Search Documents

By D. Harrington

Probably over 95 percent of the coal production of the United States depends upon the use of explosives before it can be placed in the railroad car at the mine, and up to the present time it has been impossible to obtain Pry kind of practicable explosive that isn't dangerous unless handled carefully. In other words, no "foolproof" explosives have been found to date and inspection of the accident records of the coal mines of this country indicates that the use of explosives in coal mines has taken a sad toll of lives. ACCIDENTS PROM EXPLOSIVES IN COAL MATES Of the 2,000 to 2,500 persons killed annually in the coal mines if the United States, 100 to 125 have been killed from explosives without an explosion of gas or dust; these accidents have been due to misfires, hangfires, premature blasts, or accidental setting off of explosives through carelessness or otherwise (but chiefly through carelessness in some form). In this type of accident the flame character of the explosive is not necessarily involved, although an unexpected or premature blast is initiated much more easily with black blasting powder, which has a long flame, than with a permissible explosive, which has a flame much shorter and of briefer duration. By far the greater number of such accidents are caused by black blasting powder or dynamite rather than by permissible explosive.

Jan 1, 1936

The Bureau of Mines annually publishes statistical data reflecting technological trends in the minerals industry (metals and nonmetals except fuels). This report outlines recent developments and trends and the technology outlook for mining practices and metallurgical processing based on a review of the minerals industry during the past 2 years. A historical statistical series which indicates trends in the minerals industry has been extended with 1970 data. In addition, data are given from a 5-year Bureau of Mines cyclic canvass of froth flotation plants. Data for 1970 are compared with those of 1960 and 1965.

Jan 1, 1972

The Bureau has published much data on sulfur (4, 15, 23)3, most of it dealing with national or international aspects of the sulfur industry. Little information, however, is available on sulfur marketing in specific States or areas, Therefore, the Bureau has conducted a survey of the resources, production, consumption, and economic future of the sulfur and sulfuric acid industry in States of the Central and Southern Rocky Mountain area - Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico - and in the Northern Plains States - North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, even though these States do not represent an economic or marketing unit. The purpose of this survey is to review the demand for sulfur and primary sulfur compounds that draws upon the natural resources of the region, to discover opportunities for better use of these resources, and also to analyze and evaluate the patterns of consumption, sources of supply, and other factors that affect the demand for these mineral products. While this survey stresses the economic and marketing phases of the industry, a complementary report (32) emphasizes the resources of sulfur in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Jan 1, 1962

By A. R. T. Denues

This investigation was made under a cooperative agreement between the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, and the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory. Funds were supplied by the Chile Exploration Co., whose executive offices are in New York City. The support, cooperation, and services of these agencies made the work possible and are acknowledged gratefully. The writer wishes to express his particular indebtedness to the staff of the Explosives Division of the Bureau of Mines for services and assistance, particularly Dr. Wilbert J. Huff, consulting explosives chemist, J. C. Holtz, J. E. Tiffany, and A. B. Coates; to F. O. Gardner, treasurer of the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory; to G. B. Holderer, consulting engineer in connection with liquid-oxygen explosives for the Chile Exploration Co.; to the Enos Coal Mining Co. of Oakland City, Ind., particularly to G. H. Utterback of the staff of the mine for providing facilities that made field tests possible; and to full-time assistants J. W. Rothhaar and J. G. P. Weinheimer and to W. S. Hiller, part-time assistant, who were employed under the cooperative agreement.

Jan 1, 1940

By L. Garner McDonald

The U.S. Bureau of Mines tangentially impacted potential coal-cutter bit shank materials against sandstone to investigate the potential of the materials to ignite natural gas by a friction-generated hot streak. The shank material samples were mounted in a 24-in, 550-lb flywheel, which was rotated at surface speeds of 400 to 900 sfpm. The sandstone was advanced toward the rotating flywheel at feed rates of 1 mil per impact. The atmosphere mixture was 7 vol pct natural gas in air. Three grades of polycarbonate resin, an ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene, and a zinc alloy (ZA27) were among the potential materials. None of these materials caused ignition of the methane at any of the three test speeds (400, 600, and 900 sfpm), but the above materials do not have sufficient strength to hold a carbide tip during coal cutting. Of the materials having sufficient strength to hold a carbide tip, three nickel-based alloys proved less likely to cause a natural gas ignition than did iron-based alloys such as 4340 (a commonly used shank material for coal cutters).

