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The evident need to improve the reliability of fluid power systems in underground coal mining equipment prompted the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and later the Department of Energy, to contract with the Fluid Power Research Center at Oklahoma State University for a research project to develop methods for achieving this end. Since the work of the contract was completed at about the time DOE was relinquishing its underground coal mining projects to BOM it was decided to issue the final report under 80M cover. The contract revealed that the major causes of poor reliability were: (1) poor overall system design, (2) poor component contamination toleranace, (3) poor system filtration, and 4) poor maintenance practices stemming from a lack of defined maintenance procedures and enforcement of same. This report demonstrates the variability of the reliabilities of components of similar performance description when subjected to standard tests. Improved design procedures are recommended and the information needed to specify and select components whose reliability is predictable and optimum without sacrifice in performance or significant increase in envelope size.

Jan 1, 1983

By G. R. Hopkins

According to reports received by the Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior, as of January 1, 1934, there were 591 completed refineries in the United States, an increase of 86 ever the total reported at the beginning of 1933 and the largest total ever recorded. It should be noted that the 1934 total, although large, probably does not include more than half of the "pot-still" plants of 1 barrel to 50 barrels daily capacity which have sprung up within the last 2 or 3 years and about which very little information is available. However, the combined operations of these snail refineries are of negligible importance as altogether they refine less crude than one plant of average size. Of the completed plants, 454 were operating on January 1, 1934 and 137 were shut down. In addition, 13 refineries were under construction on January 1, 1934. Compared with the previous year these data indicate a marked increase in the number of operating plants, little change in the number of inoperative plants, but a decline in' the number being built. The material gain in the number of operating plants resulted primarily from the construction off approximately 25 refineries, averaging about 100 barrels capacity in the Kooky Mountain district, as well as from the addition of about 20 plants in the East Texas field.

Jan 1, 1934

By John D. Bardill

A cooperative project between the Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior, and the Montana School of Mines, investigating results of hydraulic systems for transporting sand slurries for emplacement, was begun in August 1955. In such circumstances, the Bureau provides funds for a fellowship leading to a Master of Science degree as well as available instruments, tools, supplies and equipment. The School provides the ore-beneficiating laboratory with its equipment for use as a pilot plant. The success of a hydraulic backfilling method employing mill tailings depends largely upon the physical characteristics of the tailings. One of these characteristics is size distribution, especially in the finer size ranges. When being emplaced underground, almost impervious layers of slimes separate from some types of mill tailings containing a high percentage of slimes and settle on the top of the sand fill. These coatings may be so dense that the water in the slurry cannot percolate through them for proper drainage. Successive layers of fill in a stope, each with an impervious coating on top, sometimes build up a hydrostatic head, creating pressure on the bulkheads. This may cause breaks in the lining material, inducing sand runs and flooding the level and sumps below. Deleterious slimes flocculated and disseminated throughout the sands should help prevent the formation of impervious slime layers, increasing percolation and settling rates.

Jan 1, 1960

By G. M. Kintz, Charles B. Carpenter, G. W. Jones

"INTRODUCTION At 9:12 a. m. on April 16, 1947, the ammonium nitrate cargo in hold 4 of the S. S. Grandcamp, a 7,176 gross-ton Liberty ship owned by the French Government, detonated at pier 0 of the Texas City Terminal Railway Co., Texas City, Galveston County, Tex.This detonation was the first of a series of explosions and fires that took the lives of approximately 600 persons, injured 3,000 other persons, and caused a property damage and business loss that will exceed $58,800,000. It has been estimated that the life, accident, and workmen's compensation insurance loss will be $8,200,000.At 1:10 a. m. on April 17, 1947, the ammonium nitrate cargo in hold 5 of the S.S. High Flyer, a 6,214-gross-ton Liberty ship owned and operated by the Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., Inc., detonated at pier L. This explosion materially increased the property damage caused by the first explosion, in between 50 and 100 persons, and is believed to have taken the life of only one person.The exact number of casualties resulting from the Texas City disaster may never be known. On June 22, 1947, 65 days after the explosions, the red Cross and the Texas Department of Public safety repoted:,""Identified dead, 405; unidentified dead, 63; believed missing, 100; injured, 3,000; hospital¬ized, 600; still in hospitals, 37."""

