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By George W. Heim

Before and during World War II, the Bureau of Mines investigated a large number of ore deposits in the United States and Alaska in a search for domestic sources of strategic minerals. Deposits chosen for development included those expected to contain metals of importance in the successful prosecution of the war. This report describes the work performed and results obtained in developing the Daggett Chief manganese deposit near Manila, Daggett County, Utah (fig. 1), during 1941. The work comprised mapping and a study of the geology by the Federal Geological Survey, and bulldozer and hand trenching, sinking of two shafts, and sampling by the Bureau of Mines. Work was started April 17, 1941, and was completed June 28, 1941. Two bulk samples for metallurgical testing were taken.

Jan 1, 1950

By D. R. Mathews

The Bureau of Mines investigated the effects of tungsten and chromium, separately and combined, on improving the mechanical properties and oxidation resistance of vanadium. Binary and ternary vanadium-base alloys were prepared and tested for oxidation resistance and tensile strength. Softening occurred with less than 1 weight-percent of either tungsten or chromium, followed by strengthening with higher alloying contents. Vanadium alloys containing up to 9.8 weight-percent chromium or 14.1 weight-percent tungsten were more resistant to oxidation in air at 600° C than unalloyed vanadium. For the alloys with 12.20 weight-percent chromium or 14.56 weight-percent: tungsten, the maximum concentrations used, the lower yield strengths were about twice that of 38,600 psi for the unalloyed vanadium. Recrystallization temperatures for these alloys were 100 and 150° C higher, respectively. Alloys containing both chromium and tungsten had properties similar to those of the vanadium-tungsten alloys.

Jan 1, 1967

By H. Kenworthy

The investigations described in this report were undertaken to demonstrate, on a laboratory scale, the possibility of recovering several million pounds of tin plus tungsten contained in stockpiled and currently rejected slags from the Longhorn tin smelter at Texas City, Tex. At the same time, it was anticipated that the treatment procedures developed might be applicable to slags from other tin-smelting operations. Results of the laboratory work show that it is possible, by pyrometallurgical means, to separate the tin and tungsten into products of intermediate grade that may be returned to the smelter circuits for further upgrading. Several methods of treatment were investigated. The methods that proved effective were: Fusion reduction, chloride volatilization, sulfide volatilization, and carbide formation. Over 90 percent of the tin and tungsten could be removed from the slat by any of these methods. Each type of treatment has advantages and disadvantages, and it could not be determined from the small-scale work which method was the more meritorious. Tungsten and (in some types of treatment) tin-bearing products were diluted by iron, the separation of which will require additional studies. Prevention of a portion of the iron from reporting with the tin or tungsten is a distinct advantage and possibility that will require inure laboratory work to develop the needed techniques for its accomplishment. Tin products from single treatments of stag ranged up to 75 percent in tin content but were more generally under 35 percent. Tungsten products were usually under 15 percent; but segregated portions could be selected, at a sacrifice in recovery, that contained up to 50 percent tungstic oxide equivalent.

Jan 1, 1957

By A. B. Hooker

Nineteen of the installations were on rental contracts 1.L."'1der whtch the lamps belong to the lamp company and are rented by t.½em to the mine operatj.nt; company. · The other nine installations had been upon an O\Vnership-rental basis, by which the lamps had become the property of the renter at the end of 5 years. Five of t.11e rentec installations were en a special contract calling for a guaranteed light output. These contr2.cts were based upon certified . initial performance, with the provision that the lamps be replaced whenever periodic tests of fully charged lamps, taken at random from t..h.e charge racks, showed a light output of less than 80 percent of the certified performance.

Jan 1, 1942

By John J. Sammarco

This U.S. Bureau of Mines report describes the research effort and results for a computer-assisted appendage control system of a Joy 14CM continuous mining machine. The cutter head (shear), gathering head, conveyor, and stabilizer jack are the appendages. Positional control of each appendage is accomplished by specifying the desired position to the appendage control computer, which uses appendage position sensor data. Appendage movement is actuated until the desired position is attained as determined by control algorithms. A description of the sensors, mechanical and electrical interfaces, data acquisition and control (DAC) system, experimental method to determine appendage response characteristics (range of motion, start and stop delay times, and movement rates), and their application to the position control loop algorithms are presented. Also, the test results for the shear in an unloaded (free space) and loaded (cutting) condition of the shear are presented.

