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By Harold E. Marr

Energy dispersion X-ray analysis was evaluated for possible application in the secondary metals industries for the rapid analysis and identification of copper-base alloys. Laboratory investigations of standard brass and bronze samples indicate that X-ray methods are capable of separating standard alloys into 10 general classes with analytical times of less than 3 seconds per sample for clean, flat samples. A radioactive source of americium 241 with a secondary fluorescer was used as an excitation source, and a lithium-drifted silicon semiconductor detector was utilized for energy discrimination of X-rays.

Jan 1, 1974

By A. A. Bakewell

This information circular, which describes mining methods and practices at the Baguio Gold Mining Co., Philippine Islands, is one of a series being prepared by the Bureau of Mines on mining methods, practices, and costs. Since January 1952, Baguio Gold Mining Co. has operated its rehabilitated mine and mill in the Baguio district. Postwar labor and supply costs are three or four times prewar costs, whereas ore tenor and tonnage are about the same. Ore reserves remain approximately the same, but deeper and more spreadout operations add to increasing costs. Recently the company has acquired an adjoining property, which may lengthen its life substantially. Costs and general operations are more or less typical of the district, which includes three other active gold mines. Gold ore mined in the district totals approximately 4,300 tons per day.

Jan 1, 1959

By X. Chi, J. W. Griffith, C. L. Schengrund, J. Sabol

"Experiments were carried out to determine the long-term effect of instillation of 500 mg of generic bituminous, anthracite, quartz, or titanium dioxide (Ti02) dust on the composition of pulmonary surfactant. Dust was instilled in the caudal lobe of the right lungs of female pigtailed macaque monkeys (Macaca nemestrina). The composition of surfactant isolated from cell-free bronchoalveolar lavage (CF-BAL) samples obtained from right lungs (dust exposed) at various times over the following year was compared with that of surfactant isolated from CF-BAL from left lungs (dust free) . Little change was seen in the amount of surfactant-associated lipid phosphorus as a result of exposure to dust. Exposure to quartz, anthracite, or Ti02 dust induced a significant increase in the total amount of protein in the surfactant-enriched fraction. The relative amount of specific proteins was also altered: surfactant-associated protein A decreased, and the amount of the heavy and light chains of immunoglobulin molecules (identified by NHiterminal amino acid sequence analysis) increased. These changes were visible more than a year after instillation of quartz and at least 3 months after instillation of anthracite dust. Despite variation in the responses of the individual animals, the changes observed might serve as an indicator of the severity of the effect of exposure of the lung to mineral dust and/or to pathogens. IntroductionSurfactant is essential for normal pulmonary function and gas exchange. It functions to reduce surface tension and may help to prevent pulmonary edema [19] and to protect against infection [13]. The importance of surfactant to normal Jung function is illustrated by the fact that neonates lacking appropriate surfactant undergo respiratory distress and do not survive without clinical support."

Dec 1, 1996

By Stanton L. Tainter

As a part of a wartime program to aid in the development of known ore bodies and in the discovery of hitherto unknown deposits of strategic minerals, the Bureau of Mines investigated the feasibility of diamond-drilling the Christmas copper deposit, in Gila County, Ariz., to increase the reserves of milling ore. Upon recommendation of the examining engineer, drilling was begun in September 1942, from the bottom (770) level of the mine. One month later, in cooperation with the Bureau, the Federal Geological Survey started geologic mapping of the mine workings. Since extensive and costly development would be required, the War Production Board concluded that ore below the bottom level could not be mined at that time because of the wartime shortages of equipment and man-power. In January 1943, drilling was moved to the 300 and 400 levels to locate reserves readily accessible for continued production of fluxing ore. This drilling, which was under the supervision of L. G. Marshall, was completed in January 1944.

Jan 1, 1948

By John W. Frey

Although there are certain general uniform provisions in the laws ... of the several Provinces of Canada the differences are so great that it is considered advisable to present digests of separate mining laws rather than a digest of Canadian mining law as an entity . This analysis , accordingly , has been divided as follows : Nova Scotia , New Brunswick , Quebec , Ontario , British Columbia , and a group of Provinces under Dominion Law .

