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By A. D. Hahn

This report describes reconnaissance by the Bureau of Mines of titanium-bearing beach sands on Ship Island in the Gulf of Mexico off the south coast of Harrison County, Miss. The purpose was to determine the ilmenite, rutile, and associated heavy-mineral content of black-sand-bearing beach sands. The investigation was part of a survey of titanium resources of the United States. Ilmenite (FeTi03), an iron-titanium oxide, is the major titanium-bearing mineral consumed in the titanium pigment industry. Rutile (TiO2), titanium dioxide, is used mainly as a constituent in welding-rod coatings and in producing titanium metal. The major fieldwork was conducted during the first half of February 1961. Nine holes, totaling 220 feet of bore, from which 110 samples Her taken, were drilled at widely spaced intervals on the island.

Jan 1, 1962

By Jack E. Fraley

In this Bureau of Mines study, sealants containing mineral wool, cement, etc, were sprayed through dry-process equipment that propels dry material pneumatically to the water-adding nozzle. Advantages over slurry applications include no mixing, no extensive cleanup, and freedom from hardened cement in equipment should power be lost. Sealants with large mineral wool nodules (>l-inch) were sprayable at rates to 900 square feet per hour for 1/2-inch thickness with little dust and smooth material flow through equipment, but they were weak for mine use, Materials containing small wool nodules (1/4-inch) were stronger but tended to plug lines because the nodules were inadequately separated in the shredder. Increasing the dedusting oil also increased line plugging by holding the nodules together in larger lumps. Best results were obtained using a 3/4-inch-nodule wool with cement binder, which provided both smooth flow through the machine and adequate strength.

Jan 1, 1977

By Michael T. Nigbor

The Bureau of Mines assisted the Rocky Mountain Energy Co. in a pilot-scale in situ leaching experiment at Casper, Wyo., to determine if sulfuric acid can be used as a cost-effective alternative lixiviant (leachant) for uranium in situ leaching. This experiment, which lasted more than 2 years, is the first fully documented pilot-scale operation in which the leaching-restoration cycle was completed using sulfuric acid instead of the more common carbonate-bicarbonate leachant This report describes activities at the experimental site, presents extensive geochemical data from startup to site restoration, compares laboratory and field experiments, and discusses the environmental aspects of acid leaching. The data showed that sulfuric acid is apparently an effective leaching solution. Three to five grams of acid per liter of ground water resulted in a production solution grade of 80 to 100 ppm uranium. Restoration was successful, but required extended flushing. The pH was the last chemical parameterto return to baseline, requiring about 350 days. This was longer than was predicted in laboratory simulations. The data also showed that mobilization of toxic elements such as selenium, arsenic, radium, thorium, and molybdenum stayed within reasonable limits and quickly fell back to preleach concentrations during restoration.

Jan 1, 1982

By Tom Retka

This three volume final report summarizes the activities and conclusions of this contract. The objective of the contract was to develop noise control modifications on a retrofit basis, for auger miner coal-cutting systems. Manuals were prepared to assist mine shop personnel in retrofitting the auger miner with these noise controls. Final Report Volume I - Details all vibration and acoustical tests conducted in develop¬ment of the noise controls. Final Report Volume II - Noise Control Modification Manual for the Jeffrey 100-L Auger Miner describes the various noise control modifications to the auger miner, along with fabrication procedures, cost and vendor information. Final Report Volume III - Noise Control Modification Manual for the Jeffrey 94-L Bridge Conveyor describes the various noise control modifications to the bridge conveyor, along with fabrication procedures, cost and vendor information.

