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By Larry Joe Linley

The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines is reviewing explosion protection methods for use in gassy coal mines. This performance criteria guideline is an evaluation of three explosion protection methods of machines electrically powered with voltages up to 15 000 volts AC. A sufficient amount of basic research has been accomplished to verify that the explosion-proof and pressurized enclosure methods can provide adequate explosion protection with the present state of the art up to 15 000 volts AC. The routine application of the potted enclosure as a stand alone protection method requires further investigation or development in order to clarify performance criteria and verification-certification requirements. An extensive literature search, a series of high voltage tests, and a design evaluation of the three explosion protection methods performed at White Sands Test Facility indicates that the explosion-proof, pressurized, and potted enclosures can all be used to enclose up to 15 000 volts AC, if the performance criteria and verification-certification requirements recommended in this guideline are implemented.

Jan 1, 1982

This report presents the results of reconnaissance-level investigations of the mill refuse disposal systems for 15 plants throw-heat the conterminous United States. The sites visited represent a cress section f the copper, iron, lead and zinc, and phosphate industries' practices in the field of fine-grained refuse disposal. The reconnaissance-level investigations were carried out to gather supplemental data to tae in-depth studies of Kennecott's Magma and Phelps Dodge's Morenci tailings deposits and Kennecott's Chino leaching dump. The various sites visited were classified according to the different systems and techniques used by the mining industry. The probable effects and relationships between site conditions and disposal methods were determined and evaluated to the extent feasible by a reconnaissance level investigation.

Jan 1, 1974

This chapter summarizes data on crude mineral production for the United States, its island possessions, and the Common-wealth of Puerto Rico. Included also are tables that show the principal mineral commodities exported from and imported into the United States, and that compare world and U.S. mineral production. Except for the mineral fuel commodities, the detailed data from which these tables were derived are contained in the individual commodity chapters of volume I and in the State chapters of volume II of this edition of the Minerals Yearbook. In October 1977, responsibility for the collection of data on mineral fuels-coal, petroleum, natural gas, and natural gas liquids-was transferred to the newly created Department of Energy. Although chapters covering these commodities will no longer appear in Volume I of the Minerals Yearbook, quantity and value data have been included in most of these summary tables to maintain statistical consistency in State and national value of overall crude mineral output. This shift in responsibility has also resulted in changes to the composition of the "Nonmetals" and "Mineral Fuels" groups in table 1 and table 2. The commodities-asphalt and related bitumens (natural), carbon dioxide (natural), helium, and peat-have been removed from the "Mineral Fuels" group, and are now included under the "Nonmetals" group. There has been no change in the components of the "Metals" group.

Jan 1, 1980

By Patricia R. Devine

This appendix documents the mathematical approach to deriving the components of change presented in this report. The formulation closely follows that contained in Chapter IV of the documentation for the BEA 1977 Input-Output Tables.' The basic elements for the calculations include the "use" matrix (U), the "make" matrix (M), and any of the ten columns of final demand (generically represented by the symbol y). The use matrix contains information about changes in the technological processes of production, while the make matrix describes the nature of secondary product production in each industry. We adhere to BEA conventions in maintaining careful distinctions between commodity output (c) and industry output (x). The industry-by-industry 1-0 tables supplied by NYU for use in this analysis are square matrices, with the number of commodities and the number of industries both equal to 85. The BLS table for 1982 (commodity by industry) was aggregated and adjusted to be consistent with the earlier tables. The three basic steps for estimating components of change proceed as follows for each column of final demand. 1) Calculate the actual change in output of each commodity for each of the four time periods: 1963-72, 1972-77, 1977-82, and 1963-82.

