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By John Hays Hammond, James Douglas, J. PARKE CHAN- NING, W. R. Ingalls, J. R. Finlay

The committee making this report, consisting of Walter Renton Ingalls (chairman), J. Parke Channing, James Douglas, James R. Finlay, and John Hays Hammond, was originally appointed at a meeting of the American Mining Congress at Denver, Colo., in No- vember, 1906. The object of this appointment was the drafting of a modern law governing quarrying and metalliferous mining which could be recommended to the several States for adoption, in the hope that the passage of such a uniform law by the mining States would tend to lower the number of fatal and serious accidents. The first step of the committee (the personnel of which has re- mained unchanged from the beginning) was to procure copies of existing laws from the officials of the several States of the Union. With the assistance of the Engineering and Mining Journal, copies of the laws of Great Britain, the Transvaal, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and certain European countries were also obtained. The replies to the inquiries made at that time developed the fact that a number of States in which mining was carried on had no laws at all. Other States were found to have elaborate provisions regulating coal min- ing, but none applying to metalliferous mining. Still other States were found to have miscellaneous and unrelated provisions passed at odd times, seemingly as the result of the occurrence of some dis- aster or other.

Jan 1, 1915

By John C. Edwards, Gene F. Friel, John J. Opferman, Robert A. Franks

A series of diesel fuel fire experiments were conducted in the Pittsburgh Research Center's Safety Research Coal Mine (SRCM) to determine products-of-combustion (POC) spread rates along a single entry under zero imposed airflow conditions. Six experiments with an average fire intensity of 330 kW and three experiments with an average fire intensity of 30 kW were conducted in a 1 80 m long entry which had an average 2 m height and 4 m width. POC spread rates were measured by the response time of diffusion type CO detectors, positioned at 30 m intervals, to CO concentrations 5 ppm above ambient. For the 330 kW fires, average POC spread rates of 0.22, 0.13, and 0.06 m/s were determined at 30.60, and 90 m distances from the fire. For the 30 kW fires these average spread rates were reduced to 0.08, 0.04, and 0.04 m/s. The measured maximum roof layer temperature 30 m from two of the 330 kW fire was 30 and 36"C, which is less than the 57°C alarm point of a typical mine thermal sensor. It was determined that smoke detectors can be more effective for mine fire detection than CO detectors. The experimentally determined POC spread rates can be used to provide guidance for specification of sensor spacing to improve early fire detection at zero or very low air flows.

By J. J. Rutledge, C. A. Herbert

In 1916 the Bureau of Mines, the Illinois Geological Survey, and the University of Illinois, working under a cooperative agreement, began an investigation of the subsidence of the surface above coal- mining operations. Four widely separated places where mining was in progress were selected as observation stations-one in the northern Illinois longwall coal field, one in the central Illinois coal field where the room-and- pillar panel system of mining was being used, and two in the thick coal of southern Illinois where the room-and-pillar panel system of mining was employed. These four points of mining activity gave a rather wide opportunity for observing subsidence when different mining methods were used. The four places selected for investigation of surface subsidence due to coal mining have been designated as follows: 1. A, in the northern Illinois longwall coal field, where the coal company has been operating coal mines for 30 years and where long- wall advancing is the only method of mining. 2. B, in Perry County, where panel room-and-pillar mining of a thick seam of coal is in progress and where mining operations have been carried on about 40 years. 3. C, in Macoupin County, where the coal company has been min- ing coal by the panel room-and-pillar method for about 15 years. 4. D, in Franklin County, where the coal company has been mining coal for 10 years by the panel room-and-pillar method.

Jan 1, 1927

The Navajo Nation is the largest Indian tribe in the United States and occupies a reservation encompassing about 16 million acres in northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico, with three satellite reservations in western and west-central New Mexico. Coal mining is conducted on a commercial scale at four large surface mines: two are in northeastern Arizona and the other two are in western and northwestern New Mexico. The principal coal-bearing region in Arizona is the Black Mesa coal field, which underlies about 3,200 square miles in the northeastern part of the state. The Black Mesa coal field lies within the boundaries of the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations and makes a significant contribution to the economies of both tribes. Coal reserves in this field are estimated to be 352 million tons, less than one-tenth of one percent of U.S. coal reserves. This coal was first mined by prehistoric Indians as fuel for cooking and heating. It has been estimated that the Indians removed more than 100,000 tons between 1300 and 1600 A.D. The coal-bearing region of the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico is located in the San Juan Basin. The Navajo Mine, which supplies coal for the Four Comers Power Plant, is located in this area. The Office of Surface Mining's Albuquerque, New Mexico, Field Office is responsible for regulating mining and reclamation on Navajo land. The Navajo Abandoned Mine Land Program was approved May 16,1988.