Jan 1, 1978

By V. B. Royer, C. H. Harty

"MANGANESE-SILOCON ALLOYS AS DEOXIDIZERSThe basic open-hearth process for steel mining requires large amounts of oxidized iron for oxidation of the elements carbon, silicon, manganese, and phosphorus which are to be removed from the metal. Some of this oxidized iron (FeO) dissolves in the metal during the refining process, Subsequent to the elimination of the elements named, a considerable amount of dissolved iron oxide must be removed before the metal may be cast into ingot form. The elements generally used, for iron oxide removal, or deoxidation, are silicon, manganese, and aluminum. Silicon and manganese are always alloyed with iron, either singly or in combinations of various compositions. Aluminum generally is used in a commercially pure state and sometimes in complex alloys. A double deoxidizer of manganese and silicon alloyed with iron for furnace deoxidation has been the subject of an extensive cooperative investigation between the United States Bureau of Mines, the Carnegie Institute of Technology, and the Metallurgical Advisory Board. Certain grader of steel, especially low-carbon rimming steels, require a low-carbon deoxidizer to keep the finished steel within the carbon specification after deoxidation. ACKNOWLEDGMENTThe authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of J. F. Sanderson and S. S. Johnston in the analysis of the alloys used in this work.PURPOSE OF WORKThe need for definite information as to which compositions of manganese and silicon within a certain manganese-silicon ratio and when alloyed with iron would have an allowable carbon content for the particular grade or type of steel on which the deoxidize is used, prompted the undertaking of this investigation to determine the solubility of carbon in manganese, silicon, and iron alloys within the region bounded by 10:1 and 4:l manganese to silicon ratios. These data should be of value to the manufacturer producing such"

May 1, 1934

By Edward G. Cunney

Track in underground bituminous coal mines was investigated, and technology was taken from other industries in order to obtain information on conditions that impair the safety and efficiency of the track and to develop guidelines and useful information on the construction, inspection and maintenance of mine track. Volume 1 contains information on the investigations, observed track conditions, useful technology from railroads and other industries, derivations of track condition descriptors and recommended limits, conclusions, and recommendations. Volume 2, Guidelines, contains recommended standards and practices for mine track. It includes the relation of track conditions to safe speeds; descriptions and limits for measurable track features such as gage; descriptions of conditions for track components that are normally not measurable, such as subbase soils; construction requirements and techniques, inspection requirements and methods; and methods for managing and performing track maintenance work. As a research product, it does not repeat the summary or derivations. Volume 3, Inspection Handbook, summarizes recommended standards and procedures from Volume 2 and provides related information for' ready reference by inspectors in the mines. As a research product to be used in mines, it does not repeat the summary, derivations or references.

Jan 1, 1977

By Fred C. Turin, William J. Wiehagen

This study examined musculoskeletal injury risk at four mining sites: underground coal, underground limestone, surface copper, and surface phosphate. Each site offered opportunities to investigate musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) injury risks and how those risks might be identified and categorized. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) worked with these sites to (1) identify work activities that showed evidence of MSD injury risk, (2) examine physical risk factors that can lead to MSDs for a handful of work tasks at each site, and (3) develop a set of ideas for problem-solving to help reduce risk factors for examined work tasks. For each site, NIOSH implemented a plan that was refined over the time period of this study. The plan consisted of four steps. The first step was to use mine injury records, a musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaire, front-line supervisor interviews, and a list of management concerns to identify work groups and work activities that have significant evidence of MSD risk factors. The second step was to select work tasks for evaluation. The third step was to interview those who do the work and make observations to characterize the MSD risk factors and musculoskeletal symptoms that exist for target tasks. The final step was to conduct brainstorming sessions with workers who perform the work or have a stake in the production task. The brainstorming sessions served to identify general strategies (ideas) for reducing MSD risk factor exposures. A final report of findings was presented to mine management and workforce representatives at each site. The risk factors and ideas for improvement identified for each site were specific to the target tasks examined. These target tasks were diverse, but there were some key similarities. For instance, jobs were found at each site that required a significant amount of manual work involving the upper extremities and low back. Handling heavy and awkward objects, forceful arm and shoulder exertions, and working in awkward postures were common for a variety of jobs across the four sites.

