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By Donald O. Capstick

In 1981, U.S. Bureau of Mines personnel conducted a survey of claims and prospects in the Wheeler Ridge RARE II area to determine if mineral resources or potential for resources exists at deposits in the area. Results of Bureau of Mines investigations indicate the area contains no identified mineral deposits. However, the geologic setting at the Round Valley Peak Prospect near the center of the study area is considered to be favorable for the discovery of tungsten resources with associated molybdenum and copper. Tungsten deposits, should they be present, would be expected to occur at depth in tactite at or near the calcareous rock-granite intrusive contact. Sand, gravel, and stone deposits in the area are not considered to be resources because equal or better quality material is available closer to major markets. INTRODUCTION The 16,200-acre (6,560 ha) Wheeler Ridge study area is 11 mi (18 km) northwest of Bishop, California, on the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada range. The John Muir Wilderness adjoins the study area's western boundary (fig. 1).

Jan 1, 1983

By G. R. Hopkins

One of the largest items in the expense of operating a refinery is the cost of the fuel used in distillation and for miscellaneous purposes such as in the heating of buildings and in the generation of electricity, On a B. t. u. basis, the average refinery consumes approximately one-tenth as much fuel as it produces. Theoretically, the fuel consumption at refineries should be much smaller than this, but furnaces can riot be designed to be 100 per cent efficient' and, in addition, a large part of the waste heat is low-temperature heat which would not pay for the expense of recovering it. Annual surveys of fuel consumption at refineries have been made by the United States Bureau of Mines, beginning with 1925. During the 5-year period, 1925-1929, the refineries made steady progress in fuel economy. This is evidenced by the Computed figures of heat requirement Per barrel of crude oil refined, which show a decline from 829,000 B. t. u. in 1925 to 639,000 B. t. u. in 1929 (see fig. 1). In 1930, however, the trend in fuel economy was reversed and the quantity of heat utilized in refining the average barrel of crude oil rose to 672,000 B. t. u. There were undoubtedly a number of reasons for the apparent decrease in fuel economy at refineries in 1930, chief of which were the tendency to carry the distillation farther instead of merely topping the crude and a gain in the consumption of waste oils, such as acid sludge, which in actual practice yield less heat per unit consumed than has been theoretically assigned to oil. The consumption of natural as fuel at refineries has declined since 1927, but this has been more than compensated by a rapid increase in the use of refinery or still gas. The total consumption of oil as refinery fuel in 1930 was not much below the 1925 total, but the consumption of coal has declined rapidly, so that in 1930 liquid and solid fuels contributed only 56 per cent of the total heat units- utilized at refineries as compared with 77 per cent in 1925 (see fig. 2).

Jan 1, 1931

By C. L. Severy

On the Pacific coast during World War II, a tremendous ship-building industry was developed, Early in the war it became impossible to obtain in- got or steel scrap for ship ballast. Magnetite, an oxide of iron, was sub- stituted as it fulfilled the requirements of weight for available space in the ships. Consequently, a new use for the western magnetite was rapidly developed.

Jan 1, 1948

By D. J. Parker

Since the introduction of electricity into the mines of the United States , the hazards incident to the industry have increased materially in both coal and metal mines . For economic reasons the tendency at present , particularly in coal mining , is decidedly toward the adoption of electrical mine machinery , including alternating current machinery , on a more extensive scale than ever before . Obviously, the growing use of such equipment will result in an ever -increasing number of underground transformer stations . The principal electrical hazards in mines are threefold ; fire , explosion, and contact . Of these , fire is the greatest hazard involved in the use of electricity underground , and several fires have originated in underground transformer and motor generator set stations . The fire hazard due to improperly installed and poorly maintained underground transformer stations is an ever-present one , and failure to take the necessariman remedial action is likely to result , sooner or later, in the destruction of life and property . Upon suggesting the necessary corrective measures with respect to such installations , one is often confronted with the statement to the effect that even though this particular hazard has existed over a period of years , there have been no unfavorable results therefrom thus far . Frequently , the desirability for action is not apparent to the mine management until it is too late . Because a mine has a record free from fires , explosions , etc. , over a number of years of operation during which these hazards existed , such good fortune should not be taken as a guarantee that this or any other mine is immune from these common dangers . When the elements of an existing hazard are properly balanced or in the right proportion, the unfortunate combination must of necessity culminate in misfortune of one kind or another. The fire hazard due to underground transformer installations can be very definitely minimized by proper installation and maintenance . In coal mines the transformer banks , connected to 2,300 and occasionally to 4,400 volt circuits , are often found located in open- ended crosscuts , mounted on concrete or timber foundations , and in nonfireproof surroundings .