Jan 1, 2010

By Mark S. Sanders

This report presents recommended visibility requirements for continuous miner, shuttle car and scoop operations and details the methodology used to generate them. A task analytic approach was used to define information requirements and visual features which served as sources of information. Information requirements were prioritized and the location of visual features determined. From this analysis, visual attention locations, containing one or more important visual features, were identified. A total of 71 locations-were identified for continuous miners, 54 for shuttle-cars and 54 for scoops. A procedure was developed for assessing whether operators in existing machines could be expected to see the visual attention locations. The procedure makes use of a Human Eye Reference Measurement Instrument (HERMI) designed for this project and an outside-in photographic procedure for documenting compliance with the recommendations. A sample of continuous miners, shuttle cars, and scoops were used to test the procedure. Results are presented in the report.

Jan 1, 1981

By Robert T. Davis

An award is a form of recognition given for superior performance in a special field of endeavor. Each year awards are given by the Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association and the National Safety Council to the coal-mining industry's underground and open-pit mines that have worked a specific number of man-hours without a lost-time injury. These awards have a dual significance in that they prove efficiency can be attained without injury to persons. Safety awards do not result from luck or good fortune but do result from sincere desire coupled with sufficient effort and cooperation to achieve a desired goal.

Jan 1, 1964

By V. E. Erwin, W. W. Adams, E. V. Walters

"Increased production of explosives in the United States in 1933 compared with 1932 is shown by statistics compiled by the Demographical Division, Health and Safety Branch, United States Bureau of Mines. The figures relate only to explosives used for industries purposes, such as mining, quarrying, and road building, and do not cover nonindustrial explosives, such as ammunition or fireworks. Industrial explosives include black blasting powder, permissible explosives, 5 and high explosives other than permissibles figures in the tables of this report were compiled from reports covering sales by the individual companies manufacture of explosives in the United States in 1933. Because of the close agreement among the several series of figures, the quantity of explosives sold is considered as reflecting production and consumption, and the three terms ""sales"", ""production"", and ""consumption"" are used interchangeably in the discussion unless otherwise stated.Of the principal industries that use high construction operations accounted for the largest percentage of increase in consumption during 1933; metal mining and quarrying also used more of this class of explosives than in the previous year. Coal mining is the chief consumer of permissible explosives; the figures for 1933 showed that bituminous-coal mining used a larger quantity than in 1932, and that anthracite mines also showed a small increase. Although a net increase of less than 1 percent in consumption was reported for black blasting powder, large increases in use of this class of explosives were reported for metal mining, miscellaneous types of work, and bituminous-coal mining. (See table 1.)"

Nov 1, 1934

By R. C. Adams

This report describes the feasibility of mining the oil shale deposits of the Piceance Creek basin in Colorado by an integrated open pit system. The study is based upon a comprehensive analysis of pertinent environmental, economic, and engineering factors. Ten mining cases are investigated, and the mine design and cost estimates for each case are presented in this report. Nine of the cases represent three cutoff grades, defining oil shale ore as equal to and above 15 gallons per ton (gpt), 20 gpt, and 25 gpt at three ore production levels of 500,000 tons per day (TPD), 1,250,000 TPD, and 2,500,000 TPD. The tenth case is an alternate design of the 500,000 TPD production rate at the above 15 gpt cutoff grade. The report consists of Volume I, a technical and cost comparison of the ten cases; Volume II-Part I, a detailed explanation of the estimating methods used; and Volume II-Part 2, a more detailed discussion of the technical and cost features of the ten cases than is presented in Volume I.

Jan 1, 1976

By W. M. Dressel

This Bureau of Mines report describes a shaft closure demonstration project in which 11 inverted pyramid-shaped plugs were used to plug abandoned open mine shafts in Galena, KS, The inverted pyramid-shaped forms, fabricated from steelplate, were designed so that the inverted base would be larger, by 4 ft on a side, than the approximate size of the shaft opening at the surface residuum-solid rock interface. After the surface openings of the shafts were trimmed with a backhoe, the steel forms, complete with reinforcing, were lowered into the openings and filled with concrete; the remaining portions of the openings above the plugs were backfilled to slightly above the surrounding surface level with waste rock and soil. Location and elevation monuments were installed for long-tern evaluation of the success of the project.