Jan 1, 1988

By John E. Conley

The need for lightweight aggregate for use in concrete products ,and structures has caused the Bureau of Mines to undertake an investigation to determine the availability of suitable raw materials and to study methods, procedures, and equipment to supply that need. Evidence is at hand to prove that the shortage of lightweight aggregate is nationwide. A survey recently covered in a report (13)5/ by the Construction Branch of the National Housing Agency has pointed out the locations in which lightweight aggregates are produced. A study of this information discloses that the producing centers are widespread, and that certain areas, notably the region east of the Mississippi River, and especially the sections along the Atlantic coast line and the Southeastern States, have only a few such plants. Certainly, many localities are badly in need of installations equipped to provide an ample supply of high-grade lightweight aggregate. The work undertaken by the Bureau of Mines includes investigation of the use of clays, shales, slate wastes, coal-mine wastes, diatomite-clay combinations, and various other 'mineral mixtures as possible raw materials. Likewise, special consideration has been given to the development' of equipment and techniques to produce the lightweight products.

Jan 1, 1949

By Michael J. Beus

This Bureau of Mines report describes the development of load cells for measuring compressive loads in timber and lock-bolt support systems commonly used in. coal; metal, and nonmetal mines Design and evaluation is covered in detail to insure a reliable, accurate, and practical instrumentation scheme. The load cells are relatively inexpensive and adaptable to various size support systems. User-oriented procedures are emphasized, and design equations were reduced to a series of nomographs. Laboratory evaluation, destructive testing, environmental testing, and tests to determine the effect of extraneous loads were conducted. Field performance was evaluated in conjunction with ongoing Bureau projects at a metal mine in North Idaho and a coal mine in Utah. Load cells utilizing a titanium alloy as the cell body and weldable strain gages as the strain-sensing components satisfied the basic design and performance criteria, and with minor design modifications, the load cells can be adapted to many mining applications.

Jan 1, 1974

By Charles P. Lazzara, Alex C. Smith, Richard W. Pro, Mark W. Ryan

The U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted a study to determine if commercially available automatic sprinklers could withstand the high static pressures in deep underground coal mines without leaking and if exposure to the mine environment affected their leak pressures. New sprinklers and sprinklers exposed to the mine environment were subjected to increasing pressures until leakage occurred. The average leak pressures of the new sprinklers ranged from 640 to 2,300 psig and were significantly different for sprinklers from different manufacturers and for different types of sprinklers. Different for sprinklers from different manufacturers and for different types of sprinklers. Generally, standard-response sprinklers withstood higher pressures than fast-response sprinklers. The results indicated that most commercially available sprinklers would withstand the high static pressures in deep underground coal mines; however, they would not provide the same reliability and safety factor as sprinklers used aboveground at or below their rated pressure of 175 psig. The average leak pressures of the sprinklers exposed to the mine environment ranged from 740 to 1,180 psig. The mine environment affected the ability of 66% of the sprinklers to withstand high static pressure New sprinklers were also evaluated at pressures of at least 500 psig for 30 days to determine their ability to withstand long-term exposure to high static pressures; no leakage was observed.

Jan 1, 1993

By Motohisa Kanda

The time and amplitude statistics necessary to adequately describe electromagnetic (FM) noise in mines are illustrated through computer software techniques. They are 1) Allan Variance Analyses (AVA), 2) Interpulse Spacing Distributions (ISD), 3) Pulse Duration Distributions (PDD), 4) Average Crossing Rates (ACR), and S) Amplitude Probability Distributions (APD). These statistics are illustrated using data taken from a rather large store of raw analog data recorded in operational mines. The curves generated for the illustrations characterize the noise environment in the mines from which the corresponding data were taken, and should aid in the design of reliable communication systems for such mines.

Jan 1, 1974

By J. Bruce Clemmer

In the experimental concentration of Vermont talc-magnesite ores, talc concentrates and tailings rich in magnesite were obtained. On account of the possible market value of the magnesite, the tailings are given consideration' in this report along with the talc. After some comments about the talc industry, the magnesite that accrued as tailings will be considered. Then the flotation results will follow.