Jan 1, 1991

By J. Douglas Causey

In 1986 and 1987, at the request of the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied 73,010 acres of the 76,480-acre Lower Owyhee Canyon Wilderness Study Area (OR-003-110) in order to evaluate its identified mineral resources. The study area is in Malheur County, OR, about 8 miles north of Rome. There are approximately 7.7 million tons of subeconomic zeolite (heulandite and/or clinoptilolite) resources with ammonia ion exchange capacities as high as 1.75 milliequivalents per gram in the Chalk Basin-Lambert Rocks area. The bed is 25 ft thick with less than 100 feet of overburden. This resource probably will not be mined in the foreseeable future.

Jan 1, 1989

By A. A. Cochran

The objective of the research was to determine the final distribution of cerium additions to steel, their effect on sulfide inclusions, and the usefulness of radiotracer methods in investigating steel problems. Fifty-gram heats of steel were prepared that contained either cerium 141 and nonradioactive sulfur, or sulfur 35 and nonradioactive cerium. These steels were studied by autoradiography, measurements of their surface radioactivities, optical microscopy, and chemical analysis. Samples of the crucibles were analyzed quantitatively for cerium or sulfur by radioactivity counting methods. The addition of cerium to steel melts reduced the size and number of iron sulfide inclusions in the resulting steel. A significant fraction of the sulfur and most of the cerium penetrated into the MgO crucible during the melting operation, The cerium inclusions in steel were identified as cerium sulfide. Radiotracer methods were found to be versatile and highly sensitive.

Jan 1, 1963

By W. L. Eaton

This report is the second in a series concerning the Bureau of Mines program for microfilming maps of abandoned mines in the Pennsylvania anthracite region; a catalog of the microfilmed maps of mines in the Wyoming Basin of the Northern anthracite field is presented. The first report I.C. 8274, published in 1965, was a catalog of microfilmed maps of mines in the Eastern Middle anthracite field. Additional catalogs will be published as the microfilming of significant mining areas is completed.

Jan 1, 1968

By R. C. Hickman

Manganiferous breccia formations on three properties were prospected by the Bureau of Mines from January to November 1954 in Johnson County, Tenn. The prospecting consisted of diamond drilling, trenching, shaft sinking, and crosscutting. The results of the exploratory work show the manganiferous material to be low-grade, with little vertical extension. The manuscript on this report was completed February 1955. LOCATION The prospects are in Johnson County, Tenn. (fig. 1), within a radius of 12 miles from Mountain City. The nearest railroad terminal is Damascus, Va., 14 miles from Mountain City.

Jan 1, 1956

By F. D. Stevenson

Thermodynamic properties of metal halides and, in particular, vapor pressures have become of great importance in recent years owing to increased application of chemical processing to extraction of metals from their ores. Vapor pressure data serve not only as a valuable source of latent heat of vaporization and fusion values but also differences in metal-halide vapor pressures often provide the basis for their separation by conventional mass transfer operations. This literature search was made to provide a ready reference to experimental vapor-pressure data of metal halides and oxyhalides. Results are reported in two main sections: (1) A tabulation of vapor- pressure references for each of the metal halides (listed by metal) for which actual experimental data are reported (table 1), and (2) a bibliography of the citations. Metal halides and oxyhalides are listed by chemical formula and chemical name, based on the stock4 system. To facilitate location of the references, a listing of the journal titles and their abbreviations follows the bibliography.

Jan 1, 1963

By N. Kumar Kittusamy

This report on the Venezuelan coal industry is the seventh in a series of studies on coal exporting countries requested by the House Appropriations Committee, The committee asked that the basic differences in mining costs for U.S, and foreign mines be identified, especially those costs incurred in complying with health, safety, and environmental regulations.1 Basic costs in extracting raw coal are analyzed in this report for surface operations, This report also provides a limited analysis of the relative market competitiveness of selected Venezuelan and U,S. steam coal mines in three electric utility markets: New England and the east coast of Florida in the United States, and western Europe. Although some Venezuelan coal has coking characteristics, all coal-producing regions of Venezuela sell coal in steam markets.

