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By B. V. Johnson

The Federal Bureau of Mines has conducted research in support of the National Aeronautical and Space Administration's (NASA) Apollo program to acquire fundamental scientific and engineering knowledge of lunar-mineral resources for NASA's Office of Advanced Research and Technology. Equipment and techniques were developed to conduct soil shear tests in a simulated lunar environment. Shear tests performed with this equipment in ultrahigh vacuum and controlled laboratory atmosphere showed that simulated lunar soil increased in strength in the simulated lunar environment.

Jan 1, 1973

By Rudolf Kudlich

"SUMMARYThe Ringelmann Smoke Chart fulfills an important need in smoke abatement work and certain problems in the combustion of fuels. A knowledge of its history and method of preparation is, therefore, of interest to many. Since instructions on its use are not shown on the recent edition of the chart, those included in this revision of the previous information circular, by Rudolf Kudlich, now are a necessary complement to the chart. More detail regarding the use of the chart is included than was given in the earlier manuscript.INTRODUCTIONThe Ringelmann Smoke Chart, giving shades of gray by which the density of columns of smoke rising from stacks may be compared, was developed by a Professor Ringelmann of Paris. Maximilian Ringelmann, born in 1861, was professor of agricultural engineering at l'Institute National Agronomique and Director de la Station d'Essais de Machines in Paris in 1888, and held those positions for many years thereafter.The chart apparently was introduced into the United States by William Kent in an article published in ""Engineering News"" of November 11, 1897, with a comment that he had learned of it in a private communication from a Bryan Donkin of London. It was said to have come into somewhat extensive use in Europe by that time. Kent proposed in 1899 that it be accepted as the standard measure of smoke density in the standard code for power-plant testing that was being formulated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.The Ringelmann Chart was used by the engineers of the Technologic Branch of the Federal Geological Survey (which later formed the nucleus of the present Bureau of Mines) in their studies of smokeless combustion beginning at St. Louis in 1904, and by 1910 had been recognized officially in the smoke ordinance for Boston passed by the Massachusetts Legislature."

Apr 1, 1955

By C. A. Wilson

The Bureau of Mines started a continuing program to investigate and evaluate analytical techniques to assist governmental agencies to select simple, rapid, reliable methods for crude oil spill identification. Six crude oil samples were analyzed to evaluate gas-liquid chromatography, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, infrared spectoscopy, sulfur and nitrogren determinations, mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Samples were studied from the following selected fields: El Morgan, Egypt; Duri, Indonesia; Minagish, Kuwait; Bachaquero, Venezuela; Gach Saran, Iran; and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. These samples were chosen to represent high-production fields that are likely to be involved in oceanic transport. Over 50 years of Bureau of Mines analytical research on petroleum served as the basis for evaluation of the experimental results to determine which of the methods are effective techniques to identify crude oil spills. Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis, atomic absorption spectrophotometric analysis, and sulfur-nitrogen determinations are recommended as the most useful of the techniques investigated.

Jan 1, 1975

By Robert J. Timko, Edward D. Thimons

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is an odorless, colorless, nontoxic gas that has found acceptance as a tracer gas in research on ventilation pat- terns, measurement of air leak rates, respirable dust reductions due to bagging hood modifications, and the study of airflows relating to gob boreholes. Following a short review of the SF6 sampling technique, this report describes recent Bureau of Mines projects in which SF6 was used successfully as a tracer gas, enabling researchers to acquire representative data quickly and inexpensively.

Jan 1, 1982

By Aarne Visnapuu

Dissociation and vaporization of gold chlorides and bromides were investigated by a static pressure method and by Knudsen cell mass spectrometer. Two distinct chlorine and three distinct bromine pressure-temperature relation-ships were observed for the respective salts. The chlorine pressures are attributed to the dissociation of Au2Cl6 and Au2C12, and the bromine pressures to the dissociation of Au2Br6, Au2Br4, and AU2Br2, These pressure-temperature relationships were used to calculate dissociation pressure equations, enthalpies, and entropies of dissociation for each salt. Mass analysis of the vapors over AU2Cls between 83° and 152° C confirmed the existence of gaseous AU2C16. Ionization potential of this molecule is 11.0±0.1 ev and enthalpy of vaporization is 28.l±2.0 kcal/mole. Mass analysis of the vapors over the gold bromides detected only Bra in the temperature range 15°-150° C.

Jan 1, 1971

By Henry R. Ensminger

Brazil's gross domestic product (GDP) grew only slightly in 1988 to $277 billion at current prices.2 The growth rate was the smallest registered since 1983, when the rate was minus 2.8%. The economy's performance was strongly influenced by a 2% to 3% decrease in industrial production and civil construction. The mineral industry, however, countered the downward trend in the industrial sector and grew a modest 1.4%. In November, Brazil adopted a new Constitution that placed significant restrictions on foreign investment in the mineral industries. Under certain provisions of the new Constitution, foreign companies were prohibited from establishing new mining ventures in Brazil as sole or majority owners. They could now enter the mineral industry only as minority shareholders with Brazilian partners. Foreign companies already established in Brazil had a 4-year grace period to find majority Brazilian partners, or to establish vertically integrated processing operations (mining, processing, smelting, and refining). The new Constitution also prohibited foreign risk contracts for petroleum exploration.

Jan 1, 1990

By M. E. Poad

Structural properties of steel-fiber-reinforced shotcrete and polymer-impregnated shotcrete, both plain and fiber-reinforced, were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Mines, Spokane Mining Research Center. The research center has found that flexural strengths can be increased by as much as 106 percent, and splitting-tensile strength by 50 percent, by introducing randomly oriented steel fibers. A slight decrease of compressive strength was found in the fiber-reinforced shotcrete. Polymer-impregnated shotcrete exhibited a threefold to fourfold increase in compressive and splitting-tensile strength. The techniques of preparing shotcrete with the dry process, using both fast-set agents and regulated-set cement, are described, along with the results of physical-property testing. Physical properties include compressive and splitting-tensile strengths, tangent and secant moduli, and stress-strain curves for plain shotcrete, fiber-reinforced shotcrete, and polymer-impregnated plain and fiber-reinforced shotcrete. Flexural strengths for plain and fiber-reinforced shotcrete are also reported. Steel-fiber shotcrete is the more promising of the new structural materials for ground support, and additional research is recommended.

Jan 1, 1975

By John R. Benham

In 1979 and 1980, the U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey conducted a mineral survey of the 20,500 acre Black Butte RARE II area (No. 5102) in the Los Padres National Forest (fig. 1). The work by the Bureau of Mines indicates that the potential tor mineral resources in the area is low. Samples of outcrops and stream channels contained no economic minerals. A mercury deposit near a granodiorite-sedimentary rock contact occurs 2 mi northeast of the study area, but similar deposits have not been discovered within the area. Geothermal potential exists near Tassajara Hot Springs, but no thermal springs occur in the area; nor have oil, gas, or coal resources been found.

Jan 1, 1982

By R. D. Leitch

In the course of another investigation4 during 1926 and 1927, samples of water collected from a few abandoned coal mines indicated that their drainage was usually lower in acidity than water from active mines in the same locality. In order to determine whether this condition might have a bearing on the advisability of sealing abandoned mines, a number of such mines were visited, samples of drainage were collected, and as much information as possible was obtained from officials of the mining companies and older residents of the district. The results of this work are the basis of the present report. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are indebted to E. W. Robertson, F. F. Spowart, J. H. Nagle, and W. D. Adams of the Northwest Mining & Exchange Co.; E. M. Fasset, Fred Lane, Wm. Humphreys, and Dr. T. A. Hutchison of Brockway, Pa.; C. W. Faulk of the Shawmut Mining Co.; James Hau of Kersey, Pa., and do others for information received; and to Dr, R. R. Sayers of the Bureau of Mines, under whose direction the work was conducted.

Jan 1, 1928

By Rudolf E. Greuer, Linneas W. Laage, Xinton Chang

Data or input files are used to describe the mine's ventilation system and physical characteristics necessary for ventilation calculations as well as the physical or mechanical disturbance to be modeled and simulated Data files are organized into lines of categories or groups of information Each line contains multiple sets of information or data items Data lines are read by the program, and the data items provide information to the program variables The data file is in American Standard Code for Informa¬tion Interchange (ASCII) format, sometimes called a DOS text format Creation or modification of a data file is accomplished with text editor software Most word pro¬cessors are also capable of making the required ASCII type files A sample data file and its associated output are included in appendix B. When selecting software for editing the data files, the user should be aware that the software will also be used for viewing the output of the simulation The output file can be quite large (several megabytes), if a lengthy simulation is performed The output can be sent to a printer for a hardcopy fisting, however, the user should also be aware that most printers currently used with PC's print at rates of 100 to 300 characters per second and large output files may take several hours to print Viewing the output with a text editor can save much time and paper DATA FILE MANAGEMENT The data files describing the event and mine to be simulated can reside either on a floppy disk or in a directory on the hard disk drive When the program starts, the user is prompted for the data file location and name The user response is in the form of a standard DOS path and file name For example, if the data file is on a floppy disk located in drive B and the disk has a directory MYMINE with the data file MYDATA DAT in that directory, then, at the prompt

Jan 1, 1990

By J. W. Griffith, J. L. Stauffer, L. M. Demers, D. C. Kuhn, S. Riliog

"The relative activation of eicosanoid production which results from the exposure of the alveolar macrophage (AM) to mineral dusts is thought to be a key factor in the pathophysiology of occupational lung disease. We compared in vitro basal and silicastimulated production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) by AM from normal humans and non-human primates (Macaca nemistrina). In addition, we instilled mineral dusts directly into one lung of the non-human primate and evaluated AM eicosanoid production at two week intervals following dust instillation. Unstimulated AM from humans produce more PGE2 and TXA2 than do AM from M. nemistrina. However, in vitro exposure of AM from both species to silica dust produced a qualitatively similar increase in TXA2 production accompanied by no change in PGE2 production. Sequential analysis of AM eicosanoid production following a single bolus exposure to bituminous or anthracite coal dusts, titanium dioxide (Ti()i) dust or crystalline silica showed marked variability among individual non-human primates in qualitative and quantitative aspects of dust-induced eicosanoid production. However, the rank order of potency of the different dusts (silica> anthracite> bituminous) correlated with epidemiological evidence relating the type of dust mined to the incidence of pneumoconiosis. These studies suggest that the non-human primate may serve as a model for the study of both the role of eicosanoids in the etiology of dust-induced occupational lung disease and the biochemical basis for individual variability in the response of lung cells to mineral dust exposure. IntroductionOccupational inhalation of mineral dust can lead to chronic debilitating lung disease ( 1,2). One of the key components of the disease process is thought to be the interaction of mineral dust with the alveolar macrophage (AM) and the subsequent release by the AM of inflammatory and fibrotic substances (3,4). Chronic inhalation of mineral dust, depending on the type and amount of dust, may then produce a situation in which ongoing inflammation, accompanied by the destruction of functional lung tissue by products of activated AM and polymorphonuclear neutrophils, stimulates the production of nonfunctional matrix by lung fibroblasts.The AM produces several oxygenated derivatives of arachidonic acid (AA) which may play important roles in dust-induced lung pathophysiology (5,6). In previous studies in the rat, we found that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). thromboxane A2 (TXA2) and leukotriene 84 (L TB4) were the major AA metabolites produced by AM (7). PGE2 is associated with pro-inflammatory activity (8) as well as anti-fibrotic activity since it downregulates interleukin -1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) release by AM (9-11). TXA2 is known to stimulate platelet activity, cause bronchial and vascular smooth muscle contraction (12) and to possess chemotactic activity (13). LTB4 is chemotactic for neutrophils and monocytes (14) and has been suggested as an additional regulatory factor in the release of TNF by AM exposed to silica dust ( 15)."

Nov 1, 1995

By W. W. Adams, T. D. Lawrence

"A. larger enrollment and a greater number of man-hours of employment by the enrolled companies were the outstanding features of the National Safety Competition of 1942, an annual safety contest conducted by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, for the promotion of safety among workers in the mines and quarries of the United States. The accident-frequency and accident-severity rates were somewhat higher than in 1941, but the frequency of accidents in relation to the number of man-hours worked was strikingly lower than in the earlier years of the 18-year period during which the contests have been conducted.Companies that enroll in the National Safety Competition compete for a bronze trophy known as the ""Sentinels of Safety."" Six of these trophies are provided by THE EXPLOSIVES ENGINEER annually for award by the Bureau of Mines. The trophies for 1942 wore won by an anthracite mine in Pennsylvania, a lignite mine in North Dakota, an underground metal mine in Tennessee, a limestone mine in Ohio, an open-cut metal mine in Minnesota, and a lime-:tone quarry in Pennsylvania. The trophies are presented to the companies for 1 year and are then transferred to the winners of the succeeding year's contest.The contest rules state that a mine or quarry must have at least 25 men employed underground or in the pit for at least 100 days, and the plant must be in operation 30,000 or more man-hours to be eligible for a trophy. The rank of mines and quarries is determined by accident-severity rates, or, in the case of accident-free records, by the number of man-hours worked."

Oct 1, 1943

By Dorsey A. Lyon, Robert M. Keeney

This bulletin is one of a series dealing with the application of the electric furnace to the smelting of ores and the manufacture of alloys, and is published by the Bureau of Mines in the endeavor to increase efficiency in metallurgical processes. The bulletin presents, first, a critical discussion of the possibility of smelting copper ores in the electric furnace; second, the results of the experimental work of other investigators on the electric smelting of copper; third, the results of experiments by the authors on the electric smelting of native copper concentrates and sulphide copper ores; and, fourth, a comparison of the electric furnace with the blast furnace and reverberatory furnace for copper smelting. Before considering the electric smelting of copper ores the reader should understand that the electric furnace was not developed as a competitor of the combustion furnace, but for the purpose of doing high-temperature work that can not be done in the combustion furnace, and for the treatment of ores from deposits that are in regions where fuel is scarce and costly but hydroelectric power is comparatively cheap, as in Chile, and in certain parts of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Furthermore, it is not the object of this report to try to prove that the electric furnace should replace the reverberatory or the blast furnace, as used at present in smelting copper ores, but to show that the electric furnace may be used with advantage in localities where conditions are not favorable to the use of the reverberatory or the blast furnace. For example, otherwise valuable ore deposits may be situated in a district so remote from, or inaccessible by, railway that the cost of get- ting coke for smelting, or of transporting the ore to a smelter, is pro- hibitive. If there is sufficient water power at hand, from which electric power can be developed at a reasonable cost, and this electric power is used for smelting the ore in an electric furnace, with subse- quent bessemerizing, if necessary, the concentrated product may be

Jan 1, 1915

By E. C. Lane

"INTRODUCTION This is the fourth in a series of reports on properties of commercial motor fuels, made in accordance with a cooperative agreement between the Cooperative Fuel Research (C.F.R.) Committee and the Bureau of Mines of the Department of the Interior. The first report gave data on motor gasolines sold during the winter of 1935-36 3/. The second resort gave the same data for motor gasolines sold during the summer of 1936 4/. The third report of the series gave the same data for motor gasolines sold during the winter of 1936-37 5/.This report covers 63 brands of gasoline represented by 1,136 samples excluding the Pacific Coast. Those from the Pacific Coast were averaged by the Pacific Coast technical group before being submitted and are published exactly as they were submitted. In some areas reports were received from five or six companies on the same brands of gasoline, whereas in other areas only one company reported on a brand. Thus, it can be seen that some of the data are more representative than others."

Dec 1, 1937

By Forrest T. Moyer

The safety record of the coal-mining industry in 1968 worsened appreciably .in fatality experience but was slightly better in nonfatal-injury experience. Work fatalities in 1968 totaled 311 and occurred at a frequency rate of 1.33 per million man-hours or worktime. The fatality total was 89 higher, and the rate of occurrence was 45 percent higher than the corresponding figures of 222 fatal injuries with a frequency rate of 0.92 in 1967. The worsened fatality record in 1968 resulted primarily from two major disasters (a single accident which results in the death of five men or more) which killed 87 men, nine in one and 78 in the second. The total of 9,639 nonfatal injuries was the lowest annual figure in complete records back to 1930. The frequency rate of 41.12 nonfatal injuries per million man-hours of worktime for 1968 was the second lowest annual rate of occurrence. The severity rate of all injuries, 10,513 days lost or charged per million man-hours, and the average severity, 248 days lost per injury, in 1968 were the worst annual data in the series started in 1944. Total worktime of 234.4 million man-hours and coal output of 553.3 million tons in 1968 were, respectively, 3 and 1 per- cent lower than in 1967.

Jan 1, 1972

By J. S. Stachulak, G. H. Schnakenberg

The objective of the Diesel Emissions Evaluation Program (DEEP)-sponsored project at Inco's Stobie mine was to conduct a long term field evaluation of diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems available to the underground mining industry. Some of the major issues studied were criteria for selecting the filter media, means of DPF regeneration, efficiency of DPF systems and the occurrence of unwanted secondary emissions, and reliability and durability of DPF systems. Nine state-of-the-art diesel particulate matter (DPM) filtration systems have been retrofitted to heavy-duty and light-duty vehicles and have been subjected to extensive long-term in-mine evaluation. Periodic efficiency tests were conducted at various stages of the study (2001, 2002 and 2004) to establish in-use efficiencies and durability of the tested DPF systems. The results were used to assess the effects of the filter systems on the concentrations of particulate matter, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide in the vehicle exhaust. The variety of filtration systems and regeneration concepts used in this study offered the opportunity to investigate their advantages and disadvantages. This paper also offers a review of selected experiences with the installation and operation of the DPF systems on underground mining vehicles at the Inco Stobie Mine.

By Bruce I. Thomas

In 1943, the Bureau of Mines investigated the occurrence of cassiterite in the gravels of Morelock Creek which flows into the Yukon River 32 miles east of the confluence of the Yukon and Tanana Rivers in central Alaska. Samples of the gravels were obtained by churn drilling test pitting, shaft sinking, and open-cut mining. The gravels along Morelock Creek are about 6 feet in depth and covered with about 2-1/2 feet of overburden. The overburden is frozen, but the underlying gravels are not. Cassiterite, with gold and other heavy minerals, is usually concentrated in the first 2 feet of' gravel above bedrock and in some places penetrates into joint planes in the bedrock. The various methods of obtaining samples are discussed, and drill logs and analyses are tabulated in this report.

Jan 1, 1948

The Waukon iron deposit comprises about 210 acres situated 2-1/2 miles north of Waukon, in Allamakee County, northeastern Iowa. The deposits have been exploited intermittently since 1899 and have produced about 67,000 tons of concentrated iron ore. From January to May 1943, the Bureau of Mines investigated the deposit to determine the extent of the ore-bearing material and its amenability to concentration, Seventy-one test pits were sunk. Those that indicated are of a grade high enough to warrant concentration tests were sampled. Average grade of ore was indicated to be 37.02 percent iron and 27.78 percent silica on a dry basis. Beneficiation tests indicated that the percentage of recovery might be relatively low.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. S. Warfield

Several reconnaissance-type surface and drill core samples of Arctic Northwestern Alaska coals were taken during the summer field seasons of 1964 and 1966 for coking studies. Surface samples were taken from the Kokolik River and the Cape Beaufort areas; core samples were obtained from the Kukpowruk River and the Cape Beaufort areas. Only one Kokolik River surface sample possessed coking properties. This sample, representing an 11.6-ft coal seam, made coke approaching metallurgical quality when a 30-pct portion of selected blending coals was added. Four Kukpowruk River core samples, each representing the same 19-to 20-ft coal seam, were all of about the same coking quality. No differences of coke quality attributable to depth of permanently frozen overburden were found, but the data confirm previously reported information that the 19- to 20-ft coal bed is a potentially satisfactory base coking coal. In the Cape Beaufort area, a core sample with appreciable coking properties was taken at depth from a coalbed determined noncoking in a surface sample.

Jan 1, 1969

By J. D. Warne

The ferberite district of Boulder County, Colo., has been an important producer of tungsten since 1900. During World War I, high prices for tungston concontrates resulted in a brief period of intense activity, and the production in 1917 was 2,707 tons of 60 percent W03 concentrates. Production declined thereafter, and in 19.2 the tungsten produced in Boulder County represented about 4 percent of the Nation's output, being exceeded only by the scheelite production in California, Nevada, and Idaho. Boulder County has boon an important source: of tungsten in the Korean emergency; the present report does not describe this recent activity, as it will be covered by a future publication. Tungsten occurs in small ore shoots of narrow and irregular veins. Most of the ore shoots have been found outcropping on the surface. Core drilling; has been used by the larger operators to explore for new veins and to locate extensions of known veins.

Jan 1, 1953