. Gawthrop

"One of the properties of an explosive, of interest to the user, is its ability to transfer detonation across an air gap to another explosive charge. This Property is of particular importance with permissible explosives used in coal mines, since they are relatively insensitive to detonation when compared to many of the commercial dynamites used in metal mining.An essential characteristic of an explosive is that it shall always be sufficiently sensitive to propagate detonation completely. An insensitive explosive constitutes a hazard because of (1) the danger of drilling into unexploded portions of charges of explosives which have partially misfired, and (2) the likelihood of a low order of detonation, or the burning, of all or part of the charge in a hole prepared for blasting. The latter condition not only usually produces large volumes of poisonous gases, but it is particularly hazardous in gassy or dusty coal mines where explosions may result.The Bureau of Mines and manufacturers of explosives determine the sensitivity of explosives to detonation over an air gap by means of a [(halved-cartridge gap test,"" for which the ends of the cartridges of explosive exposed to one another, are cut off. Since in blasting, the crimped ends remain on the cartridges used, this investigation has been made to ascertain the effect of the crimped paper ends on the distance detonation is propagated over an air gap as compared with the propagation distances obtained when the crimped-paper ends are removed."

Nov 1, 1932

By G. A. Howes

This is one of a series of circulars dealing with the cost of equipping and developing mining properties in the United States and Canada, prepared and published by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with various mining and exploration companies. This group of circulars is designed to supplement an earlier series which covered the methods and costs of mining and milling at a large number of producing properties. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors desire to thank Robert A. Bryce, president of Macassa Mines (Ltd.), for permission to use the data presented in this paper, and to acknowledge the cooperation of A. J. Keast, under whose direction as manager the plant was installed and equipped and the shaft was sunk to a depth of approximately 2,000 feet.

Jan 1, 1932

By E. J. HOFFMAN, J. c. W. FRAZER

The apparatus and methods described in the following pages were devised and used by the writers in connection with certain investiga- tions of the technologic branch of the United States Geological Sur- vey, especially those bearing on the improvement of furnace condi- tions and on efficiency in the use of fuel. The Bureau of Mines, which has charge of such analyses and tests of fuels as were formerly made by the technologic branch of the Sur- vey, is using the same apparatus and methods in connection with similar investigations that are being carried on at the testing plant of the bureau at Pittsburg, Pa. The furnace conditions prevailing both in small plants and in large industrial establishments in this country are frequently far from satisfactory. If such conditions are to be improved, they must be more thoroughly understood, and means must be found to insure complete combustion of the fuel, and yet to permit operation with such an excess of air as will result in the greatest efficiency. In this work the services of the chemist are indispensable. A very important problem is the determination of the small percentage of unburned combustible matter that escapes from the furnace in the flue gases. Under ordinary circumstances so little as 0.1 per cent of unburned combustible matter in a furnace gas is equivalent to about 1 per cent of the fuel used; and for the determination of such small percentages of gas more accurate and refined methods are required than have ordinarily been available heretofore. It is the purpose of this paper to describe some apparatus and methods which have proved satisfactory to those engaged in the chemical work of the investigations mentioned. While these methods and apparatus have been designed more particularly with regard to analysis of furnace gases, their use is by no means limited to that purpose. The reader will readily see their applicability to other uses in which the sampling and analysis of gases are involved.

Jan 1, 1911

By Eugene T. Sheridan

The 25th annual survey of the peat industry by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, disclosed that 79 companies produced and sold peat from 81 operations in 21 States in 1958. Peat is a carbonaceous deposit, formed under water or in a water-saturated environment from plant material. It is the first stage in the development of coal and, when properly dried, can be used as fuel. Although 98 percent (estimated) of the total world production is used for energy purposes, the status of peat in the United States is somewhat unique in that none is used for fuel, and practically all is consumed as an agricultural product, chiefly for soil improvement purposes. The domestic peat industry has expanded rapidly since World War II, and production in 1958 was 327,813 net tons valued at $3,445,767. More than one-half million ton of peat was consumed in the United State in 1958, however, as 269,096 tons was imported.

Jan 1, 1959

By L. Cheng

This report describes a laboratory investigation of the effectiveness of low-pressure steam and a steam-water spray sequence for the collection of airborne respirable (<10 µm) coal dust. Comparison of present results to previous results obtained with water spray alone indicates that the use of steam in a steam-spray sequence increases the collection efficiency by about 14 percent over that obtained by water spray alone. However, the use of steam to collect airborne dust requires cooling the steam-dust mixture in order to achieve condensation of the steam, and steam does not appear to be an attractive approach for collecting airborne dust in underground coal mining operations.

Jan 1, 1974

By Floyd G. Anderson

The increasing trend toward use of continuous-type mining machines created a significant dust problem in coal mining, which resolved itself into three categories: Visibility at face, deposition on return airways, and the potential health hazard. The control measures applicable to these conditions and studied or developed from 1955 through 1957 are summarized and reviewed in this report. Other important problems brought into focus during the same period were radiation exposure in uranium mining and high temperature and humidity. Although temperature and atmospheric pressure alone may not be contributing factors in the incidence of silicosis, the few mining companies who operate under the extremes of these conditions are dust conscious and keep dust-control engineers on their operating staffs.

Jan 1, 1961

By Ralph B. Adair

The Bureau of Mines conducted laboratory and continuous pilot plant flotation tests to determine the feasibility of recovering commercial-grade mica from an Alabama graphitic-mica schist. Preconcentration of the ground ore on a Humphrey&apos;s spiral was employed to reject the heavy minerals and part of the quartz in a product virtually free of mica. The acid-cationic mica flotation process recovered over 89 percent of the mica in a product containing 98.7 percent mica. Grinding of the mica concentrate in a fluid energy mill produced a product with a bulk density of 12 lb per cubic foot.

Jan 1, 1969

By Harry Freund, Kenneth H. Hammill, Francis C. Bissonnette

"Gallic acid is a sensitive, stable, colorimetric reagent for the determination of tantalum in the range of 2 to 40 µ g.Ta/ml. The method consists of the fusion of tantalum oxide with potassium pyrosulfate and solution of the cooled melt in saturated ammonium oxalate, followed by development of a yellow complex with an ethanolic solution of gallic acid. The tantalum-gallic acid complex absorbs over a broad region in the blue and near ultraviolet. Adverse effects due to interfering ions and solution conditions, such as oxalate concentration and pH, can be minimized by a suitable choice of wave length.by a suitable choice of wave length.A new and sensitive colorimetric method is provided that has been used successfully at the Northwest Electrodevelopment Laboratory of the Federal Bureau of Mines for determining minor amounts of tantalum.INTRODUCTIONThe development of corrosion-resistant alloys at the Northwest Electrodevelopment Laboratory prompted a review of the analytical chemistry of columbium (niobium) and tantahnn. Not only are these elements difficult to determine in small amounts, but tantalum especially lacks both sensitive and characteristic color reactions. Various phenolic compounds have been suggested as colorimetric reagents for tantalum, Quentin and Wagner (10, p. 24B) 1/ recommend the use of tannin. The use of pyrogallol was suggested originally by Krivoshlykov (6, pp. 59-60), whose method recently has been subject to a number of modifications (3, pp. 249-254; 5, pp. 1340-1344; 1, pp. 1803-18oi; 4, pp. 345-350). The yellow coloration produced by pyrocatechol in an oxalate solution containing tantalum may also be used to estimate tantalum ( 11, pp, ll-1-4-148) . The use of hydrogen peroxide has been recommended also (7, pp. 164-165; 9, pp. 926-931).Aside from a lack of specificity and sensitivity, the major failing of phenolic reagents is their susceptibility to air oxidation. The oxidation products are highly colored and absorb in the same spectral region as the tantalum complex. Holding reductants are not completely satisfactory in minimizing this effect. Increasing the acidity, while retarding the oxidation, has an adverse effect on the tantalum sensitivity."

