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By Mervin D. Marshall

A quick-reaction, mine permissible rescue vehicle (MERV) was developed for use by rescue teams. The MERV is a 6-wheeled, battery-powered unit with life support equipment and instrumentation; designed for a two-man team, with provisions for handling two victims or tools in a trailer. The vehicle is 100 inches long, 56 inches wide, and maximum height of 34 inches. It can be lowered down most mine shafts and has clearance to travel mine railways. The vehicle has power to all six wheels with power transmitted separately to either or both sets of wheels. Low-pressure, high-traction tires give the vehicle the ability to handle soft, muddy mine floors, flooded areas and significant obstacles, and can negotiate a 45% grade. Power and life support are sufficient for a 4-hour mission. The life support system is a commercially-available, approved unit currently used by MESA rescue personnel. A payout wire system provides communication between the vehicle and home base over a distance of 10,000 feet. On-board monitoring of carbon monoxide, methane and oxygen is provided, with master and individual alarms to warn of gas concentrations outside pre-set limits. A lightweight, water-tight trailer was developed for carrying victims or hauling tools and equipment.

Jan 1, 1979

By L. T. Grose

The Bureau of Mines conducted a comprehensive study of the Kanab, Kolob, Kaiparowits, and Harmony coalfields of southwestern Utah to obtain additional information and to determine the potentials of these coalfields as sources of energy for steam-electric power-generating plants. Field examinations were made to ascertain the geologic structure and the stratigraphy of the coalfields, the accessibility of the coal-bearing strata, and the general nature of the coal-bearing strata and the terrain. Many mines, both active and abandoned, were examined, and key personnel in the coal industry in the area were consulted. Available analyses of southwestern Utah coals were compiled, and tentative conclusions regarding the rank and quality of the coals were drawn. Coals have been classified by rank according to the standards established by the American Society for Testing and Materials in 1964. The Parr formula for moist, mineral-matter-free British thermal units has been used to calculate the rank of each sample, except as otherwise noted. Water resources related to the areas of the coal reserves also were investigated. Existing literature and maps pertaining to the geology of the areas were reviewed. Production potentials of the coalfields and economic conditions affecting the possible utilization of the coal reserves as sources of energy for steam-powered electricity-generating plants were investigated and analyzed. The data obtained and the conclusions reached as a result of this study are included in this document. The total reserves of subbituminous A and high-volatile bituminous C coals in the fields of southwestern Utah are estimated to be at least 8 billion short tons at depths generally less than 2,000 feet. It appears likely that this estimate will be increased as additional data are made available through exploration and other investigations. Sufficient coal is available in four southwestern Utah counties to supply three or four large steam-electric plants. If the States involved grant water rights to companies planning to build steam-electric plants, the cost of producing power with coal might be attractive and might justify the construction of one or more of these plants.

Jan 1, 1967

By K. L. Rubow

"IntroductionAir sampling for airborne contaminants requires a system for moving air, a collection method, and a procedure to determine the quantity of contaminant collected. Because occupational exposure limits and air quality standards frequently are expressed in terms of concentrations, a method of determining the volume of air sampled is also needed. The four principal components in a sampling train are shown in Figure 12-1. The inlet admits the air sample into the train; the collector(s) separates the gas, vapor, or particles from the air; the flowmeter measures the rate or total quantity of air sampled; and the pump (air mover) provides the suction required to draw an air sample through the train. Inlet sampling considerations are discussed in Chapter 21. Various types of collectors are described in subsequent chapters. Flowmeters are discussed in Chapter 7.This chapter will describe the air mover portion of the sampling train and air sampling systems that contain three or four components in a convenient package. The chapter consists of two parts. The first part contains a brief description of the different types of air movers and air sampling systems. The second part consists of tables and figures showing detailed information on a wide variety of commercially available air movers and sampling systems. ient size is filled with a liquid in which the suspected contaminant is insoluble. When the liquid is allowed to escape from the vessel, it is replaced by air from the atmosphere to be sampled. Such an air sample is an integrated sample rather than an instantaneous sample because the mass of fluid requires a finite time to empty. In fact, by employing a large vessel with controlled drainage, this method can be used to move air at low flow rates through a sample collector for extended intervals. Additional discussion of this method can be found in Chapter 17."