Jan 1, 1994

By C. L. Karr

U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) research has shown that fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms (GA's) have great potential for industrial process control. A technique has been developed by the USBM in which GA's are used to substantially reduce the time needed to design fuzzy logic controllers (FLC's).This technique shows promise as an efficient, robust approach to developing control systems. The research described in this report is twofold. First, the basic approach to developing an FLC using GA's is presented. The GA-designed FLC is developed for a specific physical system, a pH titration system. Second, empirical results are presented in which variations in the FLC implementation are compared. Specifically, the effects of altering five aspects of the pH FLC are considered: (1) membership function form, (2) number of fuzzy classes, (3) the center-of-area method, (4) implication operator, and (5) fuzzy rule form. Results indicate that (1) the technique in which GA's are used to design FLC's is effective, and (2) when this technique is used, variations in FLC implementation have little effect on FLC performance in a chosen control problem.

Jan 1, 2010

This Part is concerned with the theoretical study of UHF radio communication in coal mines, with particular reference to the rate of loss of signal strength along a tunnel, and from one tunnel to another around a corner. Of prime interest are the nature of the propagation mechanism and the prediction of the radio frequency which propagates with the smallest loss. Our theoretical results are compared with measurements made by Collins Radio Co. This work was conducted as part of the Pittsburgh Mining and Safety Research Center's investigation of new ways to reach and extend two-way communications to the key individuals that are highly mobile within the sections and haulage ways of coal mines.

Jan 1, 1974

By GLADYS G. HEFFNER, William H. Waggaman, Edwin A. Gee

Thallium is one of the rare and relatively neglected elements that has recently assumed conspicuous importance. This element is widely distributed in nature but occurs in such minute quantities in most rocks and minerals that its recovery at present is only commercially feasible as a byproduct of other industries. World War II, with its unprecedented demand for products having special or unusual properties, led to a study of a number of the rarer elements that previously had been given comparatively little attention for one or more of the following reasons: 1. 2. Limited knowledge of properties. Small quantitios present in available raw materials. 3. High cost of concentration and recovery. Some of those rare elements, either alone or in the form of compounds, have already proved of such value for certain military and industrial purposes that their extraction from ores and waste products, oven at high cost, is fully justified. On the othor hand, further investigation of their character- istics, discovery of more adequato sources, and improvement in methods of con- centration and recovery would greatly broaden their field of usefulness and establish new and expanded industries. The current market for some of these elements exceeds the available supply. One of the functions of the Bureau of Mines is to study the properties of such elements in greater detail, locate the most promising raw materials from which they can be derived, and work out methods of extraction that will render the recovery of such elements more economical. The purpose of a serios of information circulars on the raror elements is to present in condensed form the facts and data so far available. This information may serve as a basis in planning more complete investigations loading to a full utilization of such elements.

Mar 1, 1950

By V. A. Marple, K. L. Rubow, Y. Tao

"A personal diesel exhaust aerosol sampler has been designed and evaluated in both laboratory and field settings. The sampler uses size selective sampling for the determination of the respirable mass concentrations of mineral dust and diesel exhaust particulate matter found in underground coal mines. This design is based on the premise that diesel exhaust particulate matter is predominantly less than 0.8 um while mineral dust is greater than 0.8 gm. Operating at a flow rate of 2 L/min, the sampler consists of a 10 mm Dorr-Oliver respirable dust cyclone followed by an 0.8 gm cutpoint impactor and an afterfilter. Field evaluations consisted of sampling at 6 different locations in these underground coal mines. Measured aerosol concentration less than and greater than 0.8 um have been compared with a well characterized cascade impactor.Techniques must be developed for measuring the mass concentration of diesel exhaust particulate matter found in underground coal mines due to the health concerns associated with worker exposure to diesel exhaust particulate matter. Diesel exhaust particles are in the respirable size range and have been regarded as a potential occupational carcinogen by NIOSH (1988). Furthermore, a 1988 MSHA advisory committee directed MSHA to develop a sampling protocol for assessing worker exposure to diesel exhaust particles.The University of Minnesota and the Bureau of Mines, over the past 4 years have measured the size distribution of diesel exhaust particles and mineral dust, both in the laboratory and underground mines (Cantrell, 1987; Cantrell et al., 1987; Cantrell and Rubow. 1988; Marple et al, 1986; Rubow et al., 1988: and Watts et al., 1989). To date, measurements have been made in nine coal mines. Seven mines utilized diesel-powered equipment at the mine face while two used electric-powered equipment. The results of these field tests indicate that mineral dust and diesel exhaust particles can be differentiated on the basis of particle size. The measured particle size distributions have been found to be bimodal with a saddle point at 0.8 um. This has led to the hypothesis that one method for measuring worker exposure to diesel exhaust particles would be to collect size fractionated particle samples separated at 0.8 um with the diesel particles being less than 0.8 um and the mineral dust particles greater than 0.8 um.Aerosol size distribution measurements, using a micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI), have been conducted in the mine intake air portal, intake entry to the working section, haulageway, and section return entry. The MOUDI is a ten stage cascade impactor with particle cutpoints ranging from 0.1 to 15 um aerodynamic diameter (Marple and Rubow. 1984b; Marple et al., 1989). The sampling flow rate is 30 L/min."

