Search Documents

By Howard E. Parkinson

In 1969, new coal mine health and safety legislation was enacted in the United States. As a result of this legislation, the Department of Interior, Bureau of Mines has carried out communications research aimed at developing whole mine communications for increased safety and efficient operation. The research has advanced and many promising results are now being demonstrated to the mining industry. However, there remains a challenge to further improve wireless communications within the mine workings, and through the overburden above the workings. The objectives for future research and development will be discussed, together with the physical and operational constraints that new mine communication systems must face.

Jan 1, 1973

By A. L. Toenges, F. A. Jones, J. N. Sxudder, E. R. Maize

"INTRODUCTION This report is the second of a series of studies of analysis of energy requirements and characteristics of various machines used in the production of coal in underground mines and the losses in distribution of energy to these machines. The test equipment used in these studies is described in Report of Investigations 3615. 7/ The preliminary study data and results of tests made on various types of mechanical-leading cutting, and transporting equipment at two mines. This report is analysis of the energy requirements of the energy requirements of the underground equipment of a third mine. An analysis of the use of energy and its distribution usually requires in a saving in energy consumption and the reduction of hazards. The distribution system should be designed to supply energy effectively and study for the efficient operation of all machines."

Feb 1, 1943

By S. Stephen Uslan

The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the effect of positive reinforcement, specifically, social reinforcement (SR), on the frequency of eye, hand, and back injuries at four experimental salt mines. Injury data was collected from January, 1976, for the prePOMOST period and from the onset of training to September, 1978, for the post-POMOST period. All data was collected on a month-by-month basis. For the training period approximately 100 managers and supervisors from five plants were trained in the use of positive reinforcement for occurrences of "safe behavior." Each supervisor was also provided manuals and other supportive materials. Additionally, following training, all supervisors were provided some coaching experience to keep the knowledge and capabilities gained during training from being extinguished. The analysis showed significant injury reductions in two sites and no injury reductions in the other two. When the injury data was corrected for the additional man hours expended in the postPOMOST period, a third site showed reduction in injuries. Similar findings were shown when the experimental sites were compared to other sites in the industry. The results were interpreted to support the hypothesis that the application of social reinforcement is related to a reduction in injuries.

Jan 1, 1978

In 2005, data obtained from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) indicated a total of 922 underground (6.3%) and 13,744 surface (93.7%) mining operations.1

Jan 1, 2008

By J. M. West

Increased leisure time and increased interest in the out-of-doors is leading more and more families to experiment with placer mining of gold, and some- times even to going on into small-scale production. This Bureau of Mines report supplies basic information un areas of occurrence, equipment needed, prospecting, sampling, mining, and regulations concerning the possession and sale of gold. Selected references are given for further study.

Jan 1, 1971

By Ellsworth Y. Dougherty, Edwards F. Fitzhugh

"INTRODUCTION During the summer of 1945 the Bureau of Mines made approximately 200 miles of reconnaissance magnetic surveys in north-central Mirnesota. The survey started near the western end of the Mesabi Iron Range and extended into the area to the southwest, west, and northwest and also southward to the-northern limits of the Cuyuna Iron Range. The purpose of the survey was to data to assist exploration for iron ore in the region through:1. Supplying a relatively unit form network of traverses, by which and future surveys of localities in the urea ray be correlated. Suggesting localities in which more detailed magnetic surveys may be justified, and, Disclosing localities in which there is lass hope of obtaining significant results from further magnetic surveys.The instrument used was a Hotchkiss Superdip, and traverses for calibration and comparison were run with a Schmidt-type magnetometer. Field observations and work directly related thereto were carried out under contract by E. J. Lang-year Co., Minneapolis. Engineers of the Bureau of Mines planned, directed, and reviewed the survey."

Aug 1, 1946

By Eldon Keith Stanek

This annual report deals with a multi-faceted research effort to increase mine electrical system safety. The project can be broken down into six task areas. Task one deals with the development of tests and instrumentation to perform these test- that are designed to detect incipient faults on mine power systems. This program also encompasses evaluation of the tests and automation of data collection and recording using a microprocessor. Task two concerns the prediction and suppression of mine electrical transients. This program involves digital simulation and suppression hardware evaluation. Task three deals with the reliability and fail safe assessment of various components of the mine electrical system including both the protective system and bulk power system components. Task three deals with theoretical analysis, laboratory testing and in-situ testing in coal mines of power system devices. Task four is an effort to design an optimal mine electrical distribution system. The initial effort is along the lines of refining analytical tools such as the load flow model. Task five is an attempt to optimize the selection of molded case circuit breakers makes or models on the basis of total annual cost. Task six assesses the availability of equipment to satisfy existing federal regulations.