Dec 1, 1996

This report, the fourth in an annual series, outlines recent trends and developments in the minerals industry. Discussed are new methods, equipment, techniques, and systems used to more effectively extract and process mineral products. Environmental considerations, health and safety standards, price controls, inflation, material shortages, and more dependence on foreign imports were problems faced by the minerals industry. Although productivity increased for most mineral commodities, the annual rate of increase has slowed in recent years, indicating a maturing technological situation. Growing concern for energy resulted in increased interest and research in alternative fuel sources. The primary concerns of metallurgists were pollution control and improved efficiency and performance of metallurgical processes, especially for reduction of energy consumption.

Jan 1, 1974

By William R. Barton

Dimension stones, with their almost infinite variety, have a broad range of properties and uses. Natural stone was beyond doubt the first mineral commodity used by man. Today dimension stone has widened to encompass building exteriors and interiors, decorative and ornamental modes, statuary, monuments, paving, curbing, flagging, roofing, and miscellaneous categories such as blackboards, surface plates, and honestones. For many purposes, it competes with greater or less success with alternate materials such as concrete, metal, brick, plastic, or glass. The almost ubiquitous geographic distribution of stone resources is the basis for a dimension stone producer industry in almost every State and in almost every land. In the United States, alone, dimension stone sold or used by quarries is valued at 2 million to 3 million dollars annually. Mining, finishing, transportation, and use technology have been modernized, resulting in a broader spectrum of stone products and new adaptions in use. Increased efficiencies also have been reflected in costs and prices and, coupled with gains that should be realized from current research, auger well for continued vitality of the ancient and honorable dimension stone craft.

Jan 1, 1968

By J. W. Thompson

Be if enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That deposits of coal, phosphate, sodium, oil, oil shale, or gas, and lands containing such deposits owned by the United States, including those in national forests, but excluding lands acquired under the Act known as the Appalachian Forest Act, approved March 1, 1911 (Thirty-sixth Statutes, page 9G1), and those in national parks, and in lands Withdrawn or reserved for military or naval uses or purposes, except as heroinafter provided, shall be subject to disposition in the form and manner provided by this Act to citizens of the United States, or to any association of such persons, or to any corporation organized under the laws of the United States, or of ;iny State or Territory thereof, and in the case of coal, oil, oil shale, or gas, to municipalities: Provided, That the United States reserves the right to extract helium from all gas produced from lands permitted, leased, or other- wise granted under the provisions of this Act, under such rules and regulations as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior: Provided further, That in the extraction of helium from gas produced from such lands, it shall be so extracted as to cause no substantial delay in the delivery of gas produced from the well to the purchaser thereof: And provided further, That citizens of another country, the laws, customs, or regulations of which, deny similar or like privileges to citizens or corporations of this country, shall not by stock ownership, stock holding, or stock control, own any interest in any lease acquired under the provisions of this Act.

Jan 1, 1921

By Charles Janin

The recovery of gold from sands and gravels is one of the oldest forms of mining; it antedates history and has been practiced by savage peoples. In North America the search for placer gold has been a powerful agency in the exploration and development of unknown regions and has profoundly influenced the course of our civilization. With the progress of invention, the improvements in machinery, and the availability of large capital for the conduct of great operations, the tendency in placer, as in many other branches of mining, has been toward the working of extensive but comparatively low-grade deposits. The early miner washed the rich spots in stream beds or terraces with his pan, his long tom, and his primitive sluice. Then followed the growth of hydraulic mining and the use of giants supplied with water under pressures of hundreds of pounds to the square inch that could work at a profit gravels whose gold tenor was less than 3 cents to the cubic yard. Finally came the dredge that could handle deposits lying so far below water level as to be beyond attack by other methods. Although the gold dredge was first successful on a commercial scale in New Zealand, it has reached its present strength and efficiency in this country and its development is a monument to the daring, per- severance and technical skill of the many men, mine owners and engineers who have each contributed something to the final result. The Bureau of Mines, authorized to conduct investigations for the purpose of increasing efficiency in the mineral industries, had its attention called some years ago to the need of a comprehensive report on gold dredging in the United States. The director of the bureau recognized that such a report should summarize the development of the gold dredge, should describe in detail the essential features of present-day dredges, should discuss the facts that determine whether a placer deposit can be profitably dredged, and should point out the approved methods of prospecting placer ground and of operating dredges. At the request of the director, the author undertook the preparation of such a report and has been intermittently engaged on the task for several years. This bulletin is the outcome of his labors. He hopes that it will prove of interest to designers and builders of dredges, to mining engineers, and to persons who may contemplate investing capital in placer-mining ventures.