Jan 8, 2004

By R. J. Leary

Significant improvements in surface conditions or mechanical properties of steels have been attributed by several investigators to ladle additions of small quantities of rare-earth metals or their oxides. To investigate systematically these effects in wrought and in cast plain carbon and alloy mechanical steels containing approximately 0.35 percent carbon, heats of four representative compositions were melted by the Bureau of Mines in a 4-ton open-hearth furnace. Each heat was cast into three sets of ingots to exemplify respectively, treatments with (1) rare-earth metals, (2) rare-earth metal oxides, and (3) an untreated set as a control. The development of melting, casting and rolling practices is described and discussed. Lance injection of oxygen shortly after melt raised the temperature of the metal immediately as much as 500° F., principally because mechanical agitation exposed the high-carbon metal to the flame and furnace root. An exceptional degree of superheat in the metal at the termination of the refining period was attributed to oxygen injection during the refining period. Bath temperatures higher than industrial practice were permitted by the all-basic furnace lining. Rates of carbon elimination as high as 0.036 percent carbon per minute were achieved by oxygen injections.

Jan 1, 1961

By J. E. Hamak

This publication contains analyses and related source data for 144 natural gas samples from 19 States. Of the total samples, 139 were collected during calendar year 1990. The remainder were collected earlier, but releases granting permission to publish were not received until 1990. All samples were obtained and analyzed as part of the U.S. Bureau of Mines investigations of the occurrences of helium in natural gases of countries with free-market economies. This survey has been conducted since 1917. The analyses were made by mass spectrometer and chromatograph.

Jan 1, 1991

By Paul R. Coyle, Anthony T. Iannacchione

A close look at the Loyalhanna Limestone of southwestern Pennsylvania reveals a complex structural environment. Most exposures of the Loyalhanna occur along Chestnut Ridge and LaurelHill within the Allegheny Mountain Section of the Appalachian Plateaus Province. Because the Loyalhanna is rated as a super-pavement aggregate by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and because of its proximity to the population centers of southwestern Pennsylvania, the Loyalhanna has been extensively mined along these prominent anticlinal structures. Geologic and engineering analyses were performed using gas well and core logs, outcrop examinations, underground observations, and mine maps. Strata exposures from both outcrops and quarries were used to construct geologic maps, stereo net, and rose diagram projections so that the Loyalhanna’s structural environment could be understood better. Many of these structural conditions cause ground control problems at local quarries. These problems ranged from small-to-moderate sized rock falls associated with roof jointing to pillar failures associated with dipping discontinuities. Stresses ranged from tensional on structural domes where weathering dominates, to high levels of compression within structural saddles. A greater understanding of these characteristics is a prerequisite to develop engineering controls, such as improved mine layouts, pillar sizes, etc., that lessen miner exposure to these hazards.

By Anthony T. Iannacchione

The Bureau of Mines developed data on the methane content of the Hartshorne coalbed, Haskell and Le Flore Counties, Okla. The methane content is calculated to be between 1.1 and 1.5 trillion cubic feet, based on an estimate of total coal in place of 2.4 to 3.2 billion short tons. Methane increases with depth, but the rate of increase decreases with greater depths. Degasification in advance of mining is recommended for all mines operating at depths greater than 500 feet to reduce hazards and methane explosions, decrease mine ventilation costs, and conserve the natural gas that would be otherwise wasted.

Jan 1, 1979

By Kenneth H. Johnston

This report describes an in situ combustion project and three waterflood projects in Allen, Anderson, and Wilson Counties, Kansas, that will be visited during the 1964 annual tour of the Kansas-Oklahoma Waterflood Association. Among the unique features of the projects are the movement of heavy crude oil through the reservoir and into the wellbore with energy furnished by burning s portion of the crude oil therein. Another feature is the simultaneous injection of C02 and water, through separate tubing into input wells during early development, to increase injectivity at moderate pressures, Discussion of individual projects includes information on their early history, source and treatment of injection fluids, oil production-decline curves, and the results of water injection on oil production.

