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By John H. Thompson

Recent studies ** at the Pittsburgh Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines have revealed some interesting facts as to the probable behavior of steamed coke in the blast furnace . The literature on the chemistry of the blast furnace was tho roughly reviewed , and with this information in mind , the probable behavior of the coke sulphur in the blast furnace was deduced . Enough small - scale tests were conducted to furnish a check on most of the important deductions , and the conclusions derived therefrom accord with what is already known in regard to the forms of sulphur in coke , and fit in well with the general opinion concerning blast-furnace reactions .

Aug 1, 1923

By Peter Grandone

"INTRODUCTION The injection of water into partly depleted-oil-bearing formations as a means of supplying additional energy to flow oil wells now is recognized by the petroleum industry as an effective method of increasing the recovery of oil. The benefits to be derived from water-flooding oil sands were discovered accidentally more than 4o years ago, when oil producers in the Pennsylvania and western New York fields observed suustantial increases, in oil-production rates when water leaked past corroded casings of old wells into producing sands. This observation prompted some operators purposely to perforate or slit the casings opposite the producing formation in some of their wells to permit water to enter the formation. However, as many operators viewed the practice with skepticism and considered it to be in violation of oil-conservation principles,- systematic water-flooding was not initiated until the Pennsylvania legislature, in 1921, enacted a law authorizing water-flooding of oil sands in that State.Although water-flooding has been practiced in a haphazard manner for more than 25 years in Chautauqua and Montgomery Counties, Kansas, planned or systematic water-flooding in that State had its inception in 1935, when the legislature, following the example of Pennsylvania, also passed a lava/ authorizing water-flooding. The early operations and, to some extent, those still, practiced in the Chautauqua-Montgomery area consisted in raising or perforating the casing to allow water from upper strata to gravitate into underlying oil-producing formations. The extent to which this type of water-flooding affected petroleum production in the old stripper area of eastern Kansas is not known, but it is known to have increased oil production ap¬preciably from many leases.Following enactment of the law permitting water-flooding in Kansas, three operators inaugurated, in that same year, three organized flooding projects in three different counties of the southeastern part of the State. The first organized project on record was that of the York State Oil Co. in the Seeley pool, Greenwood County. On this project, the injection was started on May 15, 1935, into the Bartlesville sandstone at a top depth of 1940 feet."

Jul 1, 1944

By John W. Finch

The Secretary of the Interior acting through the Bureau of Mines and the Geological Survey is authorized by the Strategic Materials (Public No. 117 - 76th Cong., Chapter 190 1st Sess.) to make investigation concerning essential minerals of which the quantities or grades obtainable from known domestic sources are inadequate. The Bureau of Mines, in carrying out its part of this program, may investigate deposits of such minerals in whatever manner may be necessary, in order to determine (1) the extent and quality of the are, (2) the most suitable method of mining and beneficiating it, and (3) the cost at which it may be produced. The essential objective in doing these things is to determine where and how supplies of minerals and metals of which domestic production is usually inadequate might be obtained in a national emergency, even though at higher cost than usual.

Jan 1, 1939

By Frank J. Wiebelt

As a result of the examination of many copper-zinc properties in the West Belt area of California, nine were chosen for exploration projects by the Bureau of Mines. This was part of the Bureau's wartime mineral-development program aimed at maintaining production of essential metals and increasing ore reserves. The properties explored were the El Dorado, El Dorado County; Copper Hill, Newton, and Gray House, Amador County; Constellation, North Keystone, and Collier, Calaveras County; and American Eagle and Akoz, Mariposa County. In addition to surface sampling and mapping, 41 holes, aggregating 18,134 linear feet, were diamond-drilled. Detailed results of the work done on all properties except the El Dorado and Akoz are given in this report. The El Dorado and Akoz were discussed in Reports of Investigations 3896 and 4144, respectively. Figure 1 is an index map showing the location of the mines covered in this publication.

