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By W. L. Dare

The Federal Bureau of Mines is publishing a series of studies on the methods and costs of mining uranium on the Colorado Plateau. This report describes the longwall-mining methods and techniques used at the Radon mine, Big Indian district, San Juan County, Utah. The tabular Radon ore body lies on the southwest flank of the Lisbon Valley anticline, strikes N. 10° W., dips 7° SW., and has an average thickness of 4-1/2 to 5 ft. The mine is developed by a three-compartment vertical shaft, a haulage level driven beneath the ore, and a system of drifts driven within and parallel to the strike of the ore.

Jan 1, 1961

By J. C. Meeks, C. L. Klingman

An instrument that is sensitive , portable , safe , and low in cost was developed by the Bureau of Mines for detecting helium leaks by comparing the thermal conductivity and flow rate of the atmosphere around the suspected leak against a reference of helium- free air . A vacuum pump pulls the sample gas through a restriction and over thermistor elements , the combined electrical output of which is affected by thermal conductivity and flow rate of the sample gas . Tests showed that the battery - operated Helium Leak Detector was effective and rugged instrument that could be operated safely in explosive atmospheres . The instrument could also detect , but not identify , other gases such as methane , hydrogen , argon , carbon dioxide , and Freon 12 .

Jan 1, 1964

By William C. Larson

This Bureau of Mines report discusses uranium in situ leach mining in the United States to acquaint the public with an overview of this emerging mining technology. This report is not intended to be a technical discussion of the subject matter, but rather should be used as a reference source for information on in situ leaching. A list of in situ leaching publications is included as well as engineering data tables for almost all of the active pilot-scale and commercial uranium in situ leaching operators. These tables represent a first attempt at consolidating operational data in one source, on a regional basis. Additional information is given that discusses the current Bureau of Mines uranium in situ leaching research program. Also included is a listing of various State and Federal permitting agencies, and a summary of the current uranium in situ leaching operators. Finally, a glossary of terms has been added, listing some of the more common terms used in uranium in situ leach mining.

Jan 1, 1978

By A. J. Forney

A high-Btu gas was made at the Bruceton, Pa., laboratories of the Bureau of Mines to demonstrate the feasibility of using the gas as a nonpolluting fuel for automobiles. The pilot plants at Bruceton were revised to combine the processes of coal gasification, gas purification, and catalytic methanation in one overall system. Tests in the Bureau's test automobiles at Bartlesville, Okla., showed the Synthane gas was less polluting than natural gas.

Jan 1, 1972

By Wilbur I. Duvall

A linear array of shot and gage holes 30 feet deep in a granite outcrop was used to compare the size and shape of radial strain pulses produced in the rock when short cylindrical charges of cast composition B were detonated axially or at one end. The axially detonated charges produced radial strain pulses that had shorter rise times and larger peak strain than the strain pulses produced by end detonated charges.

Jan 1, 1965

By Jacqueline A. McClaskey

The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) Information and Analysis Directorate collects worldwide data on virtually every commercially important nonfuel mineral commodity. These data form the base for tracking and assessing the health of the minerals sector of the U. S. economy. The USBM's data collection activity was instituted by the 47th Congress in an appropriations act of August 7, 1882 (22 Stat. 329), which placed the collection of mineral statistics on an annual basis. The most recent authority for the USBM survey activity is the National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-479, 96th Congress). This act strengthens protection for proprietary data provided to the U.S. Department of the Interior by persons or firms engaged in any phase of mineral or mineral-material production or consumption.

Jan 1, 1994

By Richard L. Unger

The Bureau of Mines entered into a cooperative agreement with an eastern Kentucky coal mining company to comprehensively redesign the flow of equipment and supplies throughout its underground mines. Items were tracked from delivery to the warehouse and from surface storage areas to their final usage locations underground. Three underground mines were visited, and a great variety of tasks were videotaped for subsequent laboratory analysis. Of particular interest were tasks that required manual handling of the supplies or equipment components. Activities such as handling daily supplies (concrete blocks, rock dust, and cross- beams) and handling or lifting the continuous miner power cable were determined to be the most hazardous. Recommendations to the company included redesigned surface storage areas to facilitate the use of forklift vehicles to load the underground supply cars. Designs were also developed for different mechanical- assist devices to help in unloading the supply cars underground and to handle equipment maintenance tasks underground. Additionally, the videotapes of the underground manual handling tasks became the basis for simulating those activities in controlled laboratory conditions. This testing will contribute to developing guidelines for proper lifting techniques for low-seam coal mines.