Jul 1, 1930

Improve the strength and other properties of steel alloys. Approach Research by the U.S. Bureau of Mines indicates that steels melted and solidified under high nitrogen pressure acquire yield and tensile strengths that are up to four times the strengths of comparable stainless steel alloys without nitrogen. Fatigue strength, creep strength, and other mechanical properties are also improved. Strengthening occurs by two mechanisms: (1) increasing dissolved nitrogen in the lattice and (2) formation of dispersed metal nitride phases. Nitrogen Alloying Nitrogen alloying of a steel is generally done by introducing metal nitrides during melting of the steel. The concentration of nitrogen is limited to its equilibrium solubility at 1 atmosphere. For face-centered-cubic (fee) iron, that solubility is approximately 0.4 weight percent (wt%). For body-centered-cubic (bee) iron, solubility is 0.05 wt%. This solubility limitation can be overcome by melting the metal in a pressurized vessel. European steelmakers currently have metal-processing systems that can melt and pour tons of steel under nitrogen pressures exceeding 4 megapascals (MPa) (40 atmospheres). They have achieved nitrogen concentrations as high as 1.0 wt% in these (stainless) steels. The tensile strength is approximately twice the tensile strength of similar steels without nitrogen.

Jan 1, 1992

By G. S. Scott

The flammability of trichloroethylene vapors in air has been determined in a 7-inch cyclindrical vessel. Saturated flammable mixtures were formed with air at atmospheric pressure between 30° C (86° F) and 82° C (180° F); the trichloroethylene concentrations at these temperatures are 12.5 (lower) and 90 (upper) volume-percent, respectively. Further study is necessary to assess the effects of different variables on the flammability of this material. INTRODUCTION Trichloroethylene (TCE) (ClHC = CCl2), sold under various trade names (Blacosolv, Perm-A-Clor, Tri, Triad, Triclene, Trivec, Tromex, Vapoclean, Vapoclor, Westrosol, etc.), is an important industrial chemical. A summary of its physical and chemical properties is given in table 1. It is used to degrease metals, leather, and textiles, to extract residual oils from vegetable oil cakes, for dry cleaning, and in soap. It is a powerful solvent for fats, resins, bitumens, rubber, sulfur, and phosphorus. Several explosions in which trichloroethylene was involved prompted an investigation by the Bureau of Mines to determine the conditions under which such accidents can occur.

Jan 1, 1963

By T. T. Read

"Education is the one thing which is unanimously regarded as valuable. The growing complexity of modern life, with its intricate organization, the manifold kinds of mechanical equipment that are used, and the constantly growing, necessity for the speedy and accurate interchange of information and ideas, make education an asset that constantly increases in value. The number of things that may profitably be known has grown so large that the field of education has been divided, and attention is often directed to only those things that are most immediately valuable. Modern educational facilities are often directed to what may be called corrective, work; the, providing of people with information that they teed in the conduct of their daily lives, but which for various reasons they have not previously had facilities for acquiring. The value of special education in the industrial world has been so thoroughly demonstrated that far-seeing managers of mining enterprises are always interested in the educational facilities existing in the community where their work is carried on.The educational facilities of a modern community may be classified in several ways. They may be divided into;1. Facilities for general education, for the purpose of increasing the whole field of knowledge of the student.2. Facilities for special education, which are intended to remedy a specific defect, or to give proficiency in some special field. This may be divided as follows;a. Training for work, intended to fit an employee to adequately perform the task assigned to him, this ranges from brief instruction by a foreman or fellow-worker up to definite training courses in which the employee dose nothing but study for a period of several weeks or months, being paid during this period a wage that may range from a nominal amount up to practically full time salary. The student's educational preparation may already be fairly advanced. Some of the manufacturers of electric machinery maintain, a school similar to that just described for graduates of engineering colleges. In other cases the only pre-requisite may be a common school education, as in the schools for operators, maintained by the telephone companies."