Jan 1, 1985

By James C. Fowler

The design and field testing of a seismic miner detection and location system arc described. This work was carried out over a period of three years. The first two and one-half years were sponsored by Continental Oil Company, while the last period of tests were done as the first part of a one-year contract with the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Laboratory and field experimentation in three different nines under simulated emergency conditions have led to three important results: (1) Taps on roof bolts with normally available objects can usually be detected up to horizontal distances of 1,000 ft. (2) The origin of the tans can be located by on-site processing with a small computer. (3) Some predetermination of the approximate location is necessary for a quick and successful rescue. This report also includes preliminary specifications an,d cost guidelines for construction of a transportable field system capable of matching the performance characteristics of the one used during the field tests.

Jan 1, 1973

These proceedings consist of papers presented at a Bureau of Mines Technology Transfer Seminar in September 1981 for the purpose of disseminating recent advances in mining technology in the area of premining research. The introduction and descriptive papers discuss techniques and instrumentation used in premining research for metal and nonmetal mining and shaft design and borehole control for premine planning.

Jan 1, 1982

By Noel N. Moebs

The Bureau of Mines studied the feasibility of water diversion and overburden dewatering for underground coal mines in the Appalachian region. All relevant published literature pertaining to the occurrence and control of surface and ground water in underground coal mines was reviewed, and the impacts of mine water with respect to health and safety, production, environment, and costs were assessed and are described in this report. The report also identifies the sources of water inflow into underground coal mines, and gives a summary description and evaluation of techniques that can be used to reduce the amount of water entering these mines. Engineering practices currently used by operating coal mines in the Appalachian region to prevent the movement of ground and surface water into active coal workings were reviewed and are summarized. Major emphasis has been placed on the identification of geologic and hydrologic conditions of the site, the water control methods used, and an evaluation of their technical and cost effectiveness.

Jan 1, 1985

By R. S. Dean

In addition to the normal work and that pertaining to strategic minerals, the Metallurgical Division has been made responsible for carrying on major investigations in the development of processes' for the treatment of low-grade domestic manganese ores that heretofore have failed to yield products suitable for the preparation of ferromanganese, an alloy essential to every ton of steel produced. These investigations are particularly important at this time because of their part in tucking this country self-sufficient with regard to manganese when the stock-piled ore becomes e exhausted and as foreign shipments of ferro-grade ore are cut off. The results indicate that there is a good probability of accomplishing this objective, while at the same time conservation may be promoted through the use of normally useless material from the large, low-grade ore deposits.

Jan 1, 1941

By G. D. Bakulev

Economic Importance of Gasification of Fuel and Brief Outline of Development of Underground Gasification of Coal in the U.S.S.R. The underground gasification of fuel offers a number of economic and social advantages, principally the following: 1. Full automation of labor-consuming coal-mining processes, which resist complex mechanization and automation, particularly shaft mining. 2. Elimination of hard, dangerous, and often unhealthful mining work. 3. Creation of hygienic conditions for personnel employed in gas production, as well as for those in boiler rooms using the gas. 4. Possibility of automation of complex production processes of thermal-electric powerplants using underground gas with economic installations for steam production. 5. Economic operation of thermal-electric powerplants constructed in the areas of underground-gas production. 6. Release of railroads from the burden of transporting fuel. 7. Extension of the power base of some areas in need of fuel and of the economy as a whole due to use of fuel deposits not amenable to normal mining practices. 8. Reduction of capital investments per unit of energy produced in the form of fuel. 9. Substantial increase in general labor productivity. 10. Possibility of substantial reduction in the cost of fuel produced and of electric power produced from underground gas.