Jan 1, 1986

By W. H. Young

PRODUCTION of bituminous coal and lignite increased substantially in 1963 compared with 1962 figures. The major items of production, consumption, exports, and productivity increased. However, certain key items declined. For the fourth year there was no upward trend in mechanization; the percentage of total tonnage mechanically loaded remained the same as in the 3 previous years and the percentage of total tonnage mechanically cleaned was smaller than in the previous year. Furthermore, the percentage of total production mined by stripping and by augers increased. Most significant was the continued decline in average value and employment. Production.-The output of bituminous coal and lignite in the United States in 1963--459 million tons-was 9 percent greater than the 422 million tons produced in 1962. Production was greater in 1963, largely because of expanded consumption by the electric utilities and an increase in exports.

Jan 1, 1964

By Lloyd M. Kniffin

[This paper is one of series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines on mining methods, practices, and costs in the various mining districts of the United States. It describes the mine of the Hanover Bessemer Iron & Copper Co. at Fierro, Grant County, N. M., which is the only operating iron mine in the southwestern part of the United States. This mine is in a district noted for the great variety of ores that it produces. Within a small area, as shown is Figure 1, there are noteworthy deposits of nearly all the common metals. The ore occurs in lenticular masses dipping at about 50°. An underhand stoping method has been developed that requires but a very small amount of handling of ore. As the ore is very irregular in iron content and also in the distribution of the impurities--chiefly sulphur, silica, and magnesia--a method has to be used that will permit selective mining and will also allow ore and waste to be taken out separately as conditions change. A magnetic cobbing plant raises the grade of the ore shipped about 10 per cent.]

Jan 1, 1930

By W. C. McBee

Technology for the preparation of densifiable sulfur concrete (sulfapave) materials has been devised by the Bureau of Mines. The materials are intended as new construction materials for use in corrosive areas where conventional materials fail. A series of modified sulfur cements were developed, which can be used in combination with dense-graded aggregates to prepare sulfapave materials with excellent corrosion-resistant properties. The materials can be mixed, laid, and compacted into place with conventional hot-mix asphalt pavi.ng equipment. Mixture designs utilizing 5-to 30-pct-modified sulfur cements and dense-graded aggregates gave material properties ranging from rigid to flexible. Laboratory corrosion tests in sulfuric acid showed no material loss or deterioration of physical properties over a 1-year test period in concentrations ranging from 0 to 60 pct at ambient temperatures. Preliminary results on field testing the materials for durability to weathering, corrosion, and traffic have been excellent, with no evidence of failure in the materials.

Jan 1, 1985

A PRELIMINARY PROGRAM, dated April 25, 1974, was prepared for Development Engineering, Incorporated (DEI) on research and development laboratory, field and other engineering studies for the disposal of retorted oil-shale materials. This PRELIMINARY PROGRAM included a discussion on the peculiarities of the retorted shale materials to be investigated and a discussion of the various laboratory and field tests which would need to be conducted to define their physical and chemical properties. The PRELIMINARY PROGRAM was divided into eight work phases as follows: I -- Program Development II -- Exploratory laboratory tests on old USBM retorted shale III -- Laboratory tests on pilot plant retorted shale. IV -- Laboratory tests on retorted shale from the semi-works plant and field test plots and ponds. V -- Field compaction tests. VI -- Infiltration pond tests VII -- Bureau of Mines special tests.

Jan 1, 1975

By John Gross

In connection with some investigations being made at '!'he Ra.re uid Precious 1ets.ls Station of the U, S. Bu.rea.u of Mines, at Reno, Nev., on the precipitation of gol'i and silver from cyanide solutions, it wa.s sug­ gested tnat the use of acetylene for this purpose be investigated, A pa.tent was iss·.ied to Fre<!.erick W. Martin and Frederick Stl1.bbs in 1900 covering the precipitation of precious metals from cyanide solu­tions by acetylene, The acetylene used in the tests described below wa3 made f'rom a. corr.:nercial cal ci \'!Z:l carbid.e, A r..umber of exper:me11. +,s rezul ted in more or lP.ss ccmplete pree;p1tatien of silver, -but 1n no case was a11Y gold precipitated. As silver acetylide, obtained by precipitatir.g the silver from an ar:::ncni'i\.Ca.l so1ut1on of silver n,. tra.te by acetylene, is yellowish white, esn:, solu'.)le in cyanide and hlghly explosive, and the pr9cip1tate ob­tain£ frcvm the cy'31lide sclutions was black, not tlubla L., cyanide and not explooive, it 'Na.s deid-,d. to ir.·.restigate the na.tur.e of the slJ.ver pre­cipit.te !rem the cy;r:iide solu·t:i.i,ns, !n prepa;.•i::lg a lge (!\,wrttity ,:f the preci-pi tte 1 t. wa, fo·und that a.fter c,:.\i;:1 ete prEc"'.pi tat ion cf the eil ver the !IOl ution con ta.ined soluble eulphic.e • Thia p:!:'O'lided a el f!W "lt·d. a.ft er apr,ropri-9.te tests the preeipita.te VIO,I proved to 'be ailver sulphide.

