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By Ernest F. Burchard, J. R. Thoenen

"INTRODUCTION Technically speaking, bauxite is not a definite mineral but a mixture of several minerals belonging to a group of partly consolidated material known as laterite, which have been formed by surface weathering of rocks.The term bauxite is applied to the ore of aluminum, although a substantial amount is used for other purposes, such as a base in certain chemical industries and in the manufacture of artificial abrasives, refractories, and certain cements. Although bauxite has not been classed as strategic it now appears that the domestic supply may be insufficient for expanded defense requirements.Until recently, domestic production of metallic aluminum has been ample to meet requirements, but estimates of pyramiding future needs of the defense program have caused serious attention to be directed to the self-sufficiency of this country, both as to the supply of the raw material, bauxite, and the metallurgical capacity available to convert the ore to metallic aluminum.At the request of the Secretary of the interior, representatives of the Bureau of Mines and the Geological Survey recently investigated domestic resources of bauxite.A preliminary study of published literature and a field investigation disclosed that"

Nov 1, 1941

By G. Richards Gwinn

"Mica" is a group name for a number of orthosilicates of aluminum with magnesium, ferrous iron, and the alkalies. They are characterized by their high reflection and a basal cleavage so well developed that they can be split into exceedingly thin laminae, which are more or less tough, elastic, and transparent, according to variety. Barium, manganese, lithium, chromium, titanium, boron, and ferric iron occur in same varieties. Eight distinct species of true mica, which appear in the following table, are recognized by mineralogists, but only the first five are of commercial importance. [Species General Formula Muscovite H2KA13 (SiO4)3 Phlogopite [H,K, (MgF)]) Mg3A1 (Si04)3 Biotite (H,K)2(Mg,Fe)2(Al)Fe)2 (S104)3 Lepidolite K,Li Al(OH,F)2 Al (5103)3 Ros coalite H8K(Mg,Fe) (A1,V)4 (S103)12 Paragonite H2NaAl3(S104)3 Zinnwaldite (K)Li)3 FeAl3 Si5016(OH,F)2 Lepidomelene HK2F3IIIFe6III A13 (S104)9]

Jan 1, 1951

By John Nagy

Dust explosion data obtained in laboratory studies by the Bureau of Mines are presented for activated carbon, asphalt, charcoal, carbon black, coal, coke, gilsonite, graphite, lignite, miscellaneous carbons, pitch, tunnel dust, and mixtures of these materials with other ingredients. The explosion hazard is shown to increase as the volatile content of the dusts increases.

Jan 1, 1965

By J. B. Janus

This report continues a series of analyses of coal samples made by the Bureau of Mines in connection with the yearly purchase of several million tons of coal for various Government agencies. Listed are the analytical data on the composition and quality of tipple and de livered samples of coal collected during fiscal year 1974.

Jan 1, 1975

By G. A. Apell

Completion of 18 churn-drill holes totaling 2,218 feet and 3 diamond-drill holes aggregating 421.5 feet of drilling in the M.C. mine area, near Truman, Wis., provided information indicating the existence and trend of a zone of zinc mineralization extending for 1,000 feet west of the old M. C. shaft.

Jan 1, 1949

By J. D. Sargent

Selenium might be described as a paradoxical element, being a metal or a nonmetal, a conductor or nonconductor, amorphous or crystalline, colorant or decolorant, and a hydrogenator or dehydrogenator. Selenium was discovered in 1817 by the Swedish chemist, Berzelius, while studying flue dust from the lead chambers of the sulfuric acid works at Gripsholm, Sweden.

Jan 1, 1954

By H. D. Hunt

This paper which describes the milling practice of the Miami Copper Co. is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines. LOCATION The mine, concentrator, and other surface plants of the Miami Copper Co. are located near the town of Miami in the Globe-Miami mining district of Gila County, Ariz.

Jan 1, 1932

The NIOSH Office of Mine Safety and Health has released communication products about flyrock safety in the form of informational brochures, flashcards, and toolbox talk materials. Both the mining and construction industries are targeted with these helpful communication tools. These new products can be used as refresher training for employees and as introductory safety materials for onsite visitors.

Dec 1, 2006

By George J. Conroy

Types and causes of short-circuit and open-circuit faults in mine portable trailing cables are discussed, and techniques for locating these faults are described. Time domain reflectometers (TDR) , tone generator, infrared sensing, and high voltage methods are covered. The paper summarizes Bureau of Mines research, including development of a ~DR/tone generator sender with auxiliary probe.

Jan 1, 1975

By F. N. Kissell

The applicability of the "direct method" for determining the methane content of virgin coalbeds was tested. Preliminary results indicate that the direct method, when applied to exploration cores, can be successfully used to estimate coalbed gas content and also approximately predict the total gas emission from a prospective mine located in the coalbed at the exploration site.