Jan 1, 1936

By R. A. Welsh

The Bureau of Mines has developed a photoelectric concentrator apparatus which is capable of collecting incremental products from the discharge of wet concentrating tables. The instrument uses photoelectric cells as sensors to differentiate between two products which have differences in color or reflectivity. The photocells provide a signal that controls a mobile splitting device that separates the products. Tests conducted on a wet table demonstrated the ability of the apparatus to separate a product containing 81.5 percent pyrite from a lower-grade product containing only 68.8 percent pyrite. The photoelectric concentrator should have a broad application for collecting concentrates with visible color or reflectivity differences from wet concentrating tables.

Jan 1, 1972

By L. G. Marshall

This report describes dredging and processing of sand and gravel from a glacial-fluvial deposit in the Raccoon River valley near West Des Moines, Iowa. Preliminary cleaning and separation of the sand and gravel at the dredge site with subsequent transportation to separate plants and the production and disposal of the various grades of aggregate material are also described. The geology of the deposit is summarized. A tabulated summary of costs in units of labor, power, and supplies is included.

Jan 1, 1963

By Jonathan Ludlow

This document is the final report of a study aimed at defining the relative contributions of various sources of respirable airborne dust on longwall faces. In order to define the contribution of various primary sources, continuous dust level data were recorded on five longwalls for an average of five shifts at each. By analysis of these data with records of face activity, it was possible to determine the overall contribution of each of the major elements of the longwall system to overall respirable dust exposure at various face locations. Average levels were determined for roof support generated dust, conveyor and intake dust and for dust levels during various shearer activities. When average levels are compared between mines, a significant degree of consistency is noted. The next phase of the study was aimed at differentiating the various dust sources associated with the shearer. To this end 'fly cuts' varying from 6 in. to 30 in. were closely monitored as were dust levels at operators' positions over the various segments of longwall cycle. These data indicated that the clearance ring of the shearer drum as a disproportionately heavy contributor to shearer dust make. A statistical analysis of the effect of shearer haulage speed on dust make revealed that high haulage speeds are associated with low specific dust make.

Jan 1, 1983

By Chi-Mun Song, Seok-Hyun Choi, Seok-In Hong, Han-Kee Jang

Accurate measurement and evaluation of hand-transmitted vibration from a power tool is an important issue for tool manufacturers, because they are obliged to develop low-hazard power tools for workers. The International Standard ISO 5349(1) dictates a systematic procedure for the measurement and evaluation of hand-transmitted vibration. However, the uncertainty in this measurement is too large for manufacturers to apply such data to the design and modification of power tools. There can be several sources of this uncertainty in such measurements; e.g., operator-dependent, power tool-dependent, and operational conditions (see Table 1). For a manufacturer to characterize the exposure of a power tool’s use to a given level of vibration, the relationship between these uncertainty factors and the measured vibration must be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effect of several factors on the uncertainty in measurements. [ ] Methods In this study, some of the factors in Table 1 were selected for examination, and their effect on the measured variation was quantitatively investigated. Three tools from the same manufacturer were sampled at random in our experiments, and each of five of the same type of insert (disks or tips) was installed into each tool. Although each of the tools and inserts were of the same design and were made by the same production process, they differed from one to another, which can be a source of the variation in the measured vibration. Three human subjects participated in our experiments, which were carried out as stated in ISO 5349. The subjects were asked to maintain their posture, and the applied force was kept as constant as possible. The applied force was monitored using an indirect method, where vibration energy was displayed in real time during the experiment using a three-axis accelerometer attached to the work piece at a specified point. The appropriate range of the applied force was predetermined to cover the range of real work operations. The engineering tolerance between the inner diameter of a grit disk and the outer diameter of the tool shaft leads to an eccentricity of the mass at the center of the disk. The degree of eccentricity varies with installation, and this is another source of uncertainty. In our study, the effect of this eccentricity was investigated by carrying out repeated assembly and disassembly of an insert.