Feb 1, 1948

By H. B. Humphrey

WHEN THE BUREAU OF MINES was created in 1910, the organic act had as one of its main provisions the following: That it shall be the province of said bureau and its director, under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, to make diligent investigation of the methods of mining, especially in relation to the safely of miners and the appliances best adapted to prevent accidents, the possible improvement of renditions under which mining operations are carried on, the treatment of ores and other mineral substances, the use of explosives and electricity, the prevention of accidents, and other inquiries and technologic investigations pertinent to said industries, and from tinge to time make such public reports of the work, investigations, and information obtained as the Secretary of said department may direct, with the recommendations of such bureau. The nationwide nature of the health and safety work of the Bureau of Mines has given its representatives an opportunity to study and report on matters pertaining to health and safety in mines and related operations from the time the Bureau was established to the present. Regular annual reports and numerous additional papers and reports have been published each year to place on record and to make available the information gathered. While the basic purpose of this bulletin is to describe health and safety reports for the period January 1947 through June 1955, a selected number of earlier publica¬tions that are believed pertinent for reference purposes are included.

Jan 1, 1956

By Heber E. Peterson, Sill. Claude W.

"INTRODUCTION In the usual volumetric determination of uranium, the solution containing uranium is reduced in a Jones reductor, yielding a mixture of trivalent and tetravalent uranium; the trivalent uranium is oxidized to the tetravalent state by bubbling a stream of air through the solution. The resulting solution of tetravalent uranium is titrated with a standard oxidant, generally sulfatoceric acid, dichromate, or permanganate. It seemed likely that the same general procedure could be used in determining semimicro quantities pf uranium if the conditions affecting the variables involved were understood more clearly than at present. In the method described below, the use of ferric sulfate to oxidize tetravalent uranium allows the titration to be made at room temperature in an essentially colorless solution with sulfatoceric acid. The latter oxidant in turn permits the use of the very stable indicator, ferroin; with its sharp color change and exactly reproducible blanks.Solutions of uranyl sulfate were prepared by diluting a stock solution that had been standardized gravimetrically according to the method of Lundell and Knowles (8).3/ Solutions of sulfatoceric acid were prepared according to the directions of G. F. Smith (12) and were standardized against arsenic trioxide in the presence of osmic acid according to the directions of Glen (5). The cerium solutions were stored in 18-liter carboys fitted with siphon arrangements so that the bottles did not need to be opened and protected from light in a dark cupboard. Under these conditions, even the 0.01 N solution changed by less than 1 part per thousand over a period of about 6 months."

Jun 1, 1952

By H. T. Rall

This report summarizes a systematic 20-year study of the organic sulfur compounds in Wasson, Texas, crude oil and, to a lesser extent, of three other crude oils, that has culminated in some 200 individual sulfur-compound identifications. The development and application of special separation and identification techniques generally suitable for the characterization of sulfur compounds in any crude oil are discussed. This report reviews early sulfur literature covering petroleum sulfur compound identifications completed before this study was begun, and cites 58 papers resulting from this work. The sulfur compounds in petroleum, both as to type and quantity, have long been of concern to the petroleum industry, and such compositional data are not only of theoretical interest, but also of practical value.

Jan 1, 1972

By J. B. Gayle

In a modern blast furnace, production depends, to a large extent, on the rate at which the furnace gases can be forced through the charge. Since these gases must make their way through the voids between particles of coke, ore, and limestone, the size and size distribution of the stock-column materials are of considerable importance. Also, because the coke pieces support the weight of the overburden and provide the majority of the voids through which the gases pass, their ability to withstand the shattering and abrading forces to which they are subjected should be related to the maximum obtainable production for any particular furnace. Although the wide acceptance of this point of view is indicated by the ever-increasing demand for stronger and more uniform blast-furnace cokes, economic considerations demand that a quantitative evaluation of the relation between coke quality and blast-furnace performance be made available to the industry at the earliest possible date. The following studies of size-distribution patterns and breakage processes were, therefore, conducted as a part of a preliminary investigation intended as a basis for future studies of the relation between coke quality and blast-furnace performance. The major findings may be summarized as follows: 1. New evidence for the presence of two independent distributions of sizes in run-of-oven cokes has been obtained, and a method for characterizing and estimating the relative importance of the individual distributions has been demonstrated. This method has also been used to study the different types of degradation taking place during the tumbler test.