Jan 1, 1918

Research 82 highlights significant studies conducted during the past fiscal year at Bureau facilities and offices. Readers who want more information about the projects and studies summarized here can contact the researchers whose names and locations appear with each summary. General information on Bureau of Mines programs is available from the Office of Technical Information, 2401 E Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 20241. A listing of principal officials, a location map of field facilities, and a selected bibliography of publications and patents issued on Bureau developments during the past 3 years are provided.

Jan 1, 1982

The United States is rapidly depleting many of its most important minerals and fuels. The first two Annual Reports by the Secretary of the Interior, under the Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970, made us acutely aware that the natural resources that enabled this Nation to attain an unprecedented growth in terms of economic well-being, and to set an example of independent strength through the democratic process, are finite. Once they are depleted, large imports will be required. Simultaneously, competition for available supplies, especially of petroleum, is increasing in the expanding European and Japanese industrial communities and in the underdeveloped nations of the world. Even before the crisis of late 1973, the oil-producing nations of the world, principally in the Middle East, but including Canada and Latin America, were recognizing that the worldwide need for crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas could be translated into an unprecedented economic bargaining position. Thus, the members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) raised the price of their crude twice during the first 6 months of 1973. By yearend the energy situation had be-come acute, and it seemed probable that regardless of current political developments, the era of cheap energy was over.

Jan 1, 1973

By John A. Davis, David W. Brunton

During the past few years great progress has been made in the United States toward safer, more efficient, and more economical tunneling methods. This advance is partly due, no doubt, to the recent increase in the number of tunnels and adits driven for devel- oping and draining mines and transporting ore. The Bureau of Mines during 1911 and 1912 made a special examination of this phase of mining operations, in connection with an investigation of mining methods and means for preventing accidents. The details especially studied were the provisions for the safety of employees, the kinds of equipment, the methods of driving, and the costs of con- struction. The results and conclusions obtained from that investi- gation are discussed and summarized in this bulletin. Up-to-date information concerning tunneling methods is difficult to obtain. There are few books on the subject; and much of the material they contain, although interesting and of value historically, is now obsolete. The engineering periodicals, it is true, endeavor to keep abreast of the times, and several in nearly every issue present some article bearing upon tunnel work. But the very multiplicity of these articles prevents one from reading them all, and the foreman or superintendent in charge of a tunnel, or the mining engineer designing one, and especially the business man financing the project, has no time for a lengthy search after scattered articles in order to determine the present status of tunnel work. Then, too, knowledge of new methods travels slowly. Valuable inventions and improve- ments in tunneling as well as in all the other industries frequently remain in the notebook of the investigator, or as theses are buried in university libraries, or are published only in journals of small scien- tific societies. New tunneling methods and equipment that are prov- ing safe, efficient, and economical may be totally unknown outside the district in which they originate. This paper, based on a special examination both in the field and in engineering literature, is in- tended to supply data concerning modern and recent tunneling practice in the United States, and to make suggestions that, it is hoped, will result in a saving to the mining industry of energy, capital, and life.

Jan 1, 1916

By C. H. Larsen

A 9-month study of the uses of wire rope associated with U. S. underground coal mining is reported. Rope applications are broken down into hoisting and nonhoisting applications where "hoisting" refers to transport in vertical and inclined shafts. The former receives the greatest emphasis since it represents the most critical rope application from the stand-point of production and safety. The discussion of hoisting practice includes aspects related to the mine operators as well as those related to the equipment builders and wire rope manufacturers. U. S. state and Federal laws regulating hoisting and wire rope use are also presented and discussed. Canadian and other foreign hoisting practice and laws are included. The state of the art in electromagnetic nondestructive inspection of hoist ropes is presented. Capabilities and use of one Canadian electromagnetic device are discussed in great detail. Conclusions are drawn regarding the present state of wire rope and hoisting technology in U. S. coal mines. Recommendations are made for improving rope practice, in general, and hoisting, in particular, consistent with greater safety.

Jan 1, 1971

This dictionary is published by the Bureau of Mines as a contribution to the mining and mineral literature in the belief that it will fill a recognized need. Several attempts have been made over the years to revise Albert Fay's Glossary of the Mining and Mineral Industry which first appeared in December of 1918. Frank L. Hess of the Bureau of Mines worked on a revision, but his untimely death prevented its completion. Subsequently, the writer was employed to compile and edit this dictionary in cooperation with the technical staff of the Bureau of Mines. Fay's glossary contained about 18,000 terms with 27,000 definitions; the present compilation contains about 55,000 terms with approximately 150,000 definitions. These terms are of both a technical and local nature, and they apply to metal mining, coal mining, quarrying, geology, metallurgy, ceramics and clays, glassmaking, minerals and mineralogy, and general terminology. Petroleum, natural gas, and legal mining terminology, unless of a general nature, has been excluded, as has been foreign terminology where there is an English equivalent. Several thousand Spanish-American mining terms that appeared in Fay's compilation have been removed to make way for the thousands of new English terms that have evolved over the years. Those Spanish-American and Mexican terms still used in the Southwestern United States have been retained.

