Search Documents

By Jack Touseull

On November 15, 1972, the Bautsch mine, a lead-zinc mine in Paleozoic dolomites, experienced a massive rock failure involving 3 to 5 million tons. Because this failure was large and extended to the surface, it was included in the Federal Bureau of Mines investigations on "Massive Rock Failures." Analysis of the rock mechanics and mode of failure revealed that failure at the Bautsch mine was the result of the interrelationship of many factors. Factors related to the failure were found to be external and internal to the mining environment. Unlike internal factors, external factors were not apparent and, therefore, many external factors were investigated; some of which are not normally considered in rock mechanics analyses. External and internal factors determined to be of significant importance were: (1) precipitation, (2) fractures, (3) plastic clay layer, (4) topography, (5) rock alteration, (6) bedding, and (7) mining zone dimensions. Because of the conditions at the mine, failure could have been predicted without extensive instrumentation. Application of basic geologic and engineering principles to the internal and external factors could have predicted failure. Alternately, failure would, in all probability, have been delayed by years if, after 1962, mining had been curtailed in the area of failure.

Jan 1, 1980

Note: This is a progress report and therefore not necessarily conclusive. Further data may result in conclusions somewhat different from those reported here. Crop Growing Season The monthly average temperatures, total precipitation, and evaporation for the demonstration mine are shown in Table 1. [ ]

Jan 1, 1980

By L. M. Cathles, W. Joseph Schlitt

A mathematical model describing the leaching of low grade industrial waste dumps in developed and solved by finite difference techniques. The leaching behavior of model dumps of different sizes, permeabilities, and waste characteristics, under different operating conditions, is then investigated using the model. It is shown that leaching is fastest for dumps 50-100 feet (15-30m) high, that permeability is very important for the effective leaching of large dumps, that slow leach kinetics of the waste may not be detrimental, and that the leaching of large dumps may be facilitated if leach solutions are preferentially applied to the hot, near-edge portions of the dump.

Jan 1, 1980

By E. L. Litchfield

Four short-term studies of practical ignition problems were undertaken and completed during the course of the Bureau of Mines project "Development of Specifications for Intrinsically Safe Equipment." Conclusions were as follows: (1) the most easily ignitible mixture of propane-air in a PTB break flash apparatus is approximately 5.2 percent propane; (2) miniature lamp bulbs to be used in intrinsically safe circuits are about as incendive to coal dust-air as to methane-air and should be tested in gas mixtures containing about 7.0 to 7.5 percent methane; (3) the sodium amalgam contained in high-pressure sodium lamps does not present an ignition hazard for coal dust or methane, where the lamps contain no more than 30 milligrams of amal-gam; (4) the maximum allowable surface temperature of permissible electrical enclosures should remain at 150° C despite efforts by industry groups to raise the value to 200° C.

Jan 1, 1980

By S. V. Burr

"A 28-year study of cross folds leads to the conclusion that the northwest-southeast folds recognized in many areas of North America are part of a regional pattern. Detailed examination of over 650 geological maps and reports of Ontario indicates that this folding can be traced across the province. Evidence is presented that this fold pattern played an important part in determining the pattern and scale of intrusion, that its recognition in the field can aid in defining stratigraphy, folding and faulting, and that it may have played an important role in channeling hydrothermal or magmatic mineralization. IntroductionThe concept of regional cross folding in Ontario is not new. W.H. Gross (1955) discussed regional cross folds in the Archean of Northwestern Ontario, and A.M. Goodwin (1961) referred to regional cross folds in the Archean of Ontario and Quebec. However, the interpretation in this paper is new.The writer saw a cross fold for the first time, underground, at Little Long Lac Gold Mines in Geraldton, Ontario, in 1951. This recalled the ""transverse folds"" on E.R. Faribault's classical maps of Nova Scotia, published by the Geological Survey around the turn of the century; M.E. Hurst's cross fold(s) at Timmins, Ontario (Figure I); and the cross folds mapped by A.W. Jolliffe in the Yellowknife area of the Northwest Territories. All these mapped cross folds had one thing in common with the fold at Little Long Lac: A northwest-southeast axial trend. Were such cross folds of purely local extent, or might they be indicative of a widespread regional fold pattern? If so, has such folding any significance for mineral exploration or potential?By 1959, based on a study of about 1000 Canadian geological maps and reports, including 291 in Ontario, the writer reached the conclusion that cross folding trending northwest-southeast is so widespread as to constitute a pattern of folding, and that such cross folding should produce changes in plunge along pre-existing greenstone fold belts."