Jan 1, 1964

By Jeffrey Shawn Peterson

The testing procedures of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration specify that intrinsic safety acceptance tests be conducted using a standard tungsten-cadmium electrode configuration in the break- flash apparatus. However, in realistic mining environments, other materials may be more likely sources of sparking. Information defining the probability of spark ignition between common materials such as aluminum, brass, copper, lead, tin, cold-rolled steel, and stainless steel is of more practical value in determining ignition hazards. The U.S. Bureau of Mines has completed an investigation of the influence of material on the ignition probability using the breakflash apparatus. By comparing ignition currents or ignition voltages corresponding to a probability of one ignition per thousand sparks to those found previously for cadmium, a margin of safety may be estimated for each material. This report presents the results of an investigation into the influence of disk electrode material on the probability of ignition.

Jan 1, 1992

By C. K. Lee

This Bureau of Mines report presents results from experimental studies on wood fires in a laboratory-scale tunnel network. Experimental measurements include ignition delay time, flame spread rate, ventilation air and gas flow rates, wood temperature, gas temperature, pressure and composition, thermal flux, and smoke particulates. These measurements form a data base for fire-scaling studies and provide information on various fire processes, such as flow interaction between ventilation air and fire, fire throttling and reverse flow, and duct fire energetics. Results show how hazards of duct fires relate to the development of (1) asphyxiating and toxic fumes, (2) explosive gas mixtures, (3) throttling of ventilation air, and (4) high-temperature combustion products. Such fire hazards should be carefully considered when testing flammabilities of materials used in a confined underground mine environment.

Jan 1, 1980

By P. T. Brooks

The selective recovery of nickel and cobalt from impure raw materials is being investigated by the Bureau of Mines as part of a program to develop improved procedures for preparation of pure metals. A combination solvent extraction-electrolytic process has been developed in the laboratory that enables preparation of high-quality nickel and cobalt from nickel oxide containing, in percent, 76 nickel, 0.8 cobalt, 0.5 magnesium, 0.2 iron, and lesser quantities of copper, zinc, and other metals. The oxide was smelted, using carbon as reductant, and cast into anodes. These anodes subsequently were dissolved in diaphragm-type electrolytic cells. Nickel and cobalt were deposited separately from appropriate electrolytes, concurrent with dissolution of the impure anodes. Anolyte containing nickel and cobalt in the form of chlorides and sulfates was treated for removal of impurities and separation of nickel and cobalt. First, iron and aluminum were removed as hydroxides by adding nickel hydroxide to raise the pH of the anolyte from 2.3 to 4.5. Next, the pH was adjusted to 2 by adding hydrochloric acid, and the solution was treated by solvent extraction to separate nickel and cobalt.

Jan 1, 1963

By F. E. Armstrong

Tritiated water has been used as a tracer to follow the path of leach liquids as they flow through a copper-mine dump. Semipermeable layers, produced within the dump by compaction and "stratification" of deposized dump material, restrict the vertical movement of water. Knowledge of this restriction would aid in the optimization of the leaching process. The portion of the dump of particular interest was approximately 2,000 feet long, 800 feet wide, and 200 feet high. A total of 94 curies of tritiated water was injected into the dump at the rate of 650 gpm over a period of 39 hours. The leach liquid was sampled at natural surface outflows and through a series of wells, some drilled to the bottom of the dump and others to intermediate levels. More than 3,300 samples were analyzed, most by liquid scintillation counting, but a few hundred by gas counting. Data obtained permitted calculation of flow paths, recycle times, total fluid volume, and estimates of retention times in various portions of the dump.

Jan 1, 1971

By Claude A. Tongish

This Federal Bureau of Mines report presents information on the accumulation and distribution of helium in U.S. natural gas reservoirs. The investigation concerns the relationship or association of helium with geographic location, geologic age, reservoir depth, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and argon. Although helium is a minor constituent in natural gas, these data show that certain conditions make some reservoirs statistically more favorable than others for the accumulation of helium. The report is based on gas analysis information collected-by the Bureau from 1917 to 1974 from 10,086 gas samples, representing 6,455 reservoirs in 35 States. The occurrence of helium in the reservoirs was 11.5 percent with less than 0.005 percent of helium, 70.9 percent with 0.005 through 0.29 per-cent of helium, and 17.6 percent with 0.30 percent or more of helium in the gas. Results of the various correlations are presented in tables and charts. Relationships have also been determined quantitatively by measures of correlation. The statistical data can be used to determine the environment under which reservoirs with high-helium contents are most likely to occur. These data can be used with other information for predicting the future helium resources of the United States.