Jan 1, 1951

By M. A. Mahtab

This report presents the geometric parameters (attitude, spacing, extent, and aperture) of fracture patterns in a selected portion (study area) of San Manuel copper mine, Arizona. The geometric parameters are quantified for input to structural analyses for studies of the influence of fractures on cavability of ores. Using an orientation analysis procedure developed earlier by the Bureau, three prominent and nearly orthogonal sets of fracture orientations were delineated in the study area. Sets 1 and 2 dip nearly vertically, and generally strike east-west and north-south, respectively, whereas set 3 is nearly horizontal. Both a horizontal rotation (of 14° to 26° for sets 1 and 2, respectively) and a tilt (of 20° for set 3) is shown to occur between the 1415 and 2015 levels of the mine. Gomparison of the three major rock types present in the study area (quartz monzonite, monzonite porphyry, and rhyolite) show that the rhyolite is characterized by short extent, small spacing, and tightness of fractures as well as the general absence of fracture set 3, which may account for its generally observed strong resistance to caving.

Jan 1, 1973

By Gary P. Sames

This report discusses some practical applications of a geotechnical investigation conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines that can help mine operators meet revised Federal regulations in their roof control plans. The investigation, designed to characterize roof conditions near the coalbed outcrop in drift coal mines in eastern Kentucky, revealed that weathered stress-relief joints near outcrop are crucial ground control factors in the region. The joints' origin and character were determined through underground mapping of many joints in coal mine roof and detailed observations and measurement of joint trends and physical characteristics in widely separated strip mine highwalls and roadcuts. This resulted in an understanding of stress-relief-joint patterns and the effect of various rock types on the intensity of weathering in the joints. That information is used in this report to show how stress-relief joints contribute to roof failure and how, through improved roof support and mine planning, safer roof support plans can be developed.

Jan 1, 1992

By Christopher C. Jobes, Alan G. Mayton, Timothy J. Matty, Joseph P. DuCarme

Mining injury statistics show that a significant number of back, neck, and head injuries are linked to exposure from vehicle vibration. Use of a suspension seat is a common way to isolate the vehicle operator from the adverse effects of vibration exposure. Thus, researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health1 – Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (NIOSH – PRL) performed laboratory studies on four passive and two semi-active seat suspension designs. These are typical of seat suspensions commonly found on large off-road heavy surface mining, construction and agricultural vehicles as either replacement or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) systems. One included a pneumatic (air bladder) spring mechanism. The fifth and sixth suspensions were a NIOSH magnetorheological (MR) semi-active damper design based on the pneumatic (air bladder) and one of the coil spring suspensions above. These suspensions were modified with a commercially available MR damper substituted for the OEM damper. These six seat suspension systems were tested and analyzed, for vertical vibration only, using the ISO 5007 Standard [1]. This paper describes the laboratory vibration tests using a MTS® shaker table and discusses the results obtained for the different suspension designs and highlights the rheonetic technology studied. Implications of the seat suspension designs relative to their capabilities for isolating vehicle operators from vibration exposure are discussed. Results for suspensions 1 through 3 showed frequencies of isolation from 2.1 to 3.0 Hz using the 40-kg (88-lb) mass and from 1.65 Hz to 1.8 Hz using the 80-kg (176-lb) mass. Suspension #4, in tests with only the 80-kg (176-lb) mass, showed an isolation frequency of 3.7 Hz. With the MR damper added to seat suspension #4, the peak transmissibility was lowered from 1.3 to 0.95 and showed a corresponding downward shift in frequency from 2.25 Hz to 1.4 Hz. In fact, the results for suspension #5 (the MR damper added to seat suspension #4), using test #3 conditions of the programmed control algorithm, showed isolation (attenuation of transmitted vibration) throughout the test frequency range from 1.0 to 6.0 Hz.

Provide improved permanent stoppings designed specifically for use in mines with large cross-sectional entries. Approach The large entry sizes in many mines, such as oil shale, salt, and limestone, make the conventional stopping construction techniques used in smaller opening mines unacceptable. The Bureau of Mines and Colorado Mining Association jointly sponsored a contract to design and test new or modified stopping concepts for these mines. The most promising concepts were then tested in an oil-shale mine having 30-foot-high by 55-foot-wide mine entry openings. All stopping designs tested were evaluated in terms of cost, air tightness, and resistance to blast damage.