Jan 1, 1954

By J. J. Forbes

The original organic act establishing the Federal Bureau of Mines in 1910 and the amended act of 1913 indicated that promotion of the health and safety of mine workers was to be ore of the chief functions4/ of the Bureau. Many of the field and laboratory studies pursued by the Bureau are designed to improve conditions under dish minors must work. As the Bureau has no legal authority to enforce safety rules, it must rely upon cooperation of employer, employees, State mining or other departments, and labor organizations for success in promulgating its finding and making recommendations. The staff of the Safety Division, which is essentially a service organization of the Bureau, is composed of 28 safety instructors, 29 engineers, 18 clersk, and 7 others engaged in promotion of an educational program in an effort to improve conditions in the mining industry. The work is directed from 14 safety stations in the United States and 1 in Alaska. The work of the personnel, of the mine safety car that operates in. the anthracite region of Pennsylvania was supervised and directed by the district engineer in charge of the Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) Safety Station.

Jan 1, 1940

By Holt L. Farley

This report describes the development of an electronic system which detects unsafe slack and overload conditions in underground mine hoist ropes. The Slack and Overload Rope Protection System (SORPS) includes a fail-safe load cell inserted between the rope and the conveyance, and an accelerometer mounted on the conveyance. Signals from these transducers are telemetered via a radio link to the hoist control room, where they are combined with drum speed and chair status in a microprocessor-based decision and display unit. Abnormally high external force levels are detected as discrepancies between rope tension and cage acceleration; conveyance weight is inferred continuously. Hazardous conditions are displayed to the hoist operator, along with general hoist status. The system has been tested in a working mine for approximately two years. The report contains specifications, design data and field test experience generated under the SORPS program. It also includes information on dynamic modeling, vibration environment, the status of existing slack detection systems, and applicable control strategies.

Jan 1, 1983

By Rita D. Sylvester

"This compilation lists and summarizes publications by Bureau authors published in the regular Bureau of Mines series, in scientific, technical, or trade journals, or in other media; those available from the Bureau of Mines are indicated. Patents issued to Bureau personnel are also listed, and instructions are given on how to apply for permission to use them. One of the outstanding features of this Special Publication is an exhausive subject and author index. IntroductionThe Bureau of Mines was established in the public interest to conduct inquiries and scientific and technologic investigations concerning mining and the preparation, treatment and utilization of mineral substances; to promote health and safety in the mineral industries; to conserve material resources and present their waste; to further economic development; to increase efficiency in the mining, metallurgical, quarrying, and other mineral industries; and to inquire into the economic conditions affecting those industries, The organic act of the Bureau, as amended by Congress and approved February 25, 1913, made it the province and duty of the Bureau to ""disseminate information concerning these subjects in such manner as will best carry out the purposes of this Act.""In accordance with this directive, the Bureau reports the findings of its research and investigations in its own series of publications and also in articles that appear in scientific, technical, and trade journals; in proceedings of conventions and seminar's; in reference books; and in other non-Bureau publications. The number of these reports, the wide range of subjects they cover, and the variety of mediums in which they appear make the kind of list and index presented in this special publication both necessary and valuable. This issue describes reports and articles published during the period January 1, 1970, to December 31, 1974. It supplements the 50-year list of Bureau publications issued from July 1, 1910, to January 1, 1960;2 the 50-year list of articles by Bureau authors published outside the Bureau from July 1, 1910, to January 1, 1960;3 and the 5-year lists of Bureau publications and articles from January I, 1960, to December 31, 1964,4 and from January I, 1965, to December 31, 1969.5 It includes all the material in the four annual lists of Bureau publications and articles from January 1, 1970, to December 31, 1973."

Jan 1, 1975

By J. S. Hansen

To advance technology that can conserve critical materials, the Bureau of Mines investigated a cast-on hard-surfacing that wear resistance and confines alloy additions to wear-prone surfaces. Wear-resistant material in form is on a polystyrene , the is embedded in a mold of unbonded s and the wear-resistant material is transferred to a cas surface at the time of For low-stress abrasion, derived from high-carbon ferro-chrome had higher wear resistance than did commercially available weld-hard. The microstructure of the was typi-white iron carbides. Free carbon added to the ferrochrome powder produced more M7C3 carbides than did material contained in surfacings made from ferrochrome alone, and improved the wear resistance. Several white iron powders with greatly reduced chromium contents also white iron contain-M7C3 carbides. One derived from white iron powder had wear resistance to that of weld-deposited hard facings. Among the parameters investigated, surfacing thickness was found to have a or influence on diffusion of elements out of the , microstructure, and wear resistance. The results of field tests on bucket-wheel excavator teeth and plowshares with cast-on hard surfacing are given.