Sep 1, 1930

By M. Carrales

This Bureau of Mines publication presents short-range projections of domestic liquid hydrocarbon production through 1980. Appraisal of future crude oil production was made by evaluating the relationship between primary and enhanced oil recovery and the total crude oil producing trends in each of the oil-producing areas of the United States. Future natural gas liquid production was generally estimated by projecting historical production. Estimates of production were prepared for each of the oil producing areas and summarized for the Petroleum Administration for Defense (PAD) districts and total United States. From 1975 to 1980, crude oil production for the conterminous United States is expected to decline from 7.8 to 6.4 million barrels of oil per day (BOPD), and it is expected to increase from 8.0 to 8.2 million BOPD for the total United States. However, these estimates do not include additional production expected from the Elk Hills field in California and the Yates field in Texas. If included, 1980 production for the conterminous United States would be 6.7 million BOPD and 8.4 million BOPD for the total United States.

Jan 1, 1977

By H. W. Kilau

The Bureau of Mines used a high-temperature rotational viscometer to test basic oxygen furnace slags to determine fluorspar requirements and to evaluate colemanite and fused boric acid as substitute fluidizers. A continuous technique of viscosity measurement was adapted to better determine the viscosity-temperature profiles of volatile fluorspar slags. Criteria used for estimating slag fluidizer effectiveness were (1) the apparent solidification temperature, and (2) the temperature range of slag crystallization. Colemanite and fused boric acid in high-basicity slag were superior fluidizers to fluorspar when compared on the basis of boron versus fluorine concentration. Fused boric acid was nearly equivalent to ceramic-grade fluorspar when compared on a simple weight basis, while colemanite was inferior to fluorspar. Fluorspar slags volatilized fluorine during viscosity testing. Colemanite and fused boric acid slags were stable, no boron losses being detected. A fluidizing limit was found for fluorspar at 2.9 percent fluorine concentration; higher concentrations impaired viscosity and caused foaming and crusting of slag. Concentrations of boron up to 4.4 percent resulted in very fluid slags with no fluidizing limit.

Jan 1, 1978

By F. E. Griffith, C. H. SEELING

Cardox blasting is used widely in coal mines in the United States . A model of a Cardox blasting device was approved by the Bureau of Mines subject to certain conditions and limitations , and the approval was extended to other models from time to time . Certain special hazards are entailed in the use of Cardox as with explosives . One of these is flying shells . In some blasts , the Cardox shell is violently ejected from the borehole and flies like a projectile , frequently ricocheting off solid objects and striking points considerably off the line of its initial flight . Flying shells have been known to pierce the webs of structural - steel beams , to pass through both sides of allsteel mine cars , to be driven through stout hardwood timbers , to knock out timber sets , to damage loading equipment , and to break or short - circuit power lines . A considerable number of shot - firers and other workers have been struck by flying shells and killed or injured . Accidents from this cause , although not as frequent as other types of mine accidents , are usually serious , closely approximating accidents caused by blasting with ordinary explosives . The increasing number of such accidents prompted a Bureau of Mines field investigation of possible methods of preventing dangerously violent ejections of Cardox devices . This report contains pertinent data collected during the investigation and describes methods tested and discarded as well as the development and proof of an apparently satisfactory method .

Jun 1, 1943

By James S. Browning, W. H. Eddy

Laboratory batch and small - scale continuous flotation tests were conducted on a ferruginous barite - fluorspar ore from near Sweetwater , Tenn . , to determine the feasibility of producing commercial - grade fluorspar and barite concentrates . The lignin sulfonate - sodium fluoride - fatty acid method of floating fluorspar produced acid - grade concentrates . Flotation of the barite from the fluorspar tailing using petroleum sulfonate yielded concentrates suitable for use as a weighting agent in oil -well drilling muds . The continuous flotation tests , treating about 150 pounds of ore per hour , yielded fluorspar concentrates that assayed 98.3 percent CaF2 and barite concentrates that assayed 91.2 percent BaSO4 . The recovery of the two minerals was 91.2 and 85.2 percent , respectively .

Jan 1, 1964

By D. K. Steele

The domestic primary copper industry generates in excess of 600 million t of mining and mineral-processing waste annually. Most of the waste poses negligible environmental threat, but a small fraction, because of toxic or corrosive characteristics, may be subject to regulation under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) or other pertinent regulations. Among the wastes generated by various copper producers are flue dusts, slags, refinery-bleed solutions, and. acid-plant wastes. The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) has researched methods to mitigate the environmental threat posed by copper-processing wastes while recovering valuable metals from these materials. Acid-leach processing of flue dusts has been demonstrated feasible along with sulfide treatment of liquid refinery wastes and acid-plant-bleed and gas-cleaning solutions to precipitate dissolved metals. In, addition, the feasibility of removing copper and molybdenum from slag, as well as stabilization of precipitated sulfide wastes by vitrification, have been investigated.