Mar 1, 1992

By E. G. King

Difficulty has been encountered in making thermodynamic calculations of metallurgical reactions involving interoxidic compounds of the ferroalloy elements because of the serious lack of most thermodynamic data for these substances. This Bureau of Mines report (the first of a planned series dealing with entropies of vanadates, tungstates, and molybdates) presents low-temperature heat-capacity data and entropy values at 298.15° K. for three crystalline sodium vanadates--metavanadate (NaV03), orthovanadate (Na3VO4), and pyro-vanadate (Na4V2O7). The results are combined with data for the constituent oxides and elements to obtain entropies of formation of the vanadates. Previous to this report only one vanadate had been studied Similarly, ammonium metavanadate.4/

Jan 1, 1961

By George A. Morgan

The 53 countries that constituted Africa in 1989 accounted for a significant portion of total world output of a number of mineral commodities. Among the most significant minerals to be produced in Africa were andalusite, antimony, asbestos, bauxite, chromite, coal, cobalt, copper, diamond, fluorspar, gold, lithium minerals, manganese, phosphate, platinum-group metals, and the titanium minerals-ilmenite and rutile, vanadium, vermiculite, and zircon. Despite the underdevelopment of much of Africa, mineral raw materials played a very important part of the national economies of many of its countries. In terms of percent-age of export earnings, minerals accounted for more than 90% in some cases. In several countries with agrarian economies and little economic diversification such as Angola and Guinea, a single mining operation could represent an important source of foreign exchange. These latter operations tended to be the more easily mined surface deposits of diamond, gem stones, and precious metals. Mineral commodities for which Africa had a high percentage of world output were bauxite, 16%; chromite, 44.5%; cobalt, 76.5%; copper, 13.9%; diamond, 50.7%; gold, 32.9%; manganese, 27.1 %; phosphate, 22.1 %; platinum-group metals, 48%; uranium, 29.2%; vanadium, 54%; and vermiculite, 41 %. Several of these, chromite, cobalt, diamond, and manganese, were not produced in the United States.

Jan 1, 1992

By X. C. Shi

Bacterial mutagenicity and mammalian cell chromosomal and DNA damage in vitro assays were performed on a diesel exhaust particulate material (DPM) standard in two preparations: as an organic solvent extract, and as an aqueous dispersion in a simulated pulmonary surfactant. U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology DPM SRM 2975 expressed mutagenic activity in the Salmonella reversion assay, and for in vitro genotoxicity to mammalian cells as micronucleus induction and as DNA damage in both preparations: as an acetone extract of the DPM mixed into dimethylsulfoxide, and as a mixture of whole DPM in a dispersion of dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline. Dispersion in surfactant was used to model the conditioning of DPM depositing on the deep respiratory airways of the lung. DPM solid residue after acetone extraction was inactive when assayed as a surfactant dispersion in the micronucleus induction assay, as was surfactant dispersion of a respirable particulate carbon black. In general, a given mass of the DPM in surfactant dispersion expressed greater activity than the solvent extract of an equal mass of DPM.

Jan 1, 2009

By Richard A. Winters

In 1987, at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied the 34,680-acre Lime Canyon Wilderness Study Area (NV-050-231) to evaluate its identified mineral resources. The Wilderness Study Area is in Clark County, NV, about 30 air miles southwest of Mesquite, NV. The area studied contains an estimated 44 million tons of indicated subeconomic resources of gypsum, an inferred subeconimic resource of limestone and dolomite, and occurrences of gold, copper, uranium, and zeolite. The Wilderness Study Area is underlain chiefly by carbonate rocks with lesser amounts of sandstone and shale. Metamorphic, granitic, and volcanic rocks also crop out within the area. Large portions of the area are overlain by alluvium. The Wilderness Study Area is within the Gold Butte mining district. Several gold mines with past production are nearby to the south of the Wilderness Study Area; one mine is reported in operation on a small scale. Several silver-bearing copper and zinc mines with past production are nearby to the east of the Wilderness Study Area

Jan 1, 1988