Jan 1, 1987

Aid mine operators as well as mine inspectors in making quick but sufficiently accurate measurements of the rock dust content of coal/rock dust mixtures. The Problem Past research has shown that accumulations of volatile coal dust in underground coal mines can be rendered non-explosive by dilution with chemically inert rock dust (usually limestone). Consequently, rock dusting is required by law in U.S. underground coal mines. However, mine officials and inspectors have no quick and reliable means to determine whether enough rock dust has been applied to achieve a mixture that is in compliance with the law. Even the compliance tests used by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) are slow and involved. MSHA assures that a mine has been rock dusted adequately by collecting samples from rock dusted areas of the mine and sending the samples to a laboratory for analyses of the inert-dust content. The analyses may not be completed for more than two weeks, during which time the mine in question might be inadequately protected against coal dust explosions. To solve this problem, the Bureau of Mines devised a quick, simple and reliable device that can immediately determine the rock-dust content of a mixture of coal and rock dust.

Jan 1, 1985

By Carl Sunderman, Steve Signer

Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have developed several new tools for evaluating roof support performance. A miniature data acquisition system (MIDAS) was developed that can collect readings from up to 16 strain gauges at regular time intervals and store the readings for later retrieval. Three LED lights change from green to yellow, then red, based on the reading levels and/or rates of change of rock movement. This feature can be used to warn miners of rock instabilities. The system can be used with any strain-gauged support (resin bolt, friction bolt, cable bolt) or with a newly developed rock strain strip (ROSS) developed by NIOSH to measure rock strain. A ROSS is grouted in a hole drilled adjacent to the rock support to be evaluated; the deformed shape of the ROSS provides anchorage on either side of the strain gauges. Data from both laboratory tests and field evaluations are presented that describe the capabilities of both the MIDAS and ROSS instruments.

By Rimas Pakalnis, Andrea M. Ouchi, Thomas M. Brady, Mary M. MacLaughlin, Cristian Caceres, Paul Hughes

A major focus of ground control research presently being conducted by the Geomechanics Group at the University of British Columbia, Canada, in conjunction with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Spokane Research Laboratory, is the development of design guidelines for underground mining within weak rock masses. The study expands upon the span design curve for man-entry operations and the stability graph for nonentry operations developed at UBC by extending the application to weak rock masses. The original database has been augmented by weak rock mass information from mines throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, and Europe. The common factor in all of these mines is the presence of a weak back and/or walls. This paper expands on the North American database and how the design curves have been employed at mining operations throughout the world. The definition of a weak rock mass for this study has been defined as having an RMR76 under 45% and/or a Q-value under 1.0.

Jan 5, 2007

By Hylton R. Brown

This publication, an abstract of a progress report covering an investigation of hazards in thermal coal-drying plants has been prepared according to the suggestions and recommendations of a committee6/ appointed by J. J. Forbes, Director of the Bureau of Mines, when the original report was reviewed at a meeting of representatives of the mining industry, operators of coal-drying plants, coal-mine workers, and the Bureau in Washington on May 6, 1955. The investigation on which the report is based was made in accordance with action taken at a previous conference in Washington on May 19, 1954, called by Director Forbes to consider what should be done to prevent explosions and fires in coal-drying plants. Scope of Investigation The investigation was planned to obtain information considered essential for properly appraising fire and explosion hazards in different types of coal driers. A questionnaire sent to Bureau personnel provided preliminary information on coal-drying facilities at more than 270 preparation plants. Information on methods used in operating different types of driers, with their furnaces, fans, cyclones, and other auxiliary equipment, was obtained by personal visits or conferences with the operators at 13 plants. Factual data on operating temperatures, composition of the drying gases, air flow, dust loading of the air or gas currents, use of water sprays, auxiliary air controls, and other factors were obtained by conducting full-scale tests at six different plants and making laboratory investigations with samples of dust and gas collected during the tests.

Jan 1, 1956

By George A. Savanick

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has patented and transferred to industry an abrasive-enhanced water-jet rock drill. This drill incorporates three novel components: a collimator, jet deflectors for cutting clearance, and an unpressurized swivel, which rotates at 1,000 rpm while passing 20 gpm of an abrasive slurry flowing at 1,000 ft/s. Drilling occurs through the action of a 10,000-psi, 2O-gpm water jet into which is entrained 72 lb/min of abrasives. The pumps, hoses, and fittings are those commonly used in the water-jet-cleaning industry. Only inexpensive, common sandblasting abrasives are used. This drill can cut through hard rocks with moderate-pressure jets; e.g., rocks with a compressive strength of 73,000 psi can be drilled with a 1O,OOO-psi abrasive jet. In addition to drilling holes, the drill can cut deep, narrow kerfs; collar a hole at any angle; drill through rubble; and chamber holes. The development of the abrasive jet drill is a significant advance in the state of the art of hard-rock drilling. The Government of the United States has licensed the abrasive jet drill patent to Weatherford Water Jetting Systems.

Jan 1, 1989

By R. R. Brandenthaler

A series of open-flow tests was conducted in the Chickasha gas field, Grady County, Oklahoma, during June, 1927, under the direction of the U. S. Bureau of Mines and at the request of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The purpose of these teats was to determine whether or not any differences existed in the open-flow volume of a gas well when taken through well-head nipples of different diameters, and further, to establish if possible a relationship between open-flow volumes taken through well-head nipples of various diameters. The open flow of a well is the volume or quantity of gas, measured under standard conditions, that a well will produce when open to the atmosphere. There are several methods used for determining the open flow of wells; some of the methods are more suitable under certain conditions than others. The Pitot tube method is the simplest, is applicable to almost any condition, and is the one most commonly used. In the tests described in this paper no attempt was made to compare the Pitot tube method with the minute pressure measurement method or the orifice measurement method.5

Jan 1, 1928

By Oliver Bowles

The mineral asbestos, because of its unique fibrous character, is allied to cotton and wool but has the advantage of heat and fire resistance; therefore, it supplies many industrial needs for which no substitutes are yet available. This report covers the essential features of the asbestos industry, including occurrence, production, mining, milling, utilization, international trade, and marketing. The United States leads all countries in the manufacture of asbestos products, but domestic sources furnish only a small fraction of the raw material required. As the United States is dependent to so great an extent on foreign supplies of raw materials, the bulletin deals at length with the asbestos industry in foreign lands. Several reports now available deal with the industry in individual countries. Among them are Chrysotile Asbestos in Canada, by J. G. Ross; Asbestos in the Union of South Africa, by A. L. Hall; and a series of articles on the Russian industry, by Walter A. Ru Keyser. These have been drawn upon freely, and full acknowledgment is hereby made for the helpful information thus secured. The file of the magazine Asbestos also has furnished many valuable data touching all phases of the industry. Many other books and articles listed in the bibliography at the end of this bulletin have been utilized and have been supplemented by the author's intimate acquaintance with the industry for about 20 years. The intent is to present a concise, world-wide, historical, technical, and economic treatment of the asbestos industry.

Jan 1, 1937

The first phase of our work for PMSRC on this contract was devoted to a comprehensive and in-depth assessment of electromagnetic (EM) noise measurements and data taken by several contractors for use in the design of operational and emergency mine communications. Pertinent measurements and data of other selected investigators were also included in the evaluation. This assessment treated the measurements and instrumentation used, the data analysis and presentation methods, and the utility of the final results. This phase concluded with the identification of the most useful results and methods, the remaining data gaps, the contractor most qualified to fill these data gaps, and the definition (with PMSRC and this contractor - NBS, National Bureau of Standards) of a follow-on noise measurement program, instrumentation system, and data processing methods tailored to obtain the necessary but missing noise data. A partial bibliography of references related to electromagnetic and seismic noise and propagation in the frequency bands of interest was also compiled during this first phase. The body of this Part of the final report presents a summary of the findings of our EM noise assessment, together with detailed recommendations regarding the new noise measurements to be taken and the instrumentation and data processing methods to be used. This work was done during the latter part of 1971 and the early part of 1972. During subsequent phases of the contract ADL was asked to perform on-going evaluations of the continuing program of electromagnetic (EM) noise and propagation measurements made by Bureau contractors, and to utilize pertinent data from these measurements to make performance estimates for

Jan 1, 1974

By D. Montagna

Large quantities of zinc-base die-cast scrap containing 3 to 4 percent aluminum are presently refined by mixing with other secondary zinc products such as galvanizer dross and distilling in a retort. The Bureau of Mines investigated alternate aluminum removal processes utilizing low-cost fluxes. Basing the investigation on the metallurgical principle that a reactive impurity can be removed from a less reactive matrix metal by melting under a flux consisting of a salt or oxide of a metal less reactive than the impurity, three separate flux mixtures were studied. In the first flux system, [FeCl3] + NaCI (the active component is underlined), part of the aluminum is' eliminated by the formation of volatile aluminum chloride and the rest by the creation of a high melting point iron-aluminum intermetallic compound that can be separated from the remaining molten zinc by filtration. Aluminum removal in the second system, [Fe203] + CaClz + NaCI, is effected by the formation of the iron-aluminum compound and possibly aluminum oxide. The third system, spent sal skimmings--essentially a mixture of [ZnCl2], NH4Cl, and ZnO, depends solely on aluminum chloride formation. Of the three flux systems investigated, the best results obtained were with system 3. Aluminum was reduced in the molten die-cast alloy from 4.10 percent to 0.01 percent when depleted sal skimmings were used.

Jan 1, 1969

By T. M. Romslo

"The Keystone and St. George properties are in the so-called Johnson Camp area and adjoin a property that in recent years has become a steady producer of low-to medium-grade copper-zinc ores. The Keystone Copper Co. was active intermittently from 1908 to 1938 and during 1926 to 1937 produced a recorded 1,100 tons of 5 percent copper ore. There is no evidence that ore has been produced from the St. George property.In the Johnson Camp area both igneous and sedimentary rocks ranging in age from pre-Cambrian to Quaternary are exposed. The ore bodies are in the Paleozoic rocks and occur principally in the Abrigo formation, which is composed mainly of limestones and shales. The rocks of the productive zones are metamorphosed and are cut by systems of fractures and faults. Chalcopyrite and sphalerite, the principal ore minerals, replace altered limestones to form deposits locally called mantos and chimneys.Investigation of the Keystone and St. George deposits by the Bureau of Mines included topographical and geological mapping of the surface and the underground workings and diamond drilling from the surface. A total of 10,067.8 feet was drilled in 22 holes. The drilling started November 13, 1947, and was completed August 19, 1948.This report records factual information obtained during the course of the investigation."

Jul 1, 1949

By Eric S. Weiss, Deno M. Pappas, Timothy M. Barton

During the past few years, the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has been evaluating developments in sealant support systems from a ground control perspective. The proper selection and use of a sealant material can significantly enhance ground control which may result in a decrease in worker related injuries due to ground falls. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to briefly review the current state-of-the-art technology in shotcrete and membrane developments, to evaluate the preliminary findings of a long-term underground study of various types of sealant materials, and to examine installation practices that are critical for an effective sealant material. The underground study utilizes NIOSH’s Lake Lynn Laboratory Experimental Mine to evaluate the long-term performance of several types of shotcrete and membrane materials. Sealant performance to date have been evaluated on a regular basis over a two year period. Although the study is still ongoing, critical mining practices were identified that may seriously effect the bond of the sealant materials to the mine roof and rib; most notably, the importance of scaling and thorough cleaning of the rib prior to application. Also, results froman extensive series of Schmidt Hammer tests found that the shotcrete increased in strength by 70% during the humid summer months.

By W. W. Agey

As a part of the program of investigation of domestic sources of manganese in the western United States, engineers of the Bureau of Mines examined. and obtained samples of ore from two properties in the vicinity of Barstow, San Bernardino County, Calif. In addition to these, samples from two other properties in the same vicinity were submitted by the owners. As the ores were too low-grade to be acceptable for the direct production of ferromanganese, beneficiation studies were made to determine the amenability of the ores to concentration by ore dressing. The Big Reef manganese claims axe about 140 miles east of Barstow, Calif. The claims were leased by W., E. Thurber of San Gabriel, Calif., from the owner, C. S. VanDoren of Daggett., Calif. Manganese oxides occur as a replacement deposit in heavily brecciated andesite along a fault plane. Four samples were taken by an examining engineer of the Bureau of Mines from the ore zone, which, when composited, were representative of all the exposed ore. Preliminary tests were made on lot B, and final tests wore made on the composite sample. The Trans-Oceanic property is about 20 miles southeast of Barstow, near Newberry, in the. Pisgah mining district, Calif. The sample, submitted by the owners, was taken from a 1,000-ton reject clump from a hand-sorting operation. The ore occurs as a replacement of rhyolite.

Jan 1, 1952