Jan 1, 1973

By R. V. Ramani, R. Stefanko, G. W. Luxbacher

CALCULATION OF MINE HEAD LOSSES FROM ALTIMETER SURVEY DATA USBM PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY - MINERAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT USBM USBM USBM THIS PROGRAM CALCULATES PRESSURE LOSSES USING THE USBM METHOD GIVEN USBM IN USBH IC 7809 BY MCELROY AND KINGERY.1957. THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE USBM BETWEEN THIS PROGRAM AND THE CITED REFERENCE IS THE TREATMENT OF AIR USBM

Jan 1, 1977

By M. W. Von Bernewitz, J. J. Forbes

"In the United States there are hundreds of underground and surface (inside and outside) inclines at coal mines on which trips of cars are continually being run with coal, rock, supplies, and men. The safety of the men and prevention of damage to the slopes depend, excluding the personal element of the hoist-man, on the strength and condition of the wire cable, draw bars, and the couplings, and on the links of chains and pins as well. Within a recent period of four weeks there have been two runaway trips, one on the surface and one underground; it seems desirable to call attention of mechanical engineers and others at coal mines to the need for closer and more frequent inspection of the cable, draw bars, coupling links and pins, derailing devices, wheels, brakes, and other parts of cars or trips on which men are hauled on inclines. This bureau has never published anything on this class of accident heretofore.How frequently runaway trips occur is not known. If no serious injury or fatalit has to be reported to the State authorities, a number of such happenings may occur and not be mentioned outside of the immediate vicinity of the mine.Runaway trips can and do result in considerable loss of life, in injuries, and damage, either at or near the place of the break, or throughout a mine by causing an explosion of gas or coal-dust or both, This report is restricted to a study of the mechanical and physical phases of car trip construction and of the metal of couplings and ropes; derailed trips are not included and may be the subject of another paper. There is no need to mention gas accumulations, coal-dust and rock-dusting, open lights, protected power lines, and permissible equipment, because these have all been well covered in Bureau of Mines publications which have been widely distributed and partly or wholly reprinted by others.Most of the items regarding the runaway trips tabulated have been abstracted from reports made respectively by Clarence Hall, W.O. Snelling, and J. W. Paul; D. Harrington and J. J. Forbes; H. C, Howarth and G. S. McCaa; K. L. Marshall and E. H. Denny; J. J. Forbes, G. W.- Grove, and R. D. Currie; S, P .Howell and K. L. Marshall; and .J. W. Paul, H. D. Mason, and G. E. McElroy, all of the mining and safety divisions; and C. H. Herty, jr., and G. R. Fitterer of the metallurgical section of the Bureau of Mines. W. J. Fene, K. L. Marshall, and S. P. Howell of the safety division, and J. F. Lessig, mechanical engineer, and G. St. J. Perrott, superintendent, Pittsburgh Experiment Station, read the text and offered sugges¬tions. W. J. McGregor, coroner for Allegheny County, and P. F. Nairn, State Mine Inspector of Pennsylvania, contributed valuable information."

Mar 1, 1931

By J. E. Tiffany, N. A. Tolch

The Pittsburgh Experiment Station has made a survey of the properties and characteristics of the brands of fuse manufactured in the United States ; 25 samples were procured from 4 manufacturers representing the different brands offered on the market when the investigation was begun . It is believed that the field was completely covered except for special fuse made to order for a particular job .

Jun 1, 1934

By Guenter F. Lehmann

This report summarizes the results of the development and testing of a prototype monorail suspended bridge conveyor (MBC) system as a method of continuous haulage In underground mining applications. Included are the results of full scale, surface and underground testing of the complete MBC system. Conclusions drawn from these results, together with recommended modifications, supports the viability of the MBC system.

Jan 1, 1988

By Aldo L. Furno

Sufficient quantities of combustible vapors are released by some sulfurs to produce flammable atmospheres under prolonged storage. Hydrogen sulfide and carbon disulfide appear to be the principal flammable constituents in the vapor space above molten sulfur. If sufficient carbon disulfide is present, ignition of the vapor-air mixtures can occur spontaneously on contact with the heated surfaces found within storage tanks.

Jan 1, 1963

By William O. Vanderburg

This paper describing the practice at the Wolf Pongee concentrator at Federland, Colo., is one of a series on similar subjects being published by the United States Bureau of Mines. The author acknowledges the assistance of Loach, manager of the Wolf Tongue Mining Co., and of W. G. Roseborough, superintendent of the golf Tongue mill, in the preparation of this paper.

Jan 1, 1933

By Jerry G. Craig

The Bureau of Mines has developed a computerized oil and gas well data retrieval system from studies of the waterflood potential of a producing reservoir. This system stores pertinent information about each well completed in a reservoir and facilitates selection and manipulation of large volumes of data. Use of the system enables reservoir information to be supplied rapidly, accurately, and at less expense.

Jan 1, 1971

By Roger L. King

The Bureau of Mines has developed probes to be used in emergency mine rescue operations by being lowered through a borehole drilled into an underground mine. Various probes can provide two-way voice communication with trapped miners, continuous mine atmosphere monitoring, temperature indication, and television searching capability. At present, an infrared imaging probe is being developed for "seeing" through coal smoke.

Jan 1, 1976

By John A. Kost

Previous work performed under Contract H0220003 suggested that the mean incombustible content could be obtained with fewer samples and smaller samples without greatly increasing the sampling error. Under Modification No. 4 additional surveys were made in twelve coal mines, representing six states. Same 2,500 samples were collected, analyzed for incombustible content, and statistically evaluated. The earlier findings were substantiated.

Jan 1, 1975

Overexposure to noise is a widespread, serious health hazard in the mining industry, and causes hearing losses to a large percentage of the mining population. Recognizing this fact, the Bureau has a major on-going research effort to address this problem area. These proceedings include an overview of the Bureau noise control program and summarize nine selected noise control research programs.

Jan 1, 1984