Jan 1, 1985

By R. S. Handy

This paper describing the milling practices at tae concentrators of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mining and Concentrating Co. is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines on milling methods and costs in the United States. The possibility of useful comparisons has prompted the description of all five of the mills operated by the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Company in northern Idaho. The general features of these mills are tabulated below: [ ]

Jan 1, 1930

By G. R. Hopkins

According to reports received by the Bureau of Mines, Department of Commerce, as of January 1, 1929 there were 413 completed refineries in the United States, with a total daily crude-oil capacity of 3,509,540 barrels. In addition, 14 refineries, with a potential capacity of 99,000 barrels, were being constructed. Of the completed refineries, 341, with a capacity of 3,325,890 barrels, or 95 per cent of the total capacity, were in operation; and 72, with a capacity of 183,650 barrels, or 5 per cent of the total, were shut down. The improved condition of the refining industry in 1928 was indicated in several ways; namely, in an increase in the total capacity of the completed plants, in the opening up of a few plants which were shut down during 1927, in a decrease in the number of plants dismantled, and in an increase in the number of plants under construction. The majority of the refiners have followed a steady expansion program commensurate in most cases with the increase in demand for petroleum products. Obsolete equipment has been dismantled and modern equipment has been installed, with the net result that the total capacity of the completed refineries in the United States has shown a steady increase since January 1, 1918, the date of the first Bureau of Mines survey. Between January 1, 1928, and January 1, 1929, the number of completed plants fell from 423 to 413, but their total capacity increase 259,160 barrels, or 8 per cent. This compares with an increase in runs to stills of domestic and foreign crude petroleum of 10 per cent, and of domestic crude alone of 7 per cent.

Jan 1, 1929

By John B. Ivey

This is a geologic study of the U.S. Bureau of Mines Oil Shale Tract in the Piceance Creek Basin of Rio Blanco County, Colorado for the preparation of a set of detailed surface geologic maps, measurement and identification of joint attitudes and frequencies, and the classification and mapping of the soils of the area.

Jan 1, 1978

By R. Farrar

Protective canopies for conventional electric face equipment, including shuttle cars, operating in low coal (less than 48 inches) were designed, fabricated, installed and evaluated on in-mine machines engaged in regular coal mining operations. This work was performed under contract to the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh Mining and Safety Research Center. The canopies will support a vertical load of 18,000 pounds and provide protection against both roof falls and contact with the mine rib. Canopy configurations were established based on human engineering studies, full scale canopy mockups, and in-mine observation and consultation with mine and equipment manufacturing personnel. Overall height of each canopy is hydraulically adjustable between a minimum of 32 inches and a maximum of 40 inches. Canopy tops are open framework, welded structures, covered with expanded metal mesh. Structural members are 1 3/4-inch or 2-inch square tubing of AISI 413ON and ASTM A500 material, respectively. The canopy tops are typically supported by an understructure and upright post arrangement that is either integrated into the current operator platform or attached to the machine frame. The four upright corner posts house the hydraulic actuators. Canopy tops are elevated horizontally. Canopies are welded or bolted to the existing machines. Installation is accomplished with a minimal amount of interface modifications. No major machine design changes are required. Canopies were trial installed and load tested at the manufacturer's facility prior to installation on the in-mine machines. Canopies were installed on a Joy 14BU10 Loader, 16RB-3AH Cutter, and two 21SC Shuttle Cars, and a Galis 300 Roof Drill and 460-S Face Drill. Canopy installations were evaluated in the Jewell Ridge Coal Company No. 12 and Big Creek Tiller Mines. Operational time accumulated on the installations during evaluation ranged from 1 week to 14 weeks of two-shift operation. All five canopy designs, manufacture, and test were successfully accomplished. The five canopies met all safety requirements. Three of the five canopies were deemed to be completely successful from an operator's point of view. That is, mine management as well as the machine operator found that the canopies did not impede the operation of the machines to function with the same efficiency as before the installation of the canopies. The loader canopy, in fact, appeared to have provided a mole efficient operation of the loader by providing added safety to the operator from rib contact thus allowing him to concentrate more fully on the loading function. Operational problems were encountered with the shuttle car and the roof drill. The shuttle car canopy obstructed visibility to an objectionable amount and the roof drill canopy impeded maneuverability of the machine, more than doubling the roof bolting time.