Jan 1, 1977

By Earl L. Fosse

"Preliminary examination of the Khayyam mine indicated that greater reserves of copper might be found by trenching, sampling, detailed geological and topographical mapping, and diamond drilling. The deposit seemed to be a potential source of sulfur, also, for use in the manufacture of paper pulp.Formal examination of the Khayyam mine by the Bureau of Mines was a follow-up of a preliminary examination made by W.S. Wright and the author on October 19-21, 1944. John Reed and W. S. Twanhofel, of the Geological Survey, visited the property during the summer of 1943 and suggested that the prospect be examined further.Preliminary examination of the Stumble-On claim was made July 1-3, 1945, concomitant with the formal examination of the Khayyam mine 11/2 miles to the west.In its program of exploration of mineral deposits, the Bureau of lanes has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy, It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratory project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts pre¬liminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report, The Metallurgical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests. Both these branches arc under the supervision of Dr. R, S. Dean, assistant director.Special acknowledgment is due Robert S. Sanford, acting chief, Alaska Division, Mining Branch, for his help in the preparation of this report and during the project work.The Khayyam property is situated at 550 18’ north latitude and 1320 24’ west longitude on Prince of Wales Island in Southeastern Alaska. (see fig. 1.) The mine adit is 2,350 feet above sea level, near the summit of a mountain ridge, and 2.8 miles in an airline southwest of the head of McKenzie Inlet, a southern branch of Skown Arm. Skowl arm is navigable by ocean-going vessels .to the mouth of McKenzie Inlet, where reefs and rocky islands limit the channel width to 50 yards. Beyond this point the inlet widens to nearly half a mile. Coast and Geodetic Survey chart 8142 indicates from 12 fathoms of water at this narrow neck to more than 30 fathoms throughout the remainder of McKenzie Inlet, The old ore bunker and dock at the head. of the inlet are beyond repair. A new ore bunker and dock would have to be built if a large-scale mining operation were established.The mine can be reached by trail along the western ridge that lies on the west bank of Omar Creek. The trail is approximately 4 miles in length. The grade is rather steep to an elevation of 1,500 feet, but the last 21 miles can be traveled over gentle slopes along the crest of the ridge.Ketchikan is 30 miles by air and 42 miles by water from the head of McKenzie Inlet. Feed, hardware, fuel oil, lumber, and explosives can be purchased at Ketchikan and delivered by boat to McKenzie Inlet. By using an airplane, all small equipment and camp supplies could be using an airplane, all small equipment and camp supplies could be dropped with cargo parachutes near the mine."

Sep 1, 1946

By H. R. Pierce

Bureau of Mines engineers end others have endeavored to deter-nine a fundamental method for gauging the capacity of gas wells to deliver gas under different pressure conditions. Their studies show that for accurate gauging two factors must be determined: (1) The actual pressures at the face of the sand in the well (usually referred to as "at the sand"), acid (2) the relation between such pressures and the rates. of flow of c as through the sand. This paper, the first of a series, describes a method of attacking the problem of determining the actual pressures at the sand by means of observations of pressures and volumes at the well head.

Jan 1, 1929

In 2005, 14,666 mining operations reported employment statistics to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).1 Almost half (48.5%) were sand and gravel mines, followed by stone mines (30.6%), coal mines (14.1%), nonmetal mines (5.0%), and metal mines (1.8%).

Jan 1, 2008

By R. R. Wells

This report summarizes the results of preliminary mineral-dressing studies by the Bureau of Mines on five samples of copper-bearing ore from various Alaska de-posits. The work on each sample was not extensive enough to warrant individual publication. The results, however, indicate the possibilities and limitations of concentration of the respective ores. The information therefore may be helpful in future development of these ore bodies. Four of the five samples tested were submitted to the laboratory by engineers of the Bureau of Mines as part of the examinations and survey investigations of strategic-mineral deposits in Alaska. This program is conducted to assist development of mineral resources in the Territory and particularly to aid economic exploitation of marginal or complex ores. The fifth sample was submitted by engineers of the Defense Minerals Exploration Administration.

Jan 1, 1956

By S. P. Sandoval

Previous research by the U.S. Bureau of Mines demonstrated that nonionic surfactants increased the leaching rate of copper in the flask leaching of chalcopyrite with ferric sulfate if sufficient ferric sulfate was present. This research was continued by the Bureau in Part 2 to further explore the application of nonionic surfactants to the dump leaching of chalcopyrite. A polyoxyethylene lauryl ether was selected as the superior nonionic surfactant tested at 25° and 50° C. The addition of the surfactant increased copper leaching by 116 pct at 25° C and 1.0 pct solids and by 61 pct at 50° C and 0.5 pct solids at Fe 3+ concentrations greater than 1 g/L. At 0.1.0 g/L Fe 3+ and below, the addition of the surfactant produced as much as a 35 pct decrease in leaching. Each of the nonionic surfactants studied was found to be heavily adsorbed by a typical chalcopyrite ore, which poses a serious barrier to the application of nonionic surfactants in an actual chalcopyrite dump.