Sep 1, 1956

By Joseph A. DeCarlo

According to the annual survey of beehive-coke plants by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, there were 61 plants with 9,549 ovens in the United States on December 31, 1956, This publication in¬cludes only those for which an annual report was filed with the Bureau of Mines. Not all plants listed were active, however, as nearly one-third of those canvassed were idle all year. A compilation of the returns showed that 44 plants with 6,920 ovens were active part or all year and 17 plants with 2,629 ovens were idle throughout the year. The capacity of beehive ovens has fluctuated between 6 and 14 million tons during the past decade. At the end of 1956, the annual coke capacity of beehive ovens on which reports were received amounted to 5.8 million tons. As noted in table 2, however, not all of this capacity was in operating condition, as 2,093 ovens with a capacity of 1.2 million tons were not operable on [ember] 31, 1956.

Jan 1, 1958

By G. St. J. Perrott, N. A. Tolch

"The testing of explosives for permissibility for use in coal mines was begun by the technologic branch of the United States Geologic Survey in February, 1909, and continued by the United States Bureau of Mines from July, 1910; this testing has been carried on from year to year as the explosives were submitted by manufacturers. As a result of these many years of testing for permissibility a large amount of data has accumulated regarding the characteristics of permissible explosives. The manufacturer expects a sample of explosive submitted for test to meet the requirements for permissibility, otherwise the sample would not be submitted. However, in spite of the careful regulation and preparation of the formulas a certain percentage of explosives fails to pass the gallery tests. It is therefore interesting to note the proportion of failures at the gallery for a given composition of explosive. The fact should be emphasized that this discussion deals with all explosives submitted for test, both those which passed the tests and those which failed to pass. Explosives that failed to pass the tests were never designated as permissible explosives and have never appeared on any list of explosives permissible for use in coal mines.The Bureau of Mines classifies permissible explosives in two ways, according to the quantity of poisonous gases produced and according to the characteristic ingredient of the explosive.4 In this paper only two types of the latter classification are considered, as follows:"

Dec 1, 1929

By N. L. Wimmler

"INRODUCTIONSedimentary deposits of titaniferrous magnetite occur at various localities in the eastern foothills of the Teton Ranse in Deer Lodge County, Mont. The Choteau deposit was examined by a Bureau of Mines engineer in August 1942. An exploration project was recommended.Core drilling exploration was begun in June 1945; it was concluded in August 1945, Seventy-six holes were drilled. This report presents the data obtained by the Bureau of Mines exploration.ACKNOWLEDGMENTIn 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 contri¬bution 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 preliminary examination, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final, report. The. Metallurgical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, Chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests. Both of these branches are under the supervision of Dr. R. S. Dean, Assistant-Director. The field work was supervised by Earshel W. Newman, engineer in charge of the Helena Field Office. D. B. Hoiekvam was the project engineer; he provided most of the data used in the preparation of this report."

Dec 1, 1946

By Alla D. Mah

Energies of combustion of vanadium nitride (VN) and vanadium carbide (VC) were measured. Correcting to vanadium tetroxide (V204) as the final state, the heats of combustion were ?H298.15=-118,700±100 cal/mole of vanadium nitride and ?H298.15=-240,270±360 cal/mole of vanadium carbide. With vanadium pentoxide (V205) as the final state, the heats of combustion were ?H298.15= -133.440±100 cal/mole of vanadium nitride and ?H298.15=-255,020±360 cal/mole of vanadium carbide. Combining these results with vanadium oxide data, the heats of formation obtained were ?298.15=-51,880±200 cal/mole of vanadium nitride and ?H298.15=-24,350±400 cal/mole of vanadium carbide. Heats and free energies of formation of vanadium nitride and carbide were calculated to 2,000° K.

Jan 1, 1963