Jan 6, 2006

By Jerry E. Olson

In 1984, the U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted a mineral survey of the Pahute Peak Wilderness Study Area (WSA) (NV-020-621), which covers 57,529 acres in Humboldt County, NV. About 90 percent of the WSA is underlain by Tertiary volcanic and shallow intrusive rocks. Of the remainder, metasedimentary rocks of unknown age are in contact with Cretaceous intrusive rocks in the northwest corner of the WSA. The entire WSA is within an upthrown fault block of the Basin and Range physiographic province. Portions of the WSA, especially south of Pahute Peak (Big Mountain), may be part of an eroded caldera structure. No mines or evidence of major exploration were identified within the WSA. Workings in Copper Canyon, claim blocks along the northwest boundary, and zones of anomalous character as defined by the Bureau of Land Management were examined. No mineral resources were identified, but sample results indicate three significantly mineralized sites, one with indications for zinc skarns in Copppr Canyon, another favorable for precious metals 2 miles south of Copper Canyon, and another area near the northwest boundary with geologic conditions characteristic of molybdenum deposits. Further investigation of these sites is warranted. Petrified wood is present in small amounts near the west central range front.

Jan 1, 1986

By C. H. Riggs

This petroleum-engineering study of the Healdton oil field in Carter County, Okla., describes the geology and production history of that field and estimates the oil reserves that could be produced by efficient secondary-recovery methods. The Healdton field, in western Carter County approximately 20 miles west of Ardmore, Okla., was discovered in 1913 and was one of the early important oil-producing areas in the State. Although the volume of oil recovered from the Healdton sands has been comparatively high, studies show that a large reserve remains in the pressure-depleted sand, which can be recovered by efficient water-flood operations. In making this study of the Healdton-sand reservoir, the writers utilized many data already available in company and Government offices. Most of the fluid samples were collected by Bureau of Mines personnel and analyzed in the Bureau's laboratories at Bartlesville, Okla.; but other data, including logs, core analyses, and production records, were obtained from outside sources. These data were examined critically but were not verified, and possible errors in the original data may be reflected in the conclusions. In this study, attempts were made to consider only those aspects of the available information that would contribute to a clear and concise engineering report on the Healdton-sand reservoir. Other phases of the data, as well as those concerning associated reservoirs, were eliminated from consideration as being irrelevant to the particular problem. Cores and drill cuttings of the Healdton sands were analyzed and studied to determine the nature of the reservoir rocks. Analyses of samples of produced oil, water, and gas were studied to fix the different types, the limits of their occurrence, and the suitability of different waters for injection into the Healdton sands. Records of oil, gas, and water produced and of gas and water injected were studied to interpret the production behavior of the field and of certain individual leases. Theoretical calculations were made to predict the probable water-flood behavior and oil recovery, at constant water-injection rates, for individual sands on two leases.

Jan 1, 1953

By Donald B. Lindsay

A new concept was proposed for a personal warning device for use by miners who may be exposed to health hazards from inhalation of alpha-emitting radionuclides, especially radon-222 and its short-lived daughters. Two successive prototype models of the proposed instrument were designed, fabricated and tested. The Personal Alpha Alarm, in its final form, weighs less than 90 g (3 ounces), and can easily he mounted on a miner's safety cap. It is powered r, by electricity drawn from the cap-lamp battery, and consumes less than 100 n A at 4VDC. It is entirely passive and has no moving parts. Alpha-radiation originating in the air around it is detected by a 5 cm2-area semiconductor-type sensor that was developed especially for this purpose. The presence of alpharadiation in the air is communicated to the wearer by means of a small flashing light-a light-emitting diode-clipped to the brim of the safety cap. When the intensity of alpha-radiation exceeds a predetermined threshold, the flashing mode changes to a continuous illumination, thus providing an alarm signal to the wearer. Because the detector senses all alpha-emitters in the air, including 222Rn, it is not able to measure Working Levels accurately. For its intended purpose, however, which is to give a timely warning of excessive levels (several times the normal control level) of radon and/or radon daughters in an individual's air environment, the Personal Alpha Alarm is expected to be a useful instrument.

Jan 1, 1978

By Claud Johnson, G. Roger Miller, Kristine M. Krajnak, Stacey Waugh, Oliver Wirth

Workers exposed to vibrating hand tools are at risk of developing symptoms such as cold-induced vasospasms, loss of tactile sensitivity, and loss of grip strength in the fingers and hands. These symptoms are known collectively as vibration white finger (VWF) or hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Symptoms of VWF or HAVS are in part due to repeated and prolonged peripheral vasoconstriction[1, 2]. The reduction in blood flow that occurs with vasoconstriction can result in oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) in soft tissues, such as nerves and muscle, and lead to functional and structural changes in these tissues. The present study examined muscle tissue to determine if vibration-induced changes in transcript levels and protein concentrations result in enhanced vasoconstriction and hypoxia. Manual dexterity was also assessed intermittently to determine if vibration-induced changes in cellular factors are accompanied by performance deficits. Methods An animal model was developed to study the biological and functional changes that occur in response to repeated segmental vibration exposures. In this model, the right paw of intact rats was exposed to a platform vibrated at a frequency 250 Hz and amplitude of 49 m/s2 to simulate the vibration characteristics of hand-held grinders. Three groups of 8 rats each were studied: a vibration-exposed group, an exposure-control group, and a cage-control group. Exposure sessions, with or without vibration, were conducted 4 hr/day, 5 days/week for 5 weeks. Manual dexterity was assessed intermittently during the 5-week exposure period with the Montoya stair-case test[3], which quantifies the rat’s ability to reach for, grasp, and retrieve small food pellets placed below the rat on different levels or steps. Following the 5-week exposure period, the flexor muscles of the right forelimb were collected for analysis of gene expression, protein concentrations, and immunohistochemistry. Results Vibration-exposure resulted in an approximate 2-fold increase in the expression of a2C and a1D receptor transcripts in flexor muscles (Figure 1). These receptors mediate norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction in smaller arteries. Vibration-exposure also resulted in an approximate 2-fold increase in hypoxia-induced factor-1a (HIF-1a), a transcription factor that is expressed in response to tissue hypoxia. Western analyses demonstrated that restraint caused a decrease in a1-receptor protein concentrations in the flexor, but vibration-exposure prevented the restraint-induced reduction (Figure 2). Immunohistochemistry performed on flexor muscles (not shown) demonstrated that a1 receptors are primarily located in arteries; maintained levels of these receptors could contribute to prolonged vasoconstriction following repeated vibration exposure. The staircase test showed some performance improvement, or a training effect, in manual dexterity for the control groups but not the vibration-exposed group (Figure 3).

Jan 6, 2006

By N. Grosland, G. Kopp, T. Hunstad, D. Wilder, M. Contratto, S. Rahmatalla, T. Xia

Chronic whole-body vibration exposure, as expected in large construction and mining vehicles, has been associated with neck and back pain and injury.1 While work has been done towards gaining a better understanding of the relationship between vibration and shock and muscle activity of the back musculature2, relatively little information regarding the activity of neck, shoulder and upper arm muscles is known. Today’s equipment designs must conform to domestic and international standards, however these standards do not specifically address the vibration exposure in the head and upper quarter. Further it is not well known how the control configuration within a vehicle (e.g. steering wheel versus arm controls) influences muscle voluntary and reflex activity levels. Greater muscle activity may lead to greater muscle fatigue – which in turn may be associated with greater risk of injury.2 Thus, muscle contractions needed to maintain static postures as well as those resulting reflexively should be considered during an analysis of seating position. Unfortunately, little is known regarding the influence of arm position on head and neck muscle function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative muscle activities of 5 neck, shoulder, and upper arm muscles during riding simulations of large construction equipment, using three different arm control options. Methods Five typical heavy equipment ride files were “played back” through a man-rated Servo Test 6-degree of freedom (dof) vibration system. Each ride was repeated using 3 seat and control configurations (steering wheel (SW), floor mounted arm-rest controls (FM), seat mounted arm-rest controls (SM)). Two trials were performed for each ride and seat control combination (each trial: 60 sec of 6-dof and 60 sec of vertical vibration). Five channels of surface electromyography (EMG) of the right-side cervical erector spinae muscles (neck extensors), sternocleidomastoid (neck flexor), upper trapezius (shoulder elevator), biceps brachii (elbow flexor) and triceps brachii (elbow extensor) muscles were collected throughout each ride (~ 2min) using pre-amplified (10x), 1 cm silver bar electrodes, with 1 cm fixed inter-electrode distances (Delsys, Inc). Further analog amplification was set at 10k (1k for one subject), and sampled at 1000Hz using a 12-bit DAQ card and Labview 7.1 software (National Instruments). A total of 7 right-handed male subjects were tested, but only 5 had complete EMG data sets to analyze for this sub-study. EMG was analyzed using root mean square (RMS, in mV) of 20 ms moving windows, and then averaged across the entire trial for a measure of mean total muscle activity (voluntary and reflexive). The muscle activity to maintain the static posture was estimated as the mean RMS EMG over a 1 sec interval just prior to and/or after completion of the ride. Repeated Measures ANOVAs were used to test for with-in subject differences using a = 0.05.