Jan 1, 1962

By Neldon L. Jensen

Although ASARCO Incorporated, the only domestic producer, had terminated copper smelting operations and associated recovery of byproduct arsenic trioxide at Tacoma, WA, in 1985, it shipped small quantities of both trioxide and metal from its remaining stocks in 1986. Imports for consumption of arsenic trioxide increased significantly, owing to increased demand for arsenical wood preservatives and the decrease in domestic shipments of trioxide. Prices remained unchanged throughout the year. Development of gallium arsenide integrated circuits, important in advanced military and commercial electronics circuitry, continued to gain momentum during 1986. Domestic Data Coverage.-Shipments of small amounts of arsenic trioxide and metal from remaining stocks by Asarco were reported voluntarily to the Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1988

By W. G. Park

Long-range projection of demand for domestic crude oil indicates a continued upward movement and accentuates the need for increasing the recovery from known crude-oil resources to supplement expected future discoveries. Consequently, the industry and Government have given special attention to the viscous or heavy-oil deposits because they offer the distinct possibility of large order increases in ultimate recovery. This report presents data pertaining to 150 heavy-oil reservoirs in Arkansas including oil characteristics of samples from 38 of these reservoirs. To January 1, 1967, about 600 million bbl of heavy oil has been recovered from the 150 reservoirs in 63 oilfields; however, about 4.5 billion bbl, or 88 pct, of oil remained in the ground. Of prime importance is that much of this heavy-oil resource is in reservoirs having characteristics considered favorable for thermal-recovery operations. Data for the thermal projects initiated [thus Ear are presented in individual field discussions. Also discussed is the t crude oil supply-demand situation in the State.

Jan 1, 1969

By Sidney Katell

This report, covering the period January 1969 through December 1969, is a continuation of a series that began with the publication of Information Circular 7516 in October 1949. It is the 11th in a series of reports prepared in cooperation with the American Association of Cost Engineers. The abstracted articles are concerned with all phases of cost engineering in the field of chemical and petroleum plants and related subjects. They are from the following sources: 1. American Association of Cost. Engineers Bulletin. 2. Bureau of Mines Information Circulars. 3. Bureau of Mines Reports of Investigations. 4. Chemical Engineering. 5. Chemical Engineering Progress. 6. Chemical Week. 7. Coal Age. 8. Coal Mining and Processing.

Jan 1, 1970

By Elbridge W. Gresseth

Rock deformational structures in a deep mine were analyzed by petrofabric techniques to learn (1) the relative magnitude and direction of the principal stresses involved in tectonic deformations prior to mining, (2) the preferred orientation of rock planar discontinuities which define rock anistropy prior to mining, and (3) the relationship of mining-induced rock failure to inherent rock stresses and inherent rock anisotropy. Rock fabric elements used for petrofabric analysis consisted of bedding planes, faults, joints, fractures, foliation, sericite plane (001), quartz axis [0001], quartz deformation lamellae, and microfractures. Structures and structural symmetries from different areas within the mine and from different scales of observation were compared to learn the nature of rock anisotropy and the orientation of the principal stresses defined by rock deformations. Analysis of such fabric as regional and macroscopic faults, b-c joints, quartz [0001], sericite (001), and microfractures, indicate that during the epochs of tectonic deformation, the maximum and minimum principal stresses were horizontally oriented and acted along northwest and northeast axes, respectively. This condition of regional stress appears to have continued during folding and the associated period of faulting. The most recent tectonic deformation represents a rotation of the minimum principal stresses into a vertical position, as shown by the development of a tensile joint system, quartz deformation lamellae, and microfractures. Good interscale correlation and statistical homogeneity of tectonic fabric indicate a stress field homogeneity in this area during tectonic deformation. Rock physical anisotropy is genetically associated with tectonic fabric and consists of preferentially oriented planar discontinuities intersecting along a nearly vertical axis. The mining-induced deformations were correlated with the inherent rock anisotropy which either directly controls or greatly affects their development. This phase of rock deformation shows a greater degree of stress field heterogeneity than was the case with tectonic deformations This is explained as a result of nonconfinement afforded by underground openings and the increase in ground stresses due to mining activity"

Jan 1, 1968

By Stephen C. Tadolini

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has developed ultrasonic measurement instrumentation capable of measuring strains and elongations on tensioned and untensioned mine roof bolting systems. This report evaluates the pulsed-phase-lock-loop and pulse-echo systems. The pulse-echo systems measure time of flight of a signal through the bolt. The ultrasonic instrument converts the measurement into elongations or stress. The most recent Bureau instrument development converts travel-time measurements directly into elongation, load, stress, and torque by simple data manipulation from the keyboard. Bolt preparation and instrument calibration are described in detail.

Jan 1, 1990