Jan 1, 1968

By James W. Martin

This user's manual analyzes the application, selection and performance of front-end loaders in mining operations which can effectively utilize their load-and-carry capability. All aspects of the application are considered starting with a discussion of the load-and-carry system and alternate material handling methods. Site conditions such as the geology of the formation, material characterisitics, alternative mine plans and working conditions are identified. Selection considerations include machine design characteristics, production capabilities and ownership and operating costs. Typical operating practices and safety procedures are discussed. Comprehensive machine specifications, together with a series of checklists and worksheets, are included for preliminary analysis.

Jan 1, 1981

A compilation of papers presented at the Fourth WVU Conference on Coal Mine Electrotechnology in Morgantown, West Virginia, on August 2-4, 1978. Papers cover areas of electric power, electronic communications, detection and location of trapped miners, and electronic sensors and monitoring systems.

Jan 1, 1978

By R. E. Collom

The commercial development of petroleum and natural gas fields has reached its present status within 60 years and is still considered by some operators to be "100 per cent wildcatting." 1 A tendency to drill for gusher production, the production that yields big returns in spite of any mechanical defects in drilling methods, has frequently caused drillers to pass by oil-bearing strata of comparatively small yield and actually to overlook rich oil zones in proved fields; in addition, whole fields have been ruined by water because development methods were never carried beyond a hole-in-the-ground stage.2 Unfortunately, the petroleum industry has no mine dumps or tail. ing piles as at metal mines to yield fortunes through later and bette!' methods of treatment. The wasted oil and gas are gone, as are the time, money, and effort wasted in ill-advised or haphazard drilling. Probably as production costs increase less oil will be wasted, but the need to develop and produce from sands of low yield will become more urgent with the increase in consumption of oil and the decrease in supply. Hundreds of wells are producing steadily as the result of months and perhaps years of careful prospecting and of tests during drilling. The Bureau of Mines has studied the testing and drilling methods used at such wells, and presents in this paper a criticism of these methods and suggestions on future work. The term pr08- pecting here means correct identification and measurement of strata as they are exposed by the drill. The term testing means the determination of the kind and amount of fluid stored within the pores or crevices of any stratum exposed in the hole.

Jan 1, 1922

By Jeffrey S. Newman

This report presents a summary of the results of a four-phase program conducted for the Bureau of Mines to evaluate underground mine fire detection systems. In addition, Phase IV is presented in detail. The major accomplishments of this program are: 1) quantification and prediction of the distribution of fire products in a mine pas¬sageway; 2) quantification of "equivalent protection" by fire detectors as contained in Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations; 3) definition of detection criteria; 4) design of a detector test program for determining detector spacing requirements; 5) design, construction, operation, and calibration of a fire test apparatus for evaluating mine fire detectors; 6) quantification of several mine fire sources; 7) evaluation of several fire detector types including heat, CO and CO2 gas, and ionization smoke detectors; 8) development of generalized spacing criteria for mine fire detectors; and 9) development of performance specifications. Reports for Phases I through III are included in Appendices.

Jan 1, 1984

By Joan Weinberg

Real output expanded at a 3.0% rate worldwide in 1987, a slightly lower pace than the 3.2% rate in 1986. The decline was accounted for largely by slower growth in the U.S.S.R. and the East European countries, as well as in the developing countries (table 1). According to the International Monetary Fund, output of industrial countries output grew 3.1% and rose most strongly in Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada (table 2). U.S. economic growth remained at 2.9%, the same as in 1986. Consumer and government spending declined in industrial countries, while gross fixed investment: rent increased. This increase in fixed investment expenditures could be attributed partly to lagged results of some 1986 developments: the fall in oil prices, declining interest rates, and exchange rate changes. The U.S. budget deficit, as well as the large external deficits and surpluses among major industrial countries, hindered further growth .2 A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) indicates that the impact of the October stock market crash was short-lived because it hit economies that were growing strongly, anyway.3 The growth of output in the developing countries slowed in 1987; however, output declined in the fuel-exporting developing countries. These countries have been adversely affected by weakness in oil prices and the depreciation of the U.S. dollar. The weighted average of inflation rates in industrial countries--as measured by the [ ] GNP deflator, was 2.9% in 1987, down from 3.4% in 1986. Prices rose 3.0% in the United States, up from 2.6% the previous year. Inflation for 1988 is expected to remain slightly higher in the United States than in Japan and the Federal Republic of Germany because of recent exchange rates changes and the elimination of slack productive capacity and labor in the U.S. economy. Prices in developing countries as a whole rose more than 10 percentage points in 1987. Higher import prices, caused by

