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By Shelby Z. Palya

"The Bureau of Mines was established in the public interest to conduct inquiries and scientific and technologic investigations concerning mining and the preparation, treatment, and utilization of mining-substances; to promote health and safety, in the mineral industries; to conserve Material resources , and prevent their waste; to further economic development; to increase efficiency in the mining, metallurgical, quarrying, and other Mineral industries; and to inquire into the economic conditions affecting those industries. The organic act of the Bureau, as amended by Congress and approved February 25, 1913, made it the province and duty of the Bureau to ""disseminate information concerning these subjects in such manner as will best carry out the purposes of this Act.""In accordance with this directive, the Bureau reports the findings of its research and investigations in its own series of publications and also in articles that appear in scientific, technical, and trade journals; in proceedings of conventions and seminars; in reference books; and in other non-Bureau publications. The number of these reports, the wide range of subjects they cover, and the variety of mediums in which they appear make the kind of list and index presented in this special publication both necessary and valuable. This issue describes reports and articles published during the period January 1, 1975, to December 31, 1979. It supplements the 50-year list of Bureau publications issued from July 1, 1910, to January 1, 1960; 2 the 50-year list, of articles by Bureau authors published outside the Bureau from July 1, 1910, to January 1, 1960; 3 the 5-year lists of publications and articles, from January 1, 1960, to December 31, 1964,, from January 1, .1965, to December 31, 1969,5 'and from January '1, 1970, to December 31, 1974; and the annual ,lists of Bureau publications and articles from January, 1 to December 31, 1975,7 from January 1, to December 31, 1976,8 from January 1 to December 31, 1977, and from January 1 to December 31, 1978."

Jan 1, 1981

By John H. Gasper

The success of steep slope (>20°) contour mining depends on many factors. Most important is the selection of the mining method that best suits the premining site conditions environmentally and economically. These conditions can be divided into three categories: • Geometric conditions - machine limitations, slope stability restrictions, erosion capacity; • Physical conditions - material properties, rock strengths, ability to dig, driving surfaces; and • Chemical conditions - acid-base relationships, blending or selective placement of overburden. This article incorporates these conditions by conceptually modeling compliance-oriented contour mining methods, particularly haulback methods, using the combined front-end loader (FEL)/ truck, tractor/scraper, and FEL-truck and scraper. Engineering analyses, including machine selection, sequencing, ease of varying production rates, slope requirements (for stability and running surfaces) and drainage requirements can be performed after the geometric constraints dictated by in situ conditions and regulatory requirements have been conceptualized. Once all generalized geometries have been established, reduction to idealized, three-dimensional views is achieved. These are then reduced to two-dimensional symbolic models, mainly plan views but also elevations and sections. Equipment activities and operations are then conveniently overlayed. Without this simple, two-dimensional reduction, technology transfer remains awkward and non-analytical.

Jan 1, 1991

By Madgwick J. C

Microaerobic biodegradation oflow-grade manganese dioxide slurry tailings was demonstrated in enrichment cultures treated with dilute molasses at 30°C and pH 5·8. Supplementary nitrogenous nutrients, yeast extract addition and pH adjustment were not required.Continuously stirred, air-limited reactors were superior to still intermittently agitated cultures, in that, at 5 per cent (w/v) MnOz tailings and 5 per cent (w/v) molasses, the yield of 0.12 g Mn++/g molasses, the rate ofleaching of 1·06 g Mn++/l/d and a recovery of Mn++ of 58 percent from MnOz were 2·8 times, 1·7 times and 1·9 times greater, respectively. The best compromise in yield (0·45 g Mn++/g molasses) and rate ofdissolution (0·73 gMn++/l/d) was at 1 per cent (w/v) molasses in a stirred reactor.Where leaching organisms were separated from sterile ore by a bacteria impermeable membrane leaching was shown to be some 20 per cent due to diffusible metabolites and 80 per cent due to a direct contact between the bacteria and the ore particle's surfaces.