Jan 6, 2006

By A. Salmoni, E. K. Gillin, T. Eger, A. Cann, P. Vi, M. Hunt

Kittusamy (Kittusamy & Buchholz, 2004) state that there have been few studies conducted to assess exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) in the construction industry. They suggest that there is very little reliable data from the construction industry that characterizes exposure levels to various hazards including WBV or the health outcomes from such exposure and that there is a need for more exposure data. In a recent exploratory study of heavy construction equipment Cann (Cann, Salmoni, Vi, & Eger, 2003) looked at vibration levels for 14 different types of construction equipment. Eight of the 14 pieces of equipment tested exposed operators to levels of WBV that exceeded the recommended limits for an 8-hour period when comparing the measured VDV to the ISO 2631-1 standards. The purpose of the present research was not only to test a larger number of scrapers but also to investigate scraper operator exposure to whole body vibration (WBV) separately for each task. Methods 33 scrapers were evaluated for WBV in a variety of residential and road construction projects. Testing equipment consisted of triaxial accelerometers that allowed vibration data collection in all three orthogonal axes, with the x-axis positioned to measure vibration in the anterior-posterior direction, the y-axis in the medial-lateral direction, and the z-axis in the vertical direction. Root mean square accelerations (aRMS), vibration dose value (VDV), crest factor, and maximum transient vibration values (MTVV) were derived from this software and exported to an Excel™ spreadsheet for later data analysis. Test sessions for each piece of equipment lasted for approximately 20 minutes until at least three work cycles had been completed. Tasks included: idling while waiting for a bulldozer to push the scraper through the scraping phase, scraping, traveling loaded with dirt, dumping and traveling empty. Results Task breakdown by time reveals 25% of the work cycle was spent traveling fully loaded with dirt, 19% dumping, 21% traveling unloaded, 17% idling and 18% scraping. Calculation of aRMS vector sums gave values of 2.55 m/s2 during loaded transport, 2.46 m/s2 during dumping, 2.31 m/s2 during unloaded travel, 0.55 m/s2 during idling and 1.46 m/s2 during scraping (see Table 1). The highest acceleration values recorded were found in the z-axis during fully loaded transport reaching an average aRMS over three work cycles of 2.55 m/s2.

Jan 6, 2006

The Tenth International Conference of Directors of Safety in Mines Research was held in the United States from September 28 through October 2, 1959, at Hotel Webster Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa. The Conference was organized by the Federal Bureau of Mines. In accord with the program outlined at the Ninth Conference (1956, Heerlen, Holland), the papers submitted dealt with the following three subjects: 1. Safety of coal mine explosives 2. Explosion hazards in mines 3. Ignition and fires in mines Seventy papers were presented. There were eight technical sessions followed by an extended tour of the Bruceton facility of the Bureau of Mines on October 2. Simultaneous translation was provided in the three official languages of the Conference--English, French, and German.

Jan 1, 1962