Apr 1, 1920

By J. Gautam, T. Ong, W. E. Wallace, M. Keane, S. Xing, J. Harrison

"INTRODUCTIONOrganics extractable from respirable diesel exhaust soot particles by organic solvents have been known for some time to be direct acting frameshift mutagens in the Ames Salmonella typhimurium histidine reversion assay (Huisingh, et al). Upon deposition in a pulmonary alveolus or respiratory bronchiole, respirable diesel soot particles will contact first the hypophase which is coated by and laden with surfactants. To model interactions of soot and pulmonary surfactant, we dispersed soots in vitro in the primary phospholipid pulmonary surfactant dipalmitoyl glycerophosphorylcholine (lecithin) (DPL) in physiological saline. We have shown that diesel soots dispersed in lecithin surfactant can express mutagenic activity, in the Ames assay system using S. typhimurium TA98, comparable to that expressed by equal amounts of soot extracted by dichloromethane/ dimethylsulfoxide (DCM/DMSO)(Wallace, et al, 1987). Here we report additional data on the same system using additional exhaust soots and also using two other phospholipids, dipalmitoyl glycerophosphoryl ethanolamine (DPPE), and dipalmitoyl phosphatidic acid (DPPA), with different ionic character hydrophilic moieties. A preliminary study of the surfactant dispersed soot in an eucaryotic cell test system also is reported.MATERIALS AND METHODSSoots D4 and D6 were collected at two different times as scrapings from the exhaust pipe of a diesel tractor-trailer immediately after the engine was stopped. Surfactant dispersions were made by ultrasonic probe sonicating 25 mg of commercially obtained DPL, DPPE, or DPPA into 1O ml of O.85% physiological sterile saline (PSS) for 10 min at 40 watts power. For surfactant dispersions, 2.5 mg soot was mixed into 2.5 ml of the appropriate phospholipid dispersion. Mixtures were sonicated by 40 watts sonicator probe for one min, then incubated in the sonicator water bath for 30 min at room temperature; the mixture was then incubated for one hour at 37C while being rotated continuously. Dilution series were made with saline. For solvent extraction, 2.5 mg soot was mixed into 2.5 ml of DCM and incubated in a sonicator water bath for 30 min at room temperature. The sample was then mixed with 2.7 ml DMSO, placed in a dry bath at 45C, and the DCM evaporated under a stream of nitrogen gas until 2.5 ml of liquid remained. Ames salmonella/microsome assay utilizing TA98 for frameshift mutation was used for mutagenicity testing, with and without S9 activation, as described by Ames et al (1975). Unfiltered sample extractions or dispersions were preincubated with tester cells for 90 min at 37C : 0.1 ml of sample was mixed with 0.5 ml of PSS, or of S9 mixture, and 0.1 ml of an overnight TA98 culture incubated samples were then added to 2 ml of top agar supplemented with biotin and a trace amount of histidine, and overlayed onto Vogel-Bonner minimal media plates. After 48 hours incubation at 37C, revertant colonies were counted. Solvent controls were DMSO, DPL, DPPE, DPPA, and saline. Positive controls were trinitrofluorenone (1 ug/plate), for samples not treated with S9, and 2-aminoanthracene for S9 treated samples (2.5 ug/plate). All samples were assayed in duplicate. Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) assay was performed, following Lett, et al (1981), using V79 cells, of Chinese hamster pulmonary fibroblast origin. Stock diesel sample suspensions were made as 10 mg soot/ml DPL suspension, or 20 mg soot/ml in DMSO. Aliquots of these soot preparations were added to 15 ml of culture medium per sample flask to result in concentrations of 25, 50, and 75 ug soot/ml medium. After 12 hours incubation, 200 ul of 25 uM 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was added to each flask. After another 35 hours incubation, 200 ul of 10 ug/ml colcemid were added; and the cells were harvested three hours later. Cells were swollen by hypotonic saline, and fixed twice with methanol/acetic acid, and burst on microscope slides. Cells on the slide were stained with Hoechst 33258, exp"

Jan 1, 1990

By R. D. Currie

Many coal companies have a system for checking men into and out of the mine , and generally such systems appear to be perfectly sound and adequate . However , when the real test comes at the time of a mine disaster , too often the system is found to have failed , and hours and sometimes days pass before it is known how many men are in the mine and who they are . Most of the systems in use , when properly maintained , are adequate for the routine work of the mine , and some of them may prove adequate at the time of a mine disaster . All systems , however , depend upon proper supervision and strict adherence to the system .