Jan 1, 1980

By Peter Edmunds

Durante mucho tiempo, la perforación subterránea se adaptaba a la energía eléctrica. Actualmente, la transición se sufre en la perforación de la superficie. En este sentido, el presente texto describe algunos aspectos de la perforadora hidraúlica de percusión -en tanto posible perforadora del futuro. Las aplicaciones posibles de las perforadoras hidráulicas de percusión en la perforación de superficie son: la perforación de banqueo de alta producción en canteras, perforación secundaria en minas metálicas a cielo abierto, explotación de minas de carbón a cielo abierto, construcciones importantes y otras obras de ingeniería civil. Asimismo, este tipo de perforación tiene futuro donde la productividad es alta y los costos de rendimiento bajos. De otro lado, al comparar las ventajas de la energía hidráulica y la neumática en la perforación de superficie, se considera como productiva la primera -en tanto existe una mayor capacidad, un mejor ambiente laboral y unos costos de operación más bajos.

Jan 1, 1980

By John R. Coulson

Each State and the Federal Government was surveyed for existing certification requirements, the industry yes surveyed for the needs for training blasters, and the training that was available. Recommendations for training and certification for blasters were made.

Jan 1, 1980

By L. Bruce McDonald

This Federal Bureau of Mines publication is a statistical analysis of all surface and underground coal mine fires reported in the United States from 1950 to 1977. Accounts of selected nonreportable fires and opinion data gathered via interviews with mine safety directors were separately analyzed. Both reported and nonreportable fires were analyzed by time trends, State, ignition source, burning substance, location in mine, equipment, detection, duration, injuries, fatalities, and successful extinguishing agents. It was found that the majority of all mine fires were electrical in origin. The equipment most frequently involved in underground fires was conveyor belts, and in surface fires, it was crushers and/or breakers. Underground fires occurred most often near the working face. Water and hand-portable extinguishers were the most common methods of extinguishment.

Jan 1, 1980

By R. M. Hays

Jan 1, 1980

By K. J. Liles

To encourage the development and conservation of the Nation's ceramic raw materials, the Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, under an agreement with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, evaluated samples from a clay resource located in Clay County, Ga., for use as a raw material for lightweight aggregate. The physical properties of clay samples, taken from 5-foot increments of drill cores from 11 holes, were determined. Raw materials were plasticized and extruded to produce 1/2-inch by 1-inch pieces and fired in a rotary kiln to produce lightweight aggregate samples. The resulting expanded material had excellent loose pour weights ranging from 30 to 37 lb/cu ft. The expanded test materials were crushed, sized, and used as aggregate to form concrete cylinders. The unit weight and compressive strength of the cylinders averaged 106 lb/cu ft and 3,350 lb/sq in, respectively; these values meet American Society for Testing and Materials specifications for structural concrete. The clay from the drill cores was also used to make test bars that were evaluated for building brick.