Apr 1, 1922

By John Durkin

A computer model has been generated to evaluate speech intelligibility of individuals wearing conventional and electronic hearing protectors. For speakers talking at normal levels in noise levels of 65 db(Lp) or less, it was found that conventional hearing protectors significantly reduced speech intelligibility. Under the same conditions, electronic protectors provided scores equal to those for the unprotected individuals while providing protection from high noise levels. Therefore, electronic hearing protection is valuable in areas where high noise level is intermittent.

Jan 1, 1979

By Paul M. Tyler

This paper is one of a series of digests of foreign mining legislation and court decisions prepared in advance of a general report relative to the right of American citizens to explore for minerals and to own and operate mines in various foreign countries. This interpretation of the laws of Yugoslavia was prepared from information furnished by John Dyneley Prince, American Minis- ter at Belgrade, in response to a questionnaire submitted by the Bureau of Kinos and transmitted through the courtesy of the Department of State.

Oct 1, 1929

By R. W. Smith

The Bureau of Mines has been engaged in a systematic evaluation of the thermodynamic properties of combustion gases. These studies were designed to provide basic thermodynamic information of high accuracy, facilitating the theoretical study of flame and combustion phenomena.4 This report is the fifth of a series5/ presenting results of the study for particular fuel-oxidant systems. These calculations have as their objective the constant pressure flame temperature of acetylene-air for a range of pressures.

Jan 1, 1954

By Gerald W. Elger

A new process under development by the U.S. Bureau of Mines for producing synthetic rutile from ilmenite is described. Rutile formation is based on oxidation and fluxing of titania slag produced by electric furnacing of ilmenite. Laboratory tests show that phosphorus pentoxide flux additions to oxidized slag enhance conversion to rutile by forming a phosphate-based glass matrix. This matrix contains most of the major impurities, including the oxides of iron, aluminum, magnesium, manganese, and silicon. Rutile crystals of 5 to 150 microns in size were formed in slags heated to temperatures of 800° to 1,550° C. The synthetic rutile crystals were liberated from ground slag by treating with phosphoric acid to weaken the glass matrix, followed by attrition scrubbing. Rutile fractions analyzed as high as 94 percent titania content. In several instances, more than 90 percent of the titanium in the shag was recovered to yield combined rutile fractions containing 90.2 to 92.6 percent titania.

Jan 1, 1971

By (NIOSH) Publication

In 2004, a total of 2,011 coal mining operations reported employment to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Coal mines comprised 13.9% of all mining operations.

Sep 1, 2007

In 2007, a total of 7,199 sand and gravel mining operations reported employment to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).1 ? Sand and gravel mines were the largest mining sector, comprising 48.4% of all mining operations. ? Sand and gravel mines were found throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Aug 1, 2009

By M. A. Mahtab

This report describes the procedures used by the Bureau of Mines for obtaining attitudes of joints surveyed with a borescope in inclined boreholes. An algorithm for computing the dips and azimuths of the observed joints is presented. The algorithm is used to solve an example problem. A computer program based on the algorithm is listed. It is hoped that the procedures described here will be useful in treating large quantities of data obtained from comprehensive borehole surveys.

Jan 1, 1973

By Ronald D. Hill, Elmore C. Grim

1. Potential groundwater pollution resulting from large-scale surface mining in western states should be evaluated. 2. Criteria should be developed for the design, construction, operation, and abandonment of sediment ponds for maximum removal of suspended solids. 3. Methods should be developed for reducing suspended solids discharges from surface mines to less than 30 milligrams per liter. 4. A manual should be developed in the form of guidelines for sediment and erosion control planning and implementation. These guidelines must be designed to cover all phases of the coal surface mining operation (i.e., before, during and after mining). 5. A mine road manual should be developed for use by surface mine operators and State and Federal Agencies. Erosion, water control, and dust control should be covered in detail. 6. The block-cut, head-of-hollow fill, and mountain-top removal methods and techniques of contour mining should be evaluated, designed, and ultimately demonstrated in steep, mountainous terrain. Designs should be prepared for single and multiple seam applications. The demonstrations must show that these mining systems will secure rapid achievement of reclamation require¬ments and provide maximum, safe, economic coal recovery in an environmentally safe manner. 7. A Blasting Manual should be developed for use by industry and enforcement agencies. Stress should be placed on how to keep vibration levels and air blast pressures well below accepted safe criteria. Also, methods that can be used to control noise should be listed. 8. Investigations should be conducted on the effect of continued vibrations from blasting on structures that are near quarries. 9. Additional guidelines need to be developed for sampling and analysis of overburden material and associated coals for trace elements and noxious strata. Samples are extremely sensitive, and the source and manner of their collection, handling, storage, and treatment, as well as the techniques of analysis, need to be developed and described. This information can be used to predict possible future problems.

Jan 1, 1974