Jun 1, 1930

By E. P. Youngman

The mining laws referred to by those who furnished the reports mentioned in the preceding paragraph are : General Austrian Mining Law of 1854 and the Law of 1868 , which prescribes for Hungary (as well as for Transylvania ) the full text and decisions of the General Austrian Mining Law; Government Decree 18346 , 1859 ; Parliamentary Decree of 1861 ; the Law of 1871 ; the Commercial Code , Law 37 of 1875 ; the Industrial Lar of 1884 ; the Law of 1386 ; the Decree of the High Court of Justice , 5540 , of 1399 ; Laws 6 and 7 of 1911 ; Law of 1921 ; Laws 23 and 24 of 1922 ; Laws 5 and 21 of 1927 ; and Law 40 of 1928. ( Lev 21 of 1927 and Law 40 of 1928 are labor laws . ) A compilation of the mining laws of Hungary , " Magyar Banya Jog , " or the " Hungarian Mining Law, " was made use of in part . This volume is the second edition of a school textbook , which ras prepared by Dr. Bela Balkay and Dr. Imre Szeoke , and which was published by the Apollo Press ( V. , Sas -utca 13 , Budapest ) in 1909 .

Jun 1, 1931

By W. P. Yant, R. R. Sayers

The rather sudden increase in the use of methanol as an antifreeze for automobile radiators has caused considerable comment , with some anxiety to persons interested in industrial and public health , regarding the possible health hazard in dispensing and using the product . In view of this , the chemical industry interested in the manufacture and marketing of methanol requested the Bureau of Mines to make an impartial and extensive investigation of the hazard involved . With the assistance of the industry this investigation is now in progress and will extend throughout the present winter . When these observations are finished a complete report will be made . At present , however , the acute interest in the problem and the many inquiries that have been received from manufacturers of methanol , garage owners , the automotive industry , public health officials , and private persons demands a brief statement relative to the reasons for the recent availability of methanol for antifreeze purposes , the plan of the bureau's investigation , and the trend of the results of the investigation obtained to date .

Dec 1, 1930

By M. G. Downey

The stone resources in certain localities and the kinds of stone available often influence manufacturing companies in their choice of plant location and in possible expansion of their activities. Limestone in particular is an important raw material for many processing industries. In planning highways and public works and placing contracts therefor, the availability of aggregates and road stone is significant. On the other hand, persons who contemplate entering the stone business or opening now quarries need information as to possible competition. To meet the growing need for regional data of this type, the Bureau of Mines has compiled from its records and presents herein the location of stone quarries by States and counties and by kinds of stone. The list covers all stationary and portable commercial quarry operations whose production statistics for 1940 were reported to the Bureau of Mines but does not include undeveloped deposits and noncommercial or Government-operated quarries.

Jan 1, 1941

"Minimizing Particle Contamination During Generation of Fresh Dust for Inhalation Studies J. Abraham, MS, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University, 1995Correlating Lung Crackle Using Holographic Interferometry Ali Afshari, MS, West Virginia University, 1989Effect of Bit Wear on Dust Generation Mudassar Ahmad, MS, West Virginia University, 1992 The Effect of Surfactants on Suppression of Non-Wettable Particles Ali Alaboyun, MS, Mineral Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 1989 Geochemical Characterization of Kerogens, Shales, and Coal Refuse Associated with Allegheny Formation of Cases of Northern West Virginia Dick Andre, MS, West Virginia University, 1987Size and Mass Characterization of Airborne Particulate Matter in Underground Coal Mines Using Diesel-Powered Equipment Indranil R. Bardhan, MEM Report, The Pennsylvania State University, 1992Size and Mass Characterization of Airborne Particulate Matter in Underground Coal Mines Using Diesel-Powered Equipment I. Bardhan, R. V. Ramani, and J.M. Mutmansky, Mining Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, Final Report to the U.S. Bureau of Mines, April, 1994Particle Concentrations in a Hazelton Inhalation Chamber Shahram Bavani, MS, West Virginia University, 1985Use and Potential of Lazer Holographic Interferometry and Subsidence Model- Study of an Underground Room and Pillar Mine Richard Begley, MS, West Virginia University, 1984Development of a Mechanistic Model for Prediction of Subsidence in a Longwall Mine Richard Begley, PhD, West Virginia University, 1990Redesign of Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor Steve Behm, MS, University of Minnesota, 1991Evaluation of a Two-Phase Spray System for Dust Suppression B. Belle, MS, The Pennsylvania State University, 1996Evaluation of a Two-Phase Spray System for Dust Suppression B. Belle and R.-V. Ramani, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, Final Report, September 9, 1996A Fracture Mechanics Study of Crack Propagation Mechanism in Coal: The Mechanics of Fine Fragment Formation Z.T. Bieniawski and R. Karl Zipf, Jr., Mining Engineering Department, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. Final Report, October l, 1988A Mathematical Model for the Prediction of Ambient Dust Concentrations in Mine Atmospheres R. Bhaskar, MS, Mining Engineering and Operations Research, The Pennsylvania State University, 1984Spatial and Temporal Behavior of Dust in Mines-Theoretical and Experimental Studies –R. Bhaskar, PhD, Mining Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 1987"