Jan 1, 1980

INTRODUCTION Engineering studies of many near surface coal deposits that are amenable to strip mining can be enhanced and expedited by the application of computer techniques for defining coal reserves and overburden and intraburden yardage and their stripping ratios. The case study discussed herein could be from the western coalfields of Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana; the lignite deposits of the Dakotas or Texas, or from the strippable coal seams of the midwest. Because the techniques can be applied so universally, the actual map locations are not identified. The same computing principles apply to one seam or multiseam deposits, and the capability of the computing programs and plotting routines to display the coal seams in plan and sections provide excellent base maps for further engineering planning and mine layout studies. MANAGEMENT OF DRILL HOLE DATA Drilling for coalfield information is usually done at much wider centers than for other mineral deposits. The geologic logs of the holes are generally quite simple, and frequently record only major lithologies and depths to the top and bottom of the coal seams, together with hole collar survey information. A header card is prepared for each drill hole showing: Hole ID Northing Fasting Elevation Azimuth Dip The header card can be followed by any number of downhole lithologic intercept records: [Hole Depth Lithology Hole ID From-To Coal] Less data errors occur if the computer cards are punched directly from drill hole logs, thus eliminating opportunities for mistakes in transcribing data. All arithmetic manipulations should be left to the computer to avoid as much human error as possible. The SURVEY program is run over the raw data file and all lithologic intercepts are computed and defined in XYZ space. BOUNDARY SURFACES-COAL SEAMS AND LITHOLOGIC UNITS The most useful computer program for defining coal seams in 3D space is a linear inter-

Jan 1, 1980

By Wright J. K

In recent years the production of steel from directly reduced iron ore pellets has ex- panded rapidly. However continued growth will depend on an adequate supply of suitable raw materials for the various commercial gaseous and solid reductant processes now in operation. Al- though at present Australia does not produce pellets primarily for direct reduction, there is an increasing awareness of Australia's potential role as a supplier of high grade ores for export and/or domestic use. The properties and quality requirements of iron ore pellets made specifically for directre- duction (DR) are reviewed and the laboratory techniques and test methods used at the CSIRO Division of Process Technology for the evaluat- ion of potential DR feedstocks are described. At the present time most of the evaluation tests for DR pellets are extensions of those de- signed for existing blast furnace (BF) burdens. In the case of some physical parameters such as cold compression strength, abrasion index and cold strength after reduction this extension is quite satisfactory. In the measurement of para- meters such as reducibility, swelling and stick- ing tendency, however, it is necessary to deve- lop meaningful standardized tests so that ores and pellets can be ranked for DR performance. To do this, data from the laboratory tests and from operating plants must be correlated.

Jan 1, 1980

By L. J. Buchanan

The relationship between hydrothermal ore deposits and hot spring systems has received intensive study in recent years, particularly as a consequence of interest in the energy potential of geothermal systems. Base and precious metal deposition in surface pools and at shallow depths in modern geothermal systems has been recorded in numerous publications (1, 2, 3) Theoretical studies of hydrothermal fluid flow at depth, connected to surficial hot springs systems, have been presented by White and others (1), Cathles (2) , Henley and McNabb (3). As a result of these and additional studies, numerous hydrothermal ore deposits are thought to have originated as genetic parts of larger geothermal systems. In particular, it appears that metal precipitation is greatly enhanced in zones of boiling where volatiles and steam are escaping (4). High grade, near surface concentrations of base and precious metals, deposited as a result of partial vaporization of rising fluids, are such a common aspect of modern not spring systems that ore deposition models are becoming based on what may be called a geothermal model. In its most general terms, this model requires an anomalously high thermal gradient which acts as the driving force behind a convecting hydrothermal system. The water may be entirely meteoric or may be In part at least of other origins. The water migrates towards the higher temperature area, becomes heated, and picks up alkalies and metals by dissolving minerals along the fluid path. As water exits to the surface above the heat source, a mass balance requires the incoming hot water to rise to replace the lost water. As the water rises past the elevation where the hydrostatic pressure is insufficient to prevent boiling, then boiling will occur. Depending on the salinity and the temperature of the water, boiling can occur anywhere from great depths to near surface. Boiling results in a loss of volatiles, a pH rise in the fluid phase, cooling of the remaining fluid, a rise in oxygen fugacity, a concentration of salts in the remaining liquid, and precipitation of ore and gangue minerals.

Jan 1, 1980

By J. G. Conaway, P. G. Killeen

"Gamma-ray spectral logging, a useful technique for uranium exploration and evaluation, has generally been underutilized by the Canadian mining industry. Provided that the technique is properly applied, it is capable of yielding reliable quantitative information regarding the distribution of uranium and other radioelements along the borehole under most conditions.In practice. there are numerous factors which potentially can degrade the quality of the log and thus any quantitative interpretation based on it. Fortunately, the appropriate choice of logging equipment and technique can avoid many such problems, and corrections can be applied to the data to compensate for most of the others."

Jan 1, 1980

By Joe O. Ledbetter

INTRODUCTION Health physics as a profession really got a significant start during the Manhattan Project of World War 11. The Health Physics Society has recently published its 25th anniversary issue of the journal (June 1980). There was concern over radiation exposures during and after uranium production, especially about radium and its daughter products [Jackson 19401 and, as evidenced by the frequency of articles in the literature, there still is. The reason for this concern was expressed by Harley as "Workers engaged in the mining and pro- cessing of radium-bearing materials are exposed to dusts of the parent, to radon, and to the radon daughter products. In- haled radioactive particulates may be retained in the lung or redistributed to other organs of the body. Relatively minute de- posits of radioactive substances, particularly alpha emitters, have been clearly shown to be the etiological factor in a variety of injuries to industrial and re- search workers. " [Harley 1953] Emphasis in measurements has been placed on radium in water and radon in air, since these are the principal mobilized phases; however, it should be kept in mind that radium-containing particles do become suspended in air as aerosols and radon absorbs in liquids. Much of the uranium mining and production is being carried out aboveground. The principal difference between underground and surface (pit or leach) mining of uranium is the reversal in the relative importance of roles for the types of radiation dose. For aboveground the major radiation exposure is external gamma ray, whereas for underground it is internal alpha; for aboveground, the whole body penetrating is of greater importance than the lung alpha dose. AS a result of the politics involved and the law- suits for any and all diseases as being occupationally- caused, today , more than ever before, the successful performance of the activities connected with uranium production--before-, during-, and after-the-fact-- must include the provision of first class radiation protection. Such protection can be achieved by good measurements, thorough risk evaluations, and adequate controls. Meeting the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) philosophy necessarily entails the determination of what is reasonable exposure. The necessary and sufficient elements of radiation safety under the ALARA dictum require a hard look at the dose versus effects data. There are times when the health physicist needs to make decisions of judgement rather than compliance with a well-defined regulation value. In order to facilitate such decisions, the real world must be separated from opinions that are merely artifacts of statistical variation and from the unprovable "what ifs" that are slanted to question the morality of any non-Luddite. UNITS VOCABULARY FOR DOSIMETRY There have been many radiation quantifying and dosimetric units introduced in the past. Fortunately, most of them did not catch on enough to become required knowledge for reading the health physics literature. The unit definitions necessary for our purposes here are the following: -curie (Ci)--unit of radioactivity equal to 3.7 x 10 10 disintegrations per second Webster&apos;s 19711 or the quantity of radionuclide that undergoes 3.7 x 10 nuclear transformations per second. Environmental levels of radioactivity are usually measured in picocuries (10-l2 Ci) per cubic meter for air and in picocuries per liter (pCi/~) for water and sometimes for air. .roentgen (R)--exposure dose of x or gamma rays that gives 1 esu of charge (either sign) to 1 cc of dry air @ STP. The roentgen is equivalent to an energy absorption of 86.7 ergs/g of air [Gloyna and Ledbetter 19691. .rad--radiation absorbed dose of 100 ergs per gram of absorber. The SI unit for absorbed radiation dose is the Gray; 1 Gy = 100 rads. orem--radiation absorbed dose of 1 rad times the quality factor (QF) for that radiation. The QF is 1 for x rays, gamma rays, beta rays, and posi- trons. For heavy ionizing particulate radiation, QF is a function of the amount of energy trans- ferred per unit length of travel, i.e. , the linear energy transfer (LET); the values of QF:LET in keV/um are as follows: 1:<3.5; 1-2:3.5-7; 2-5:7-23; 5-10:23-53; and 10-20:53-175 [Morgan and Turner 19 671 . For radiobiology, relative biological effectiveness (RBE) is recommended for use instead of the quality factor above that is for radiation protection: the RBE is the ratio of the dose of 200 kVp x rays to the dose of radia- tion in question (both in rads) to cause the same

Jan 1, 1980

By T. O. Llewellyn

The Bureau of Mines conducted batch-?scale tests on a sample of parphyry copper mill tailings as part of a study to determine the feasibility of rutile recovery from this source. The tailings that were tested contained 0.75 percent titanium dioxide (Ti02), with about two-thirds of the Ti02 values occurring as rutile. Mineralogical studies indicated that about one-half of the Ti02 content could be considered recoverable. Beneficiation studies of the tailings showed that best flotation results were obtained when sulfides and carbonates were removed by bulk flotation prior to rutile flotation. Rutile flotation was most effective when a petroleum sulfonate collector was used in an acid circuit. From this basic method of flotation, two alternative procedures were developed. The first procedure was to size and grind the tailings to minus 200 mesh; deslime the total pulp; and then float the sulfides, carbonates, and rutile. The second procedure was the same, except that it did not include sizing and grinding. Flotation of the sized and ground tailings yielded rutile concentrates containing 43.1 percent Ti02 and 75.7 percent of the recoverable Ti02. Rutile concentrates floated from the tailings that were deslimed but not ground contained only 34.7 percent Ti02 and 69.4 percent of the recoverable Ti02.

Jan 1, 1980

By A. Wallace Mitchell

Barite deposits in Nevada occur as bedded and vein-types along a north-northeastern -trending zone which parallels the Antler orogenic belt The bedded deposits of Nevada are the most significant economically. They are presently supplying eighty-five percent of the domestic barite production which is used primarily as a weighting agent in the petroleum drilling industry. The ore bodies are controlled both structurally and stratigraphically, occurring along regional and local structural breaks in siliceous eugeosynclinal rocks of mid-Paleozoic age. Evidence for origin of the barite includes sedimentary and hydrothermal features indicating that localization probably took place along fractures in the seafloor.

Jan 1, 1980

By R. Blickensderfer

Maintaining an adequate supply of minerals and metals to meet national economic and strategic needs is the overall goal of the Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior. One method of achieving this goal is to conserve scarce metals by cladding a plentiful base metal, such as iron, with a scarcer metal. To investigate cladding, a vacuum-rolling mill capable of rolling bimetal specimens at temperatures to 1,300° C in a residual gas pressure of 2 x 10-5 torr was established. Metals that were successfully bonded to iron included stainless steels, chromium, nickel, nickel alloys, copper, and several refractory metals including molybdenum and titanium. The effects of the rolling temperature, reduction in thickness, rolling speed, and residual air pressure on bonding strength and bend ductility of the bimetals were determined. Optimum rolling conditions produced bimetals with bond shear strength essentially equal to that of the iron base metal.

Jan 1, 1980

By Steven T. Mitchell

The introduction of Vertical Crater Retreat (VCR) Stoping at the Homestake Mine in Lead, SD, constitutes a major advance in Homes take Mining Company&apos;s efforts to improve productivity and reduce costs through underground mine mechanization. The work to date indicates that Vertical Crater Retreat Stoping is one of the safest methods of underground hardrock mining today, and is competitive with all other forms of stoping in terms of cost and productivity. Homes take anticipates that VCR stoping rill account for approximately 30% of the total mine production in 1980.

Jan 1, 1980

By R. W. Lankston

Uranium mill tailings disposal facilities present unique problems with respect to siting, design, and long-term stability because their contents remain potentially hazardous for 100,000 years. Dawn Mining Company, operator of a uranium mill in Washington, undertook geological and geophysical studies relative to planned expansion of existing disposal facilities. Seismic refraction and reflection, resistivity, and ground magnetics data were integrated with limited drill data to determine the configuration of Quaternary sediments and the underlying basaltic and granitic bedrock. Analysis of multiple reflections and magnet modelling on a micro-computer with CRT graphics added detail to the interpretation.

Jan 1, 1980