Jan 1, 1992

"In sum, significant benefits to mine worker health have resulted and should continue to result from the synergistic scientific, engineering, and medical research in respirable dust. As always, an important objective is the rapid dissemination of the results of this research to industry. Video tapes and the Technology News series published by the United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) have been a very effective means of technology transfer. Individual no-cost subscriptions to the Technological News series are available from the Bureau of Mines, Branch of Technology Transfer, 2401 E St., N.W. Washington, DC, 20241.Two respirable dust conferences have been jointly sponsored by the Center, USBM, NIOSH, and MSHA. The proceedings from these conferences are titled:1. Coal Mine Dust Conference held in Morgantown, West Virginia on October 8-10, 1984 and2. Respirable Dust in the Mineral Industries: Health Effects, Characterization and Control held in University Park, Pa. on October 14-16, 1986.Copies of the proceedings from the first conference are available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS):National Technical Information Service5285 Port Royal RoadSpringfield, VA 22161NTIS # PB86-169380Telephone Number: (703)487-4650Copies of the second conference proceedings, ISBN: 0-936712-76-7 (publication #3010), are available from ACGIH by writing toWilliam D. KelleyExecutive Director, A.C.G.I.H.6500 Glenway Avenue, Building D-FCincinnati, Ohio 45211Telephone Number: (513)661-7881During the period 1984-1987 more than sixty-four (64) papers and publications have been produced by the Center researchers. These publications have appeared in scientific journals and have been presented at national and international symposiums and meetings. A list of these papers, organized by topical headings, has been included in this publication.The generic center maintains a reference center that serves as a clearinghouse for technical information for the generic area and supplies reports on generic center accomplishments."

Nov 1, 1988

By Fred C. Turin, Sean Gallagher, Kim M. Cornelius, William J. Wiehagen

An important part of initiating a site-wide ergonomics evaluation process is prioritizing jobs to be analyzed. While injury data is important, other factors such as worker discomfort and physical exertion requirements, should be considered. This paper describes the use of four sources of data (injury records, the Nordic Standardized Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, supervisor interviews, and management concerns) to prioritize jobs for ergonomic analysis. The approach described integrates the four sources using a decision matrix to prioritize jobs for ergonomics analysis.

By H. W. Gillett

This bulletin is issued by the Bureau of Mines as a contribution to the increase of safety and efficiency in the preparation and utilization of the mineral resources in the United States. Notable among the drains on these resources are the demands made by the nonferrous- metal industries, and in these the losses occasioned in melting brass and bronze are worthy of particular attention. This statement will be better appreciated by a consideration of the size of the brass industry.

Jan 1, 1914

By John C. Machisak

THE INJURY data and related employment experience of the coking industry in the United States for 1955 arc presented in this publication under the following general sections: (A) General Injury experience: Tables 1 to 9: Contain current and comparable data on operating statistics, number and classification of injuries, injury-frequency rates, and accident agencies involved in causing injuries. Data are tabulated for the industry as a whole, for each typo of oven: and for the States in which coke is produced.

Jan 1, 1958

By T. A. Klinefelter, R. G. Meara

N/A

Mar 1, 1943

By F. W. Woodman

N/A

Feb 1, 1943

By R. V. Ramani, R. Bhaskar

One of the primary means of .control of health hazards from respirable contaminants in mine atmospheres is through design and operation of mines to meet mine health and safety regulations and recommended practices. A U.S. National Academy of Sciences study concluded that for significant progress in coal mine dust control, research should be directed more toward obtaining fundamental understanding of the origin, transport and characteristics of respirable coal mine dust. Theoretical and experimental studies on transport of dust in mine airways, particularly coordinated efforts to validate theory with practice, are scarce. Some empirical models, developed on the basis of experimental data, are available but these models cannot be applied to new .conditions. The purpose of this paper· is to present the results of theoretical and experimental studies on the transport and deposition of dust in mine airways. This study is a part of an on-going research project in the Generic Mineral Technology Center on Respirable Dust. In the paper, the assumptions of the modeling phase of the project and the development of a convection-diffusion equation for dust transport in mine airways will be outlined. The important aspect of the modeling effort.is the capture of the deposition phenomenon. The experiments performed under controlled conditions in a typical mine airway as well as under normal mine operating conditions will be discussed. The comparison of the model predictions ·with experimental results will be made to identify critical areas of agreements and deviations. The implications of the findings and areas for further research and development will be identified.

Jan 1, 1990

By K. L. Cashdollar

A project to evaluate the South African bagged stone dust explosion barrier was successfully completed at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH), Pittsburgh Research Laboratory's (PRL), Lake Lynn Experimental Mine (LLEM) during the period November 1999 through May 2000. The tests were conducted in a three- entry section of the LLEM. Two types of explosions were used to evaluate the distributed and concentrated bagged barrier performance in a multi-entry mine section. The fuel zone of the first explosion type was only in the center B-drift. In the second explosion type, coal and stone dust mixtures were place in all three drifts. A total of six explosions, including two baseline and four barrier evaluation explosions, were conducted. Of the four barrier explosions, the distributed and concentrated barriers were each evaluated against the two explosion types. For these explosion tests, the distributed barrier extended from about 74 to 170 m and the concentrated barrier from about 74 to 104 m in B-drift. The distributed barrier successfully stopped flame propagation in both types of explosion tests. The flame extended further for the explosion tests where the dust was loaded in all three entries compared with dust loaded only in the center entry% but in both cases the flame was stopped within the barrier zone. The concentrated barrier was also successful in stopping flame propagation m both explosion tests. From the full-scale experimental mine test results, it can be concluded that both bagged barrier designs were effective in stopping coal dust explosions in the multiple entries of the LLEM.

By R. Karl Zipf

Use of Salamon's stability criterion in underground mine design can prevent the occurrence of catastrophic domino-type pillar failure. Evaluating the criterion requires computation of the local mine stiffness and knowledge of the post failure behavior of pillars. This paper summarizes the status of the practical use of this important criterion and suggests important research to improve our capabilities. Analytical and numerical methods are used to compute the local mine stiffness. Work to date in computing local mine stiffness relies mainly on elastic continuum models. Further work might investigate local mine stiffness in a discontinuous rock mass using alternative numerical methods. Existing post failure data for coal pillars are summarized, and a simple relationship for determining the postfailure modulus and stiffness of coal pillars is proposed. Little actual postfailure data for noncoal pillars are available; however, numerical models can provide an estimate of post failure stiffness. Important factors controlling postfailure stiffness of rock pillars include the postfailure modulus of the material, end conditions, and width-to-height ratio. Studies show that the nature of the failure process after strength is exceeded can be predicted with numerical models using Salamon's stability criterion; therefore, a method exists to decrease the risk of this type of catastrophic failure. However, the general lack of good data on the postfailure behavior of actual mine pillars is a major obstacle. Additional back-analyses of failed and stable case histories in conjunction with laboratory testing and numerical modeling are essential to improve our ability to apply the stability criterion.

Jan 5, 1999

By W. H. Ode, W. A. Selvig

Investigations have shown interesting relationships between primary-tar and light-oil yields and chemical analyses of coals. These studies have been based largely upon results published by the Bureau of Mines in connection with its survey of the gas-, coke-, and byproduct-making properties of American coals. This paper gives the results of a similar correlation in which the range in rank and type has been extended to include nearly all classes of coal, the object being to determine relationships that are significant in predicting tar and light-oil yields from chemical analyses of coals. The yields of primary tar and light oil are important in two fields of coal utilization, namely, combustion and carbonization. It is generally recognized that the principal cause of smoke produced upon burning coal is incomplete combustion of tar and light-oil vapor released during burning. The greater the tar and light-oil yields of a coal, the greater is its potential smoke-producing property. During the present war, development of new sources of fuel oil has been emphasized, especially where the supply of petroleum products is limited. One possible source of a substitute fuel is the tar and light oil that can be obtained by low-temperature carbonization of coal. In both England and Germany large quantities of low-temperature tar and oil are being processed as a source of liquid fuels. It is obvious that primary-tar and light-oil yields are of paramount importance in the selection of coals for such use.

Mar 1, 1944

By Vernom F. Swanson, George E. Fish

A study was made during 1959-60 of reported nelsonite occurrences in Nelson and Amherst Counties, Va. The investigation was limited to core drill- ing on one deposit and beneficiation studies on three deposits. Three diamond-drill holes totaling 562 feet were drilled on the E. M. Hughes property to determine subsurface continuity. Although outcrops as much as 30 feet wide were present on this property, the only nelsonite intersected in the holes ranged from 4 to 18 inches thick. The ilmenite content of the core ranged from 50 to 75 percent. These nelsonite deposits are of secondary importance as a source of titanium, being small, rarely exceeding 1,500 feet in length and 30 feet in width, but they are high grade. Due to the proximity of some of the bodies it might be possible to mine several of them as one operation feeding one mill. Electromagnetic separation on composited samples recovered 83.0 percent of the Tio as an ilmenite concentrate in 68.5 percent of the weight. Two flotation procedures were developed. The first method, using oleic acid as a collector and fluo silicic acid as an apatite depressant on deslimed feed, produced an overall recovery of 59.3 percent in batch tests. The second procedure eliminated desliming. Laurylamine hydrochloride removed silicates in an acid pulp followed by an alkaline apatite flotation with oleic acid as the collector and dextrine as the ilmenite depressant. The ilmenite-rich tailing represented a 66.2-percent recovery of Tio in the batch tests.

Jan 1, 1964

By Thomas H. Dubaniewicz, Gerald R. Cucci, Gregory M. Green, Kenneth L. Cashdollar

New types of industrial instruments use fiber-coupled law energy to power remote serum. Fiber-optic based instruments are useful in classified (hazardous) locations found in many industrial plants because the fiber provides a natural barrier against accidental electrical discharge into potentially explosive atmospheres. However, current safety standards do not cover the use of laser-powered fiber-optic instruments in potentially explosive environments such as found in coal mines. The U. S. Bureau of Mines began an investigation of laser-powered fiber-optic instruments in explosive atmospheres in support of the standards-making process. A commercial fiber-optic interface system, modified to sin relate several worst-case operating conditions, ignited explosive hydrogen-air mixtures. Worst-am simulations consisted of disabling a safety shutoff feature, operating the laser at significantly higher powers than intended for normal operations, and cleaving fiber-optic connections to direct laser energy onto selected absorptive materials. At the highest power level available, the fiber-optic interface system did not ignite selected methane-air mixtures. The obtained data should prove useful in establishing appropriate safety standards.

By E. C. Lane

"INTRODUCTION This is the fourth in a series of reports on properties of commercial motor fuels, made in accordance with a cooperative agreement between the Cooperative Fuel Research (C.F.R.) Committee and the Bureau of Mines of the Department of the Interior. The first report gave data on motor gasolines sold during the winter of 1935-36 3/. The second resort gave the same data for motor gasolines sold during the summer of 1936 4/. The third report of the series gave the same data for motor gasolines sold during the winter of 1936-37 5/.This report covers 63 brands of gasoline represented by 1,136 samples excluding the Pacific Coast. Those from the Pacific Coast were averaged by the Pacific Coast technical group before being submitted and are published exactly as they were submitted. In some areas reports were received from five or six companies on the same brands of gasoline, whereas in other areas only one company reported on a brand. Thus, it can be seen that some of the data are more representative than others."

Dec 1, 1937

The Ringelmann Smoke Chart fulfills an important need in smoke abatement work and in certain problems in the combustion of fuels. A knowledge of its history and method of preparation is, therefore, of interest to many. Since instructions on its use are not shown on the recent edition of the chart, those included in this revision of the previous Bureau of Mines publication now are a necessary complement to the chart. More detail regarding the use of the chart is included than was given in the earlier version.

By Brian G. White, Theodore J. Williams, Jeffrey K. Whyatt

Detailed mapping and examination of the site of a large rock burst at the Lucky Friday Mine, Mullan, ID, demonstrated conclusively that damage was caused by a splitting and buckling failure mechanism initiated by separation of rock into layers along steeply dipping metamorphic shear foliation subparallel to the affected crosscut. The thin tablular layers then buckled into the crosscut from both sides. Rigorous control of the burst by these layers suggests practical measures for avoiding bursts in crosscuts in the future by repositioning and reorienting openings so that splitting and buckling are reduced or precluded.

By Summer S. Smith

The year 1916 broke all previous records of mineral production in the Territory. As a consequence, there has been a noteworthy increase in the number of mines in active operation or under development, though the greater part of the increased output is the result of greater activity at mines already producing rather than of opening new mines. Owing to available funds not being sufficient to meet the cost of travel in the interior of the Territory during the winter months, the Federal mine inspector was unable during the spring to visit the placer mines of the interior as has been his custom in the past. However, by working in close cooperation with the Territorial in- spector, who left Juneau in June to take the first boat down the Yukon to Fairbanks after the spring break-up, it was possible to visit hurriedly all the larger mining centers of the Territory. The Territorial inspector covered the districts from Fairbanks to Nome and the Federal inspector covered those of southeastern and south- western Alaska. A number of applicants have begun mining coal on ground held under free-use 10-acre permits, and have furnished coal for local use. The larger leasing units in the Bering River and Matanuska coal fields have been advertised and applications for leases have been submitted. These applications came too late in the fall for active development to begin before the end of the year. The Government railroad has been built from Anchorage to the center of the Matanuska coal field, and private interests have under- taken the building of a standard-gage road from a point known as Goose City on Controller Bay to Canyon Creek, in the Bering River field. Capital has become interested in the oil fields on Controller Bay, and plans have been made for more active exploration and production. The work of the Federal mine inspector is still handicapped by the lack of funds for additional field assistants and of the office ac- commodations necessary for carrying on the work with the efficiency that its importance warrants.

Jan 1, 1917