Jan 1, 1998

By RUDULF KUDLICH

Pennsylvania anthracite coal is almost universally recognized to be the solid fuel best suited for domestic use when cleanliness , convenience and cost are considered . At various times and in various localities , however, conditions so affect the supply that it becomes insufficient or is too high in price and recourse must be had to other fuels as substitutes . In practically every district in the United States where anthracite has been the common domestic fuel , some other fuel is available as a substitute . In even the most severe climates such fuels are used either as emergency substitutes for anthracite , or as the ordinary domestic fuel . There may be some drawback to the use of such fuel , such as the need of more frequent attention to the furnace , smoke , soot and dust , in the case of solid fuels lower in price than anthracite , but these inconveniences must be accepted as necessary accompaniments to a decreased fuel bill . The cleanliness and ease of handling anthracite in the house must be considered in the light of a luxury and a higher cost of heating with this fuel must be expected . That a growing number of people are willing to pay for such added convenience is evident from the increasing mumber of heating installations using oil , gas and electricity , all of which are more convenient and usually more expensive even than anthracite .

Aug 1, 1923

By E. A. Barrett, L. L. Rethi, B. Fotta

Employment and accident trends of independent contractors working at coal and noncoal mines in the United States are reported. Data include employee hours and accidents, both fatal and nonfatal, from 1985 through 1994. Also noted are increases or decreases in certain accident classifications and accident rates, particularly those which have shown significant change during the ten-year period.

By M. Brnich, L. Mallett, C. Vaught, K. Kowalski

This paper discusses the data collected during an emergency evacuation training exercise at an underground mine in the United States. The focus of this paper is on the human reaction to smoke and the use of personal protective equipment. Specific issues related to the human stress response during an emergency will be discussed.

In 2006, a total of 741 nonmetal mining operations reported employment to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).1 These mines (e.g., potash, gypsum, salt) comprised 5.0% of all operations. ? Mines producing common clay comprised 25.2% (n=187) of all nonmetal mining operations. ? Nonmetal mining operations were located in all states and territories except Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Jan 1, 2008

Table 1.-Employment and injury experience at metal mines in the United States, by industry groups [ ]

Jan 1, 1967

1. The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 defines an independent contractor as "any person, partnership, corporation, subsidiary of a corporation, firm, association or other organization that contracts to perform services or construction at a mine." Contractors that perform specific types of work (e.g., shaft and slope sinking, material handling within mine property, drilling and blasting) are required to report the number of employees who perform work at coal mines and at metal and nonmetal mines.

May 1, 2003

By A. J. Hudson, M. R. Yenchek

Faulty insulators on mine trolley/track haulageways may allow the flow of leakage currents into the mine roof and ultimately result in combustion of the local roof material. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (PRL), has devised a passive means to detect overheating insulators on direct current systems. The detector consists of a spring-loaded cartridge that ejects a reflective streamer of white Teflon tape when subjected to elevated temperatures. The cartridge assembly can be easily installed over the outer metallic shell of an existing trolley line insulator. If an insulator overheats due to ground leakage currents, the visible streamer alerts mine personnel traveling on the haulageway.