Jan 1, 1986

By John E. Conley

The great demand for metallic aluminum for the prosecution of World War II caused the consumption of bauxite, the common ore of aluminum, to increase greatly. Prior to the war, the domestic deposits 'of bauxite, which occur chiefly in Arkansas and less extensively in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, supplied only: about 30 ,percent of the ore required for aluminum-metal production and approximately 40 percent of alumina for all purposes. Enemy activities during the war seriously interfered with shipment of bauxite from the normal peacetime source in Surinam, Netherlands Guiana, South America, and focused attention on the necessity for increasing production from known domestic deposits. Even in peacetime, the production of aluminum ore in the United States could not satisfy requirements. Field drilling and exploration by Bureau of Mines engineers resulted in the discovery of important tonnages of high-grade bauxite suitable for treatment by the conventional Bayer process, Although an ore containing approximately 55 percent Al2O3 and only 2 to 4 percent SiO2 is preferable, it was necessary to use ores containing up to 8 or 10 percent SiO2. Because of the lower recoveries of aluminum with increased silica content, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, through the Metals Reserve Company, established a base price of $4 for a 50-percent Al2O3 ore, containing 13-percent silica, with a premium or penalty of 14 cents for each percent of Al2O3 over or under 50; each percent of SiO2 under 13 was awarded a 20-cent premium, and each percent over 13 suffered a penalty of 43 cents; all prices were on the basis of 1 long ton of ore, dry basis.

Jan 1, 1949

The Bureau of Mines is the engineering arm of the Government for mineral resources. Its mission is to carry out laboratory and field studies that will assure the wise and effective development and use of our Nation's minerals, fuels, and underground domain in order to preserve the security and enhance the welfare of our people. Specifically, studies are directed to the means by which current and emerging demands may be met, the real cost of such achievements, and the assessment of related social and economic factors. Ways are sought to fulfill our material needs in a manner that minimizes occupational hazards to workers in the industry, reduces waste, and ensures that mineral raw materials are supplied and mineral-based products are used and are disposed of efficiently, without objectionable social and environmental costs. The headquarters of the Bureau of Mines is located in Washington, D.C. The Bureau's research and development program, however, is conducted at 19 research centers and laboratories located throughout the United States.

Jan 1, 1971

The XVIth International Conference on Coal Mine Safety Research was divided into eight half-day technical sessions. In accord with the established practice of these conferences, at each session, presentation of the papers was followed by a discussion period. Questions and comments submitted in writing to the session chairman were answered or discussed by the authors of the relevant papers or by their representatives. These discussions were tape-recorded in the original language of the speaker and subsequently translated into English when necessary. Questions to which no answer was available at the time and a few comments that exceeded the scope of the session have been omitted.

Jan 1, 1975

By Alice M. Chieruzzi

This Country Documentation Report presents the development of economic indices for the Philippines for the period from 1970 through 1981. The work was done through the Bureau of Mines, Minerals Availability Program, under Contract number J01225001. This contract calls for the development of twelve index time series describing factor input costs in the mining sector of 95 countries. The twelve index time series describe the costs of: 1) mining wages, 2) construction wages, 3) equipment and repair parts, 4) bits and related steel, 5) eimber and lumber, 6) fuel, 7) powder and balsting agents, 8) tires, 9) construction materials, 10) industrial materials, 11) transportation, and 12) electrical power. These indices combined with weight factors being developed by the personnel of the Minerals Availability Field Office (MAFO) of the Bureau of Mines in Denver, Colorado, will be used to perform instantaneous updates of all costs relating to the mining industry. The indices were developed primarily for use in the Bureau's Minerals Availability Program in assessing the worldwide availability of nonfuel minerals.

Jan 1, 1983

This publication contains eight papers presented at a Bureau of Mines Technology Transfer Symposium in Charleston, W, on June 22, 1983, Five of the papers describe the results of Bureau-sponsored research on cabs and canopies for low-coal underground mining equipment. The other papers describe the efforts of three underground coal mining equipment manufacturers (FMC, Joy, and Lee-Norse) in the area of cab and canopy design.

Jan 1, 1985

Research workers From the Bureau of Mines and industry met with other government and industry representatives in Pittsburgh, Pa., on January 22, 1975, to discuss the results of research under the Bureau of Mines Noise Control Program. The program, aimed at reducing noise in mines, is functionally divided into three major areas: Instrumentation, personal protection, and noise abatement. This proceedings contains the opening remarks to the seminar and seven technical presentations based on various aspects of noise abatement and control.

Jan 1, 1975

By Virgil Miller, Glenn L. Allen

The purpose of this report is to present a comprehensive review of the technology of alumina and aluminum production in the former Japanese Empire , which consisted of the Japanese Home Islands and her dependencies , Formosa , Manchuria , and Korea . Pertinent background material and statistics are given when deemed necessary to make the report self - contained and to make clear the factors underlying Japan's tremendous accomplishments in the production of aluminum .

