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By C. E. Brechtel

A testing program was conducted to design a cemented backfill fur hydraulic placement in underhand cut and fill mining of a steeply dipping coal seam. The testing evaluated the use of three different backfill aggregates, locally available at the coal mine, with Portland cement and five different pozzolans, including a Class F fly ash, a Class C fly ash, a cement kiln dust and ground smelter slag. Both viscosity and uniaxial compressive strength of backfill mixtures with different pozzolan and Portland cement contents were used to evaluate their suitability. Based upon the results of preliminary testing, an optimum mixture of alluvial sand with six percent Portland cement and ten percent Class F pozzolan was chosen for further compression testing.

Jan 1, 1985

By M. P. Board

The U.S. Bureau of Mines, under a cooperative agreement with Hecla Mining Co., conducted a rock mechanics study at four widely spaced horizons in a deep mine shaft in northern Idaho. The objective of the project was to measure and analyze rock deformation and lining behavior during construction of a deep shaft in a high in situ stress field within an isotropic rock mass. Rock mass displacements were monitored with multiple-position borehole extensometers. Liner stress and strain were measured with concrete pressure cells and embedment strain gauges. This report discusses the general trends and magnitudes of data from the four test sites, and relates the data to a proposed anisotropic constitutive model for the rock mass. A design procedure is then outlined for specifications of liner thickness and support installation sequences for future shaft sinking.

Jan 1, 1989

By H. W. Lang

The Bureau of Mines conducted an investigation to observe the effect of cetane improvers upon nitrogen oxides concentration in diesel exhaust gas. Amyl nitrite and amyl nitrate were used as additives to the fuel used in a four-cycle, single cylinder type test engine. It was concluded that nitrogen oxide concentrations were not enhanced at fuel-air ratios above 0.03 pound of fuel per pound of air.

Jan 1, 1969

By John B. Umhau

[This !m-i~!.al survey giver, statistice.1 data res;?~dirf ~:rimay ard ?eco~- dqr or scmn tin used in thL: United St,ztas by industries an? incluclcz d;ta on stop&apos;ics, ~urchares, ard plnrt losr.c.5. It is :i ml:anwe of consq~tion in terms of fir.is1icd -prcd.~cts nz6.e iry initid ti11 Sabric:,.torc,, that is, aon- cerns that purchzse virc,in zni s~col~d&apos;l~y i.i.5 ti:; 01&apos; tin c;cra.. rav materi,als ar,d co:lrrert them into !ror?ucts such F!: ti:i plz.te, ~lloyr;, and. c?hemic?ls; comy~nias ;~urchn.&apos;.ii~; alloys, ch:rr.ic,~l::, or tin vl?.tc fcr furthcr a:mflzc- ture ?rc: ~-.f>t i~ci~~dcd. Tilit r~lqe:;tionrr::ire submit tod to consunern ar,nt:incd no dofinition of rnr.oncl.:ryr me$.-i; but, ovrirq to ti~i-: a~counti~ procedure used s.l~o~c-:t 1&apos; thu scrnn hac i~-.rtergol:e ch?rri?~ of ovinerzhip or titlo, thc rc!coverod t! n !its b~en i-c<;,r(it.!rj L.S r,e~3r;d:q met.1. Tbv tin content ~f ]

Jan 1, 1938

By V. F. Parry

 The amount of energy required to support a unit volume of industrial production appears to depend on the volume of industrial production, effi- ciency of utilization of fuel, the form of energy used, climate, and popula- tion served. Previous to the first World War, industries of the United States were learning how to use the vast resources of energy that were available. From 1895 to 1900 the total amount of energy produced was equivalent to 3.7 tons of 13,100 B.t.u. coal per capita, but from that period until 1920 the energy used increased steadily until it reached an average of 7.7 tons per capita. Since that time the amount used has fluctuated with business con- ditions and has averaged 6.9 tons per capita.

Jan 1, 1943

By R. V. Ramani

This volume is the second of a four-volume final report on research carried out under a contract from the U.S. Bureau of Mines on the development of a computer simulation model for surface mine reclamation planning. The other volumes are titled as follows: Volume I: Ore Reserve Estimation, Volume III: Mine Coordinate Generator System, and Volume IV: User&apos;s Manual for OPMHS/2. The dragline model described in this report simulates the movement of the dragline bucket across the digging face, the swing load, the dump, and swing back. It is programmed to handle chopdown, key cut, main cut, and rehandling operations. Provisions have been made for simulating equipment and mining delays. Any mining method can be specified in terms of numbered blocks, the dragline positions for the mining block and the dumping location for the block. Accounting procedures permit the calculation of production rates, rehandle volume, dig and delay times. The model can be used to study the effects of varying mining conditions, cut width, and spoiling sequence with special reference to toxic spoil, overburden and bench removal procedures. The basic input data for the model include machine parameters, the geology and material characteristics, the mining parameter, and the delay characteristics of the equipment.

Jan 1, 1985

The Leuna Factory of the I. G. Farbenindustrie A. G., situated near Merseburg, is the biggest heavy-chemical plant in Germany and produces a very wide range of products, mainly based on hydrogen or hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Its principal products are ammonia, synthetic petrol derived from the hydrogenation of brown coal, and synthetic alcohols made from hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The plant was first, visited on April 21, 1945, by a team including E. Cotton, V. Haensel, E. B. Peck, P. K. Kuhne, H. M. Weir, L. L. Hirst, W. W. Odell, G. U. Hopton, H. Hollings, J. F. Ellis, and H. G. Simpson. It was again visited on May 8-24, 1945, by a combined British and American team consisting of R, Holroyd, M. A. G, Banks, D. A. Howes, A. J. V. Underwood, R. A. Taylor, W. F. Faragher, H. Schindler, and J. G. Allen. This team was later joined by J. F. Ellis and R. J. Morley. A third visit with particular reference to catalyst manufacture was made by W. F. Faragher and W. A. Horne, and the notes of these latest investigators have been taken into account in preparing the report. This report was edited by Dr. R. Holroyd.

Jan 1, 1946

By Bryan R. Carmenati

This report documents the need for formal health and safety, and equipment operations training in the mine construction industry. The outlines, objectives, and training texts were developed based on the recommendation of needs of mine construction personnel, and those of Dames and Moore (Safety Analysis of Shaft Sinking operations, 1977) and Kinton, Inc. (A Training Program for Conventional and Raise Drill Construction Personnel; Phase I, 1979). The training material samples contained herein (and under separate cover in its entirety) are designed to improve the safety and production of those in mine construction. An instructor-directed presentation is recommended. The results of the study are presented in the Findings and Recommendations section of this report.

Jan 1, 1982

By Duane L. Abata

This work, conducted under Bureau of Mines contract, deals with the development of a computer graphics software package that will: 1. display mine ventilation schematics and other representative Illustrations for a real-time data acquisition system under development by the Bureau, and, 2. utilize the Bureau-owned Minefire and Ventilation Code for display of ventilation on and contamination predictions. The software package has been written try operate on a 64K, Z-80 based microprocessor-computer. The project has been divided into two phases. The first phase dealt with the development of the graphics software The sec rind phase dealt with the retrofit of the Minefire and Ventilation Code to the Z-80 microprocessor-computer.

Jan 1, 1984

By Stephen Krickovic

A degasification experiment was conducted in a Pocahontas No. 3 coalbed mine in Virginia. It involved (1) drilling holes in the coalbed in the out-side headings of a set of five being developed in virgin area, and (2) con-ducting a methane emission rate study as mining progressed and additional holes were drilled. Degasification from all drill holes except the longest in each of the outside headings and the first three drilled (excluding the in-situ pressure hole), was erratic and inconsequential in methane emission rates. The two longest holes liberated 66 and 79 cfm of methane, which is significant for the coalbed, but such quantity lasted a relatively short time; the first three were uniform but low in methane emission.

Jan 1, 1972

This report has been prepared in response to a request by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Fairbanks Alaska District Office that the Bureau of Mines quantitatively assess the potential supply of minerals from undiscovered deposits in the White Mountains National Recreation Area (WMNRA) and the western part of the North Steese National Conservation Area (SNCA) in Alaska. The assessment will be used to assist in future land-use decision-making. Resource Management Plans (RMPs) for the WMNRA and the SNCA were approved by the BLM in 1986. These plans imposed significant restrictions on new mineral development in the two areas. The level of public concern regarding these actions, especially on the part of the mining industry, has spurred BLM to seek additional information about the potential supply of minerals from the two areas with assistance from the Bureau of Mines. The assessment focuses on an area within the WMNRA and the SNCA which has been administratively closed to mineral entry. The study area encompassed approximately 1.24 million acres and included all of the WMNRA and the western portion of the North SNCA (fig. ES-1). Three quantitative estimates of the potential supply of minerals from the study area were developed: 1) For all lands in the study area, assuming that they are open to mineral entry-the baseline analysis; 2) For those lands which have been closed to mineral entry; and 3) For eleven prospective mineral activity areas, assuming that all are open to mineral entry.

Jan 1, 1989

By J. H. Nixon

A three phase program evaluated commercial proximity warning devices, developed and designed a microprocessor-based electrostatic field measurement instrument, and utilized this instrument to investigate the electro-static fields about power lines. The Phase I program consisted of test and evaluation of these commercially available proximity devices. The evaluation results were reported in the Phase I report entitlted "Evaluation of Proximity Warning Devices II dated 22 February 1980. The Phase II program resulted in the design and development of a microprocessor-based Distributed Sensor A.C. Electrometer which measures the electrostatic field present at 17 discrete locations along a crane boom. Operator control of the measurement system allows simultaneous electric field measurements from 17 probes, print out of the electric fields measured, and data archiving on magnetic tape for post measurement analysis. Under the Phase III program, electro-static fields around a crane boom were measured by the instrument at 17 high voltage power lines of various voltages and geometries. The electric field data was processed and plotted versus boom distance from the power line. Analysis of the electric field data indicate that the distances at which a single sensor alarm will activate, vary by a factory of 3 to 1. This is due primarily to variations in boom orientation. The results also indicate that in the case of multiple power lines, a single electrostatic field sensor cannot reliably be used to determine the distance from a power line.

Jan 1, 1982

This work presents: 1.) the results obtained from measurements of temperature profiles in pillars and at working faces of three coal mines located in Colorado and New Mexico, 2) a comparison of the experimental results with theoretical predictors based on linear heat flow models, and 3) temperature profile predictions based on a two dimensional coal mine model with an inclined crack located in the roof or wall of the opening. The thermal properties of the coal and shale samples taken from the mines were used as input data for the computer model. Good agreement was found between the measured profiles and the theoretical values obtained with the one dimensional model. The two dimensional model results show that a visible crack (0.01-0.07-ft thick) in a coal roof causes a surface temperature difference from 0.2 to 1°F at the edge of the crack for rock exposed to air from 1 hr to 288 hrs and with the air to rock temperature differences from 2°-6°F. A temperature difference of 0.3 °F was found between solid and broken rock in a shale roof with a 0.03-ft thick crack inclined 45° to the horizontal after a ventilating time of 48 hrs and the air to rock temperature difference of 2.1°F.

Jan 1, 1972

By Annie G. Smelley

As a part of research conducted in its mission to effect pollution abatement, the Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, is developing a dewatering technique that allows for disposal of clay wastes, for reuse of water now lost with clays, and for reclamation of mined land. The technique utilizes a high-molecular-weight nonionic polyethylene oxide polymer (PEO) that has the ability to flocculate and dewater materials containing clay wastes. In laboratory experiments, coal-clay waste, potash-clay brine slurry, phosphatic clay waste, uranium tailings, and talc tailings were successfully consolidated. Coal-clay was te was consolidated from 3-. 6 to 57 percent; potash-clay brine slurry was consolidated from 3.8 to 35 percent; phosphatic clay waste from 15.6 to 49 percent; uranium tailings from 15.4 to 67 percent; tailings from talc production from 9.7 to 53 percent; and an acidic Ti02 slurr slurry from 1.68 to 30 percent.

Jan 1, 1980

By G. S. Scott

In the course of the Bureau of Mines investigation relative to the causes, behavior, and control of anthracite-mine fires, attention was directed toward the correlation between the temperature of oxidation and the gaseous oxidation products in the range of temperatures between 100° and 350°C4/. These tests, made on a high-grade anthracite to determine the amount of oxygen consumed and the mounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane evolved when air was passed through samples of the anthracite at various elevated temperatures, showed that the gases evolved and their relative proportions vary with temperature, constitute a means for determining the probable temperature of the anthracite, and thus permit detection of incipient heating beers dangerous fire hazard exists. As the relationships mentioned are affected somewhat by the amount of previous oxidation of the coal, it was deemed desirable to know to what extent they might vary owing to this cause. It was also considered desirable to have a means for estimating the extent of oxidation from the gas analysis, as this would permit a more accurate estimate of probable temperature. Finally, it seemed desirable to know how much the composition of coal might vary over an extended period of oxidation, since this was previously suggested5/ as a possible means for estimating the probable maximum oxidation temperature to which a sample of coal had been subjected.

Jan 1, 1940

By J. C. Fowler

The field testing of the Seismic Mine Monitor System is described. This system consists of nine geophones buried about 40 feet deep over a ten-square-mile area, the amplifiers and electronics needed to get the signals to the mine office, and a central processor unit to detect and locate explosions and large roof falls. Since the problems associated with the original installation were solved, this system has worked for 2 1/2 months. The system has detected roof falls in the pillar areas and has located blasts as small as 114 pound of dynamite. The location accuracy has, in general, been within 250 feet. The system is now being used to gather long-term data on the seismic activity of the mine.

Jan 1, 1974

By Gene F. ] [Faufaul

This contract was concerned with the design, development, fabrication and testing of an improved tamper-proof filter cassette assembly for use in the, collection and evaluation of dust particulates, primarily in mining areas. This report presents the design effort, fabrication and tenting of five- prototypre unit$ as well as the design and production of 1000 filter cassettes with sampling heads. This new improved filter cassette has been tested and approved by NIOSH as meeting the requirements specified in the contract.

Jan 1, 1978

By Paul C. Hyndman

No minerals have been produced from the McGraw Creek RARE II area. During the 1982 U.S. Bureau of Mines study, there were no active mines in the area. Limestone occurrences (fig. 1, no. 2), four copper prospects (fig. 1, no. 1, 4, 5, 6), and a prospect with no significant mineral values (fig. 1, no. 3) were examined. A moderate potential for high-calcium limestone resources was estimated between ocurrences within the study area near McGraw and Spring Creeks (fig. 1, no. 2). There is low potential for copper resources at the Argenta Prospect (fig. 1., no. 1) in the study area, and the McDougall Prospect adjacent to the area.

Jan 1, 1983

By Forrest T. Moyer

General injury experience in the mineral fuel industries was less favorable in 1965. Of the major industry groups, the coal mining and the coke industries had higher injury-frequency and severity rates than in 1964. The oil and gas industries had an increased Tate of occurrence of injuries although the severity rate improved. However, in the relatively small peat and native asphalt industries, the injury experience was more favorable than in 1964. Overall operating activity for the mineral fuel industries, as measured by the average number of men working daily and the total worktime, was higher than in 1964. Moderate declines in employment and worktime in the coal and peat industries were more than offset by gain in the other groups. In addition to the industry classifications included in this chapter, similar injury, employment, and worktime data on the metal, nonmetal, stone and aggregate industries are presented in volume I. Corresponding data for broad classifications of mineral industry groups arc given by States in volume III of the Minerals Yearbook.

Jan 1, 1967

By Raymond B. Ladoo

Talc mining ·in the state of New York was first started about 1876, but important production did not start until 1880, when about 4,000 tons were shipped, In 1883 the production was about 6,000 tons valued at $75,000, or an average of $12.50 per ton, From this date the production gradually inc~eased to a peak of 93,236 tons in 1916, valued at $961,510 or about $10,30 per ton, In 1918 the production declined to 71,167 tons valued at $902,100, or about $12,70 per ton. For ma.ey years New York ,-Jas the largest producer in the United states, but in 1917 and 1918 its output was surpassed by Vennont in tonnage thou[;h not in value. In June, 1920, there were three companies producing talc in the Gouverneur district, st. La,1Tence Co'Ul'lty, and one near Natural Bridge.

Oct 1, 1920