Jan 1, 1980

By Robert W. Gordon

This report describes the results and conclusions of the further development of a lightweight probe drill for use in anthracite mines. Improvements to the drill previously developed under Contract H0282044 were made and tested at an Eastern Pennsylvania mine. These improvements were: 1. Better hole cleaning due to the development of an air-water mist flushing system. 2. The application of roof drill bits to allow drilling through rock seams and lenses. 3. The development of a quick coupling drill system which reduced total steel change time. 4. Adaptation of a swivel to the drill anchoring system which greatly reduced set-up time between holes. With these improvements the probe drill demonstrated its ability to drill the required 11 holes in one shift. It also gained miner acceptance as a viable underground working tool. The probe drill proved to meet all of the design requirements of portability, low weight drilling controllability, structural integrity and reliability. In addition to its ability to drill the required probe pattern, the probe drill has the capability of drilling long holes. By drilling several holes over 80 feet deep the probe drill has demonstrated a potential for use in robbing pillars and for methane drainage.

Jan 1, 1981

By David E. Nicholson

This report investigates the mechanical behavior of fine soils in a lunar environment in engineering gravity-flow bins. The ultrahigh vacuum, absence of moisture, and a lunar gravity one-sixth that of earth gravity represents a unique environment, both advantageous and detrimental to these systems. On earth, moisture and gases contained in powder masses can be responsible for complex descriptions of gravity flow. Their absence appear to simplify the lunar soil behavior. However, simulation of the lunar gravity and vacuum complicates the development of experimental data for designing bins. The properties of a dry soil powder, its behavior under one-dimensional compression, and its torsional and direct shearing strength under earth atmosphere are described in part 1 of this paper. These properties provide the parameters for a finite-element analysis to optimize the design of bins, to be described by Dr. William Pariseau in part 2. Shear tests assess the failure criteria for the material. Compression tests provide modulus and (Ko) stress-ratio values from the loading portion of the compression cycle, duplicating the condition of a bin at rest with the discharge closed. During the unloading portion of the compression cycle (soil overconsolidated), the residual Ko values rise. It is postulated that this phenomenon creates a high-lateral stress in bins when they approach incipient flow. Assessment of the Ko value, overconsolidation ratio, and the void ratio state is proposed as a criterion to determine the flowability of powder.

Jan 1, 1971

By John D. Foulkes, David A. Curtis, Robert L. Lagace, John L. Rothery

An investigation is made of the feasibility of developing compact transmit antennas and/or other means to efficiently couple VLF to MF band radio energy between portable wireless communication units in coal mines. The completely wireless communication ranges between two portable radios equipped with practically-sized reference loop antennas in representative coal mine environments are estimated. Antenna technology is assessed with respect to transmit moment, range, intrinsic safety, battery and wearability requirements to deter- mine the most suitable antenna types for use by miners. It is concluded that air-core bandolier loop antennas, and perhaps ferrite-loaded loop antennas, having peak transmit moments of about 2.5 ampere-m5 will be the most effective antenna choices for portable units. This choice, however, will not allow the range goal of 1350 feet to be attained in mines having unfavorable signal attenuation and noise environments. Rectangular air-core loops are compared with grounded horizontal-wire and vertical-wire mode exciters for fixed station applications. The potential for significantly increasing the wireless communication range by inductively coupling to communications and power lines in a mine is evaluated and found to be considerable based on theoretical coupling equations. Lastly, the theoretical performance of a hybrid noise cancelling diversity receiving technique that utilizes both the electric and magnetic field components of the ambient noise to improve the receiver output signal-to-noise ratio under certain adverse conditions is estimated and shown to be favorable when the magnetic and electric field noise components are highly correlated.

Jan 1, 1977