Jan 1, 2010

By Eugene T. Sheridan

The 22d annual survey of the packaged-fuel industry by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, revealed that 26 plants in 8 States were in operation and reported production in 1956. The demand for packaged fuel in the United States has declined gradually since the end of World War II, and the number of operating plants has decreased from 70 in 1946 to 26 in 1956. Annual productive capacity of the industry has decreased also during this period, and the decrease in capacity was about proportional to the decrease in operating plants. Packaged-fuel plants are relatively small, and 85 percent of the active plants in 1956 had an annual capacity of less than 10,000 tons. The same situation prevailed in 1946, when 84 percent of the plants had a capacity of less than 10,000 tons. Total capacity for the 26 active plants in 1956 was 174,600 tons, an average of 6,715 tons per plant. Operating rates in 1956 were the highest since 1951, and the rate of production for the industry averaged 37 percent of capacity.

Jan 1, 1958

By James D. Cooper

COMBINED tonnage or natural abrasive materials sold or used in the United States in 1962 was 10 percent greater than that of 1961 and value was 9 percent higher. Production of crude artificial abrasives in the United States and Canada was up 14 percent in volume and 9 percent in value. Value of grinding-wheel sales increased 13 percent, and the value of coated-abrasives sales was up 10 percent. The value of imports and reexports declined, while the value or exports increased. [ ]

Jan 1, 1963

By Joseph B. Cummings

"Occurrences of fluorite on the Packard property were first examined by an engineer3/ of the Bureau of Mines in July 1943 as the result of receipt of an application for an access road. In August of the same year the showings were examined by a geologist4/ of the Federal Geological Survey. The property was again examined by an engineer5/ of the Bureau of Mines in March 1944. This last examination resulted in a proposal that access be gained by construction of a truck trail and that the Bureau of Mines undertake to explore the fluorite showings.The truck trail was constructed by the Public Roads Administration, which began the work on February 17, 1945, and completed it 8 days later.The Bureau of Mines exploratory program was completed on May 16, 1945. It consisted of stripping overburden, trenching, test pitting, tunneling, sampling, and topographic mapping.In addition to being described in some detail, the extent of the work as well as results are shown in accompanying tables and figures.Mrs. Rhoda A. Packard, Mrs. Nora 1. Cline, and C. B. Pettingill, all of Tonto Basin, Ariz., own the property, which comprises four contiguous, unpatented lode mining claims recorded at Globe, Ariz., as the Walnut and the Bluebird 2, 3, and 4. The claims are situated in T. 6 N., R. 11 E., Gila County. David L. Roscoe of Tombstone, Ariz., holds a lease and option to purchase.Access to the property is by Highway 88 from Globe, 34 miles to Roosevelt, thence 24 miles by a graded county road along the west side of Roosevelt Lake to Tonto Basin. Here the Greenback Ranch road, constructed by the Forest Service and maintained by the county, crosses Tonto Creek and continues easterly to the foothills. The truck trail leaves the road 8.5 miles east of Tonto Basin and runs 2.5 miles in a southerly direction to the property. (Fig. 1.)The fluorite deposits lie in and along a small canyon in a rough, rocky area at an altitude of about 3,400 feet, Vegetation is scant and of the usual desert variety. The summer climate is dry and hot and the winter climate moderate. Rainfall at the Forest Service Station in Tonto Basin was 11.4 inches from May 1944 through March 1945."

May 1, 1946

By R. T. DeWoody, J. W. Chester, W. C. Miller

The work was done to develop a relatively efficient muffler for quieting the exhaust of a rock drill . The exhaust of a pneumatic rock drill is the source of the major part of the noise generated by the drill . The exhaust noise can be reduced in a number of different ways , but this study involved only reactive mufflers . The reactive muffler can be simulated by an electrical circuit . Information obtained from analogous electrical circuits was used to design an efficient exhaust muffler for pneumatic rock drills . Electrical analogies proved to be a valuable tool in the design of mufflers .