Jan 1, 2012

By S. L. Weber, D. E. Banks

"Silicosis was first reported by the ancient Greeks and is apparently as old as human history. The prevalence of this illness peaked in the last half of the 19th century and the early part of this century, when mechanized industry was developing and the relationship between dust exposure and disease was less well understood. Yet, even today in devel-oped countries, sporadic outbreaks of silicosis occur when workers are consistently exposed to silica particles of respir-able size (0.5 to 5.0 µm in diameter) at levels exceeding those recognized to be safe.Silicon dioxide or silica. is the earth's most abundant mineral. Silica is considered to be either free (i.e.. unbound to other minerals) or combined. Minerals with high amounts of free silica include quartz (including granite) flint. Chert, opal, chalcedony, and diatomite. Combined forms of silica are called silicates and include, among others, asbestos talc and kaolin.In the crystalline form, silica exists as quartz, cristobalite, and tridymite (Fig. 28). Of these quartz is ubiquitous in the environment and occurs as sand and as a part of many rocks. Cristobalite and tridymite occur naturally in lava and can be formed by the heating of quartz or amorphous silica. Cristo-balite is more tibrogenic than quartz. Amorphous silica is noncrystalline and, therefore, is relatively nontoxic and does not cause silicosis. It occurs as diatomite (skeletons of pre-historic marine organisms) or as vitreous silica (glass), the result of carefully melting and then quickly cooling free crystalline silica. Heating diatomite with or without alkali (a process known as calcining), forms cristobalite and adds the respiratory toxicity of free crystalline silica.There are many opportunities for occupational exposure to respirable crystalline free silica. Some of the commonly en-countered occupations in which the risk of silicosis exists are reported in Table 20.Silicosis. the pulmonary disease caused by the inhalation of silica particles of respirable size, is most commonly cate-gorized by findings on the chest radiograph. The most typical presentations simple silicosis and progressive massive fibrosis appear different radiologically but are grouped under the category of classic silicosis because they are a part of the radiographic spectrum of this illness. Radiographically, simple silicosis appears as small (less than 10 mm in diameter), rounded opacities, typically predominant in the upper lung zones. Progressive massive fibrosis is the result of the coalescence of these small nodular opacities and appears as larger opacities (more than 10 mm in diameter), again typicallydistributed in the upper lung zones."

Dec 1, 1995

By C. C. Merrill

The Bureau of Mines beneficiated the wastes generated by commercial titanium chlorination operations to reclaim metal values and reduce the problem of disposing of solid wastes. A water leach solubilized about 40 percent of the dry weight and over 75 percent of the metallic impurities. The residue from the water leach was rich in titanium dioxide and carbon; it was combined with rutile and recycled to a laboratory chlorinator. The contained carbon was used in lieu of part of the coke requirement.

Jan 1, 1969

By Earl T. Hayes

THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY has been assembled to aid research by the Bureau of Mines, and others on high-purity tungsten. It appears approximately 50 years after the development of ductile tungsten-one of the first metals to be produced in a high-purity form. Requirements of the missile age are ever more demanding that engines rout hotter and space vehicles fly higher and faster. Thus, it has become necessary to reexamine all conventional materials of construction as well as to investigate new combinations. At this stage of our technology we have alloys capable of operation at 1,800° F. and several possibilities of developing some. that will be satisfactory up to 2,500° F. Strength-weight comparisons, detrimental to tungsten at, lower temperatures, disappear at this point, mid tungsten or its alloys appear to be the only metal capable of operation at truly high temperatures. The aim of this bibliography has been to include only references that concern improving the purity of tungsten-from processing the ore to treating the finished metal. In this sense it is a selected and not a critical bibliography. The period front January 1911 through February 1959 has been covered. Because repent literature has the greatest, value, most of the selected items refer to publications issued within the pest 5 years.

Jan 1, 1960

By H. D. Hunt

This paper which describes the milling practice of the Miami Copper Co. is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines. LOCATION The mine, concentrator, and other surface plants of the Miami Copper Co. are located near the town of Miami in the Globe-Miami mining district of Gila County, Ariz.

Jan 1, 1932