Jan 1, 1988

A symposium was held on January 30 and 31, 1973, at Pittsburgh, Pa., to review the state-of-the-art in designing and utilizing diesel-powered equipment in underground mining. The Health and Safety Activity of the Bureau of Mines sponsored the symposium with major assistance from the following four participating organizations: The American Mining Congress J. Allen Overton, President The United Mine Workers of America Arnold R. Miller, President The National Independent Coal Operator's Association Cloyd D. McDowell, President The Bituminous Coal Operators' Association, Inc. Guy Farmer, President Seventeen papers were presented during four half-day sessions devoted to the general subjects of the diesel engine, the place of the diesel in underground mining, health protection using diesels underground, and maintaining safety of diesels underground. Eleven of the speakers were from industrial organizations here and abroad; one represented the Provincial Government of Nova Scotia; two were with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; and three reported on Bureau of Mines work related to diesels.

Jan 1, 1975

By C. H. Larsen

The results of a comprehensive investigation of conveyance arrestment devices (safety catches) in United States coal mines are presented. Availability and use, performance, inspection, maintenance, testing, procedures, and regulatory requirements were investigated. Information was obtained from equipment manufacturers, mine operators, and regulatory-agency personnel, as well as from studies of domestic and foreign mining safety regulations. Traditional mine hoists and commercial elevators for mine use were investigated. Results of this and an earlier study of wire-rope practice in United States coal mines show a continued need for conveyance arrestment devices. A wide variety of these devices are in use. Only two types have been proved reliable for stopping a conveyance without injuring passengers or equipment. These are elevator overspeed-actuated wedge-clamp (Type B) safeties and broken-rope-actuated devices for wooden guides using a single-tooth-dog design developed in Ontario as a braking element. Elevators are widely used in U. S. coal mines. When maintained according to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Specifications A17. I and A17. 2, they appear to present no major arrestment problems. Of 42 coal-mine hoists used for man transport that were inspected, 30 are in vertical and 12 in inclined shafts. Twenty-four vertical shafts use wood guides; 6 use steel. The 12 inclined-shaft systems use flanged-wheel T-rail guidance. Two wood-guided vertical-shaft systems use the single-tooth Ontario-type dog; the other 22 use multi-toothed wedges, cams, or dogs that have been proved highly unreliable. The arrestment devices in the six steel-guided vertical-shaft systems and in six of the inclined-shaft systems cannot be evaluated because performance data are lacking. The remaining six inclined-shaft systems have no arrestment devices at all. Of the 36 hoists with arrestment devices, the devices of 16 are never tested, the devices of 10 are actuated periodically with the conveyance at rest, and the devices of the other 10 are actuated periodically with a slow-moving conveyance. Although high speed is as probable as low speed in an emergency and would provide the best test of arrestment capability, no tests are performed in the United States which demonstrate the ability of an arrestment device to stop a loaded conveyance from high speed. Mine operators indicate little confidence in their conveyance arrestment devices, and manufacturers recognize a need to improve their products. Neither state nor Federal regulations provide a guide to this improvement. Mine operators, manufacturers, and state and Federal regulatory agency personnel would welcome specific guidance. In view of this, a set of application, design, actuation, stopping-performance, and testing and inspection criteria is presented as a guide to eliminating the inadequacies of these devices. Recommendations are included for improving hoist controls and machinery directly affecting conveyance safety.

Jan 1, 1972

By John L. Dahle

This report documents the research efforts that were undertaken to design, install and test noise abatement devices for use on off-highway haul trucks operating in surface mines. The objective of the program was to reduce the environmental noise from haul trucks. The noise reduction devices that were developed utilized existing technology and were tested on a 50-ton haul truck. The efforts emphasized the reduction of noise emitted from the engine compartment which included the use of side shields, sound absorbing material, improved radiator shroud design, and a modulating clutch fan. Noise tests were conducted using modified SAE test procedures for measuring sound levels around a stationary and moving machine, and inside of the operators compartment. Test results showed a maximum of 4 dB(A) reduction measured 16 feet from the truck. Interior cab noise was reduced 6 dB(A) with the windows and vents closed.

Jan 1, 1983