Jan 1, 1964

By Clarence Hall, S. P. Howell, W. O. SNELLING

The explosives used in coal mines not only occasion accidents such as occur in the use of explosives elsewhere, but they frequently cause widespread disasters by igniting explosive mixtures of mine gas and air and of coal dust and air, or both. In addition, the firing of ex- plosives so shakes the walls and roofs of the mines as to cause falls, with their attendant casualities. Considering the large number of explosives and their wide range in composition and properties, it is obvious that certain of them should prove more suitable for use in coal mines than others. The problem is to determine which explosives are the most suitable for this purpose and the precise conditions under which they may be used with the greatest safety. Of course this problem could be worked out in actual mining, but experimental investigations when accompanying commercial opera- tions are hazardous and slow. To obtain the information sought, in the speediest and most economical manner, laboratory methods must be resorted to. The adoption of such methods began about 30 years ago with experiments in an iron gallery mounted on wheels, at Zwickau, Germany. This laboratory method of attacking the prob- lem has so commended itself that it has not only been repeated else- where in Germany but has at intervals been officially adopted, with many modifications and additions, by the Governments of Belgium, Austria, France, and Great Britain. Such was the status of coal-mine investigations in Europe when in 1904, an organization in the Geological Survey, which in 1907 be- came the technologic branch, was created to investigate the mineral- fuel resources of this country. At that time no division of the Na- tional Government had official cognizance of conditions existing in our mines, but through its system of collecting fuels for tests the technologic branch was forced to recognize that coal-mine accidents are a factor that must be reckoned with in determining the extent and availability of our mineral-fuel resources. This became so apparent, and it was so obviously a function of this branch to make a systematic research as to the cause and prevention of such acci- dents, that in July, 1907, experts were appointed especially to deal with this problem. As a result, not only was Bulletin 333, on Coal- Mine Accidents: Their Causes and Prevention, prepared and pub- lished, but through personal inspection of foreign testing stations, and a study of their reports and the critiques of their methods and operations, definite plans for the establishment of such a testing station in this country were formulated. In the latter part of 1907, four grave disasters occurred in close succession consequent on explosions in the Monongah mines in West Virginia, where 368 men were killed, the Darr mine in Pennsyl- vania, where 160 were killed, the Naomi mine in Pennsylvania, where 34 were killed, and the Yolande mine in Alabama, where 61 were killed. These frightful disasters so quickened the public con- science, and so plainly demonstrated that both humanitarian and economic needs demanded that steps be taken to prevent the re- currence of such accidents, that in 1908 Congress made a special appropriation for an investigation as to the "causes of mine ex- plosions." A similar appropriation was made in the following year. By act of May 16, 1910, the Bureau of Mines was created "to make diligent investigation of the methods of mining, especially in relation to the safety of miners, the use of explosives, the prevention of accidents," and other matters relating to mining. Therefore, these investigations are at present conducted in obedience to an organic act instead of being dependent solely upon special appropriations. The first appropriation became available July 1, 1908. Through the courtesy of the War Department a portion of the grounds and buildings of the arsenal at Pittsburgh was granted for the use of the technologic branch of the United States Geological Survey. Work was immediately begun in procuring and erecting the necessary instru- ments and appliances for carrying out the desired tests and inves- tigations and in adapting the existing buildings or in erecting new structures to contain the apparatus. The Pittsburgh testing station was officially opened and regular work was commenced on December 3, 1908, the apparatus and appliances having been tested, the force drilled in their use, and the equipment and methods inspected and passed upon by foreign experts.

Jan 1, 1912

By L. B. Pankratz

Thermodynamic data on the elements and oxides were reviewed, evaluated, and compiled at the Bureau of Mines Albany Research Center. Values for Cp°, S°, H° - H°298, - (G° - H°298)/T, ?HP, ?Gf°, and log K are given in tabular form. Cp°, H° - H°298, ?Hf°, and ?Gf° are also expressed algebraically. Examples of calculations using these data are given.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. K. Whyatt

The U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted an overcore stress measurement on the 5300 level of the Lucky Friday Mine, Mullan, ID, to investigate the stress regime around an experimental stope in a rock-burst-prone mine. The result indicated a stress field with unexpected magnitude and orientation [s 1 ?135 MPa (19,600 psi) oriented S 80° W). An unusual amount of rock-burst activity was encountered during subsequent excavation. A careful review of the overcore data suggested the overcore strain measurements were valid. Moreover, concentrated rock-burst activity suggested that the measured stress field did exist, but was localized and therefore did not represent the far-field in situ stress field.

Jan 1, 2010

By Scott A. Stebbins

This Bureau of Mines publication presents a method for estimating capital and operating costs associated with the exploration, mining, and processing of placer deposits. To ensure representative cost estimates, operational parameters for placering equipment and basic principles of placer mining techniques are detailed.

Jan 1, 1987