Jan 1, 2010

By Bernard Porter

The solubility of UO2 was determined at 1,250° C. in ternary melts of UF4 and BaF2 with CaF2, LiF, and SrF2. The solubility of Ce02 was measured at 800° and 850° C. in a solution of CeF3, BaF2, and LiF. The amount of La203 which dissolves at 950° C. in a binary mixture of LiF and LaF3 and a ternary of LiF, LaF3, and BaF2 was also measured. In each case, the amount of soluble oxide was mound to be less than 5 weight-percent. A procedure was developed for filtering fused, oxide-saturated fluoride melts in order to obtain a representative sample for chemical analysis. The oxide content of the samples was determined by an inert-gas fusion procedure.

Jan 1, 1961

By William H. King

The Fannie Ryan deposit is situated about 9 miles northwest of Boulder City, Clark County, Nev. at an altitude of about 2,000 feet on the north side of the River Mountains. The deposit is covered by several unpatented claims owned by Fannie B. Gulick of Las Vegas, Nev. The Boulder City deposit is within the Hoover Dan National Recreational Area. It is situated about 3 miles southeast of Boulder City in sec. 23,T. 23 S., R. 64 E., Clark County, Nev. The Deposit was covered by several unpatented mining claims owned by S. R. Whitehead of Las Vegas. The deposits occur in sedimentary beds of the Muddy Creek formation that overlie older volcanic extrusive. The manganese minerals occur as soft oxides of the wad type. The exploration was conducted by the Bureau of Nines in cooperation with the Federal Geological Survey and comprised a study of the geology, mapping of the areas, and development by shaft sinking; diamond drilling, and sampling. On the Fannie Ryan Gulick property the work consisted of cleaning and sampling seven old trenches on the outcrop and diamond drilling seven holes totaling 1,482 foot. At the Boulder City deposit 188 feet of drilling was done in two holes. A 4- by 6-foot shaft was sunk to a depth of 44.5 feet, and the north and south sides of the shaft were sampled.

Jan 1, 1950

By John E. Shelton

Flotation tests were conducted on two samples of copper-nickel-bearing ore from the Harriman area near Rockport, Maine. The samples were taken by Roland F. Beers, Inc., for tests in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Mines. One sample, analyzing 0.38 percent copper and 0.71 percent nickel, was essentially a disseminated pyrrhotite in hypersthene. Pentlandite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and millerite were intimately associated with the pyrrhotite. Locked series flotation tests on this sample showed that 87.4 and 73.4 percent of the copper and nickel, respectively, could be recovered in a bulk concentrate that analyzed 3.47 percent copper and 5.34 percent nickel. The copper-and nickel-bearing minerals were collected with sulfhydric collectors in an alkaline circuit. Cleaning the concentrate three times with the addition of pH regulators was sufficient to attain the previously stated grades. The second sample had analyses of 0.31 percent copper and 0.85 percent nickel; talc and hypersthene were the main gangue minerals. Bulk sulfide flotation, made while depressing the talc, resulted in a concentrate that analyzed 2.33 percent copper and 4.70 percent nickel at recoveries of 70.0 and 54.4 percent, respectively. Flotation of the talc followed by bulk sulfide flotation resulted in a nickel content greater than 5 percent. A locked-series test showed that 60.7 percent of the copper and 73.7 percent of the nickel could be recovered at grades of 1.29 and 4.85 percent, respectively.

Jan 1, 1961

By Jeffrey Shawn Peterson

In past years, the U.S. Bureau of Mines has been involved in safety research that could ultimately re-late the conditions of spark testing and actual use by estimating the simple ignition probability of a circuit in question. A major problem in estimating this probability is that results show a significant variability, even though gas mixtures and electrical parameters may be closely controlled. Some researchers have suggested that the ambient environmental conditions of the testing may influence the results. A series of tests were conducted using a spark test apparatus to simulate a failing electrical circuit. By independently adjusting the temperature, pressure, or relative humidity of the combustible gas mixture, multiple test environments were examined. At each ignition, a computer re-corded the temperature, pressure, and relative humidity of the gas immediately prior to the explosion. These data were then used to establish the effect of the test environment on the ignition probability and to create a mathematical model of the test environment's synergistic effects. The analysis indicated that these effects were not as significant as previously expected. No general algorithm was found that could be used to predict these effects across the range of circuits tested.

Jan 1, 2010

By Robert S. Sanford

The demand for aluminum for military use during World War II called for an expansion of aluminum production in the United States A large part of the bauxite (the normal ore of aluminum) consumed in this county comes from Netherlands Guiana, South America. During the war, enemy activities were at times a serious threat to the flow of bauxite to the United States. The need for aluminum. stimulated the investigation of domestic deposits of bauxite and emphasized the wisdom of studying other aluminous materials, such as high-alumina and diaspore clays, to determine their possible use as aluminum ores. The occurrence in Pennsylvania of high-alumina flint clays and nodular diaspore clays has been known for many years. Several companies are mining these high-alumina, low-iron (less than 3 percent Fe2O3) clays and using them for the manufacture of refractory brick. Most of the production has come from Clearfield County, but clay deposits arc known also in Cambria, Centre, Clarion, Clinton, Indiana, Jefferson, Somerset, and Westmoreland, Counties.

Jan 1, 1949

By Paul T. Allsman

The vanadiferous deposits of the Sublette Ridge and Salt River Range, 2 miles east of Raymond, Idaho, in western Lincoln County, Wyo., were examined August 24 to August 30, 1942, by an engineer of the Bureau of Mines, who was shown these properties by W. W. Rubey of the Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. The Sublette Ridge deposits are owned by the former U. S. Phosphate Co. H. F. Chaney, Portland, Oreg., is the representative for the company. The following report covers the history of the district, outlines the physical features and communications, mentions the property, and notes the ownership. The deposits and ore are described, and work performed by the Bureau of Mines is explained in detail. Ore-dressing tests and methods are explained.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. Wiebe

During a recent investigation the authors were interested in determining: (1.) How many points were necessary to locate the deviation curve for copper-constantan thermocouples within an accuracy of about 0.05° C., used in connection with the "standard" thermocouple of L. H. Adams. (2.) Whether copper-constantan thermocouples showing considerable deviations from the "standard' were consistent throughout their calibration. (3.) How reliable the extrapolated portion is - that is, the interval between -183 and -220° C. of the "standard" thermocouple. It seems that a calibration between 0 and -193° C. can be made within the stated accuracy by determining experimentally the e.m.f. of the particular couple at -78.50°, the normal sublimation point of carbon dioxide, and at -182.97°, the normal boiling point of oxygen. Substituting the values found for the two fixed points in the simple quadratic. Equation

Jan 1, 1931

By C. F. Winquist

The Bureau of Mines is engaged in research to evaluate the effects of cutter bit wear at coal mine faces. This paper addresses one element of conical bit wear, bit rotation. A discussion on mounting configura-tion and bit forces and their effects on rotation is presented. The effects on rotation and bit forces of bit attack angle, cutting depth, and skew are determined for two types of conical bits during linear cutting of sandstone-inclusive rock. The results indicate that a 10° negative skew angle and 35° attack angle produce the maximum rotation of 17.5° for each foot of cutting. Data on bit rotation and bit forces are presented in an appendix.

Jan 1, 1985

By Scott W. Hazen

This report describes exploration for lead-zinc ores at the Madonna mine between 1945 and 1953 by the Utze Lode Co., the Bureau of Mines, and the company with Government financial aid under the Defense Production Act of 1950. The Madonna mine yielded silver, lead, and zinc with a net smelter value of over $5,000.000. from 1882 to 1924. The mine was inactive from 1924 to 1942 when the Utze Lode Co. acquired the property. Possibilities for finding ore in the mine, especially at depth, were considered favorable. The Utze Lode Co. began rehabilitating the Madonna mine in 1945. An exploration program, which consisted of winze sinking and drifting, failed to produce commercial are.

Jan 1, 1956

By Craig M. Jensen

A laboratory assessment of prompt and delayed neutron activation analysis with 252Cf and 14MeV neutron sources, for use as an in-situ method of determining low-level copper concentration has been performed. A simulated borehole using porphyry ore was constructed and varying copper concentrations were simulated using copper rods. Prompt neutron activation analysis experiments were consistant with earlier work and do not appear to be feasible fur copper concentration of 1.5% or less. Delayed neutron activation analysis experiments indicate that copper ore concentrations of less than 0.1% are detectable using either the 511-KeV gamma-ray of copper-64 or the 1039-KeV gamma-ray of copper-66, with high resolution detectors such as Ge (Li) or intrinsic germanium.

Jan 1, 1977