Apr 1, 1949

By Leland A. Yerkes

Refining aluminum from crude aluminum alloys by the subhalide reaction was investigated to develop a method of producing aluminum by means other than electrolysis of its oxide. The best materials and design for the apparatus and also optimum operating conditions, including temperature, pressure, vapor flow rate, and composition of alloy charge were studied. In the subhalide process, aluminum-trihalide vapor reacts with aluminum in the alloy under high temperature and low pressure, forming volatile aluminum monohalide which reverts to aluminum metal and aluminum trihalide on cooling. The only halide used in this investigation was aluminum trichloride. The crude aluminum-silicon alloys used as the principal raw material contained from 21.9 to 36 percent aluminum, and significant quantities of iron and titanium. These alloys were produced by direct electric smelting of clays. Graphite tubing that was heated by an induction coil proved to be satisfactory material for the laboratory reactor chamber, Enclosed in an insulated glass or quartz pipe, the reactor was used in both vertical and horizontal positions with various baffle and tray arrangements for directing the trihalide vapor both over and through the alloy. Aluminum trichloride vapor was generated in the sublimer at one end of the glass pipe, passed into the reactor where contact was made with the crude alloy, and aluminum monochloride gas was formed. When the gaseous mixture of aluminum monochloride and unreacted tri-chloride passed out of the reactor and entered the condenser, the gases were cooled to 900° C. or less, causing the monochloride to disproportionate into aluminum and aluminum trichloride vapor. The aluminum was deposited on the condenser walls while the aluminum trichloride vapor was carried out of the condenser and into the opposite end of the glass pipe where it solidified on the cooled copper coils.

Jan 1, 1961

By A Calderon, J Harris, M Shi, D Viswanathan, C Ribeiro Duthie, P A. Kirsch

Mineral resource development activities impact the health and well-being of many people, from workers, to families and surrounding communities. In the current environment of corporate social responsibility life-of-mine planning considers that mining activities should be conducted in the best environmentally, socially and economically acceptable way for the entire life of the mine (ie from exploration to decommissioning and closure). In this context, the health impacts of mining extend throughout the life of the community from worker injury and chronic exposure to communicable and non-communicable causes of illness, through to family and community health and well-being. At the inaugural Life-of-Mine conference in July 2012, the authors proposed the life-of-mine in the life-of-community (LOMLOC) matrix as a framework for understanding issues at the interface between resource extraction operations and the surrounding environment.This paper reviews and compares health activities extracted from social and environmental reports published by selected major mining companies with American operations in Canada, Colombia and Brazil. These corporate approaches to public health management are mapped to the LOMLOC matrix to identify and compare trends and behaviour in corporate health investments. This analysis of how companies approach and prioritise health issues in the context of different regions, cultures and environmental drivers will serve as a resource for minerals industry managers, civil society and regulators regarding current health management approaches in this sector.CITATION:Ribeiro Duthie, C, Calderon, A, Viswanathan, D, ?Shi, M, Harris, J and Kirsch, P A, ?2014. Resource company investments in health – a life-of-mine / life-of-community perspective across America, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2014 , pp 349–364 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 16, 2014

By Eugene Guccione

The US mining industry today is fighting for its existence. We are plagued by the shortage of materials, of equipment, of fuels, of capital, of manpower. If we solve those shortages, we are then frustrated in our attempts to open a new mine or, perish the thought, a new smelter. If we manage to make a profit, demagogues will accuse us of stealing from consumers; and, if we do not make a profit and have to shut down, the same demagogues will accuse us of creating unemployment. Meanwhile, in every aspect of our business - from research, exploration and development, to production, marketing and selling - we are hindered in every way by the bipartisan mismanagement and crippling controls of a government bureaucracy gone amok. We are fighting a war on every front. Some of you realize that ours is a war of ideas. In order to win, our industry must make its ideas heard. But to be heard, we must have something to say - which means: we must know our case logically and consistently, all the way down to essential principles. A principle is a primary truth applicable to a great number of instances. A principle is like a road map: it shows you all the possible alternatives for getting from where you are to where you want to go. Although practically everybody recognizes the usefulness of a map and the need to consult it to find the best way' to get from one city to another, most people are not as careful in charting the course of their life, or the course of their industry, or the course of their nation. And so they act blindly, at random, by the whim of the moment, and get nowhere fast.

Jan 1, 1975

By M Scoble

This paper is based upon the experiences of collaborating academics in two mining schools and their personal view of attempts to integrate the principles of sustainable development into mining education and research. In this quest, the concept of sustainable mining practices is proposed, not only relating to environmental, social and economic performance but also stressing mine safety and efficiency. These practices need to support strategies that enable flexibility and resilience within mine operations to counter recessionary cycles. Also, these counter-cyclical strategies are now imperative for sustaining mining education and research itself. There is a critical interdependence between these two different perspectives on æsustainabilityÆ. The paper concludes by demonstrating models of strategies that promote inter-disciplinarity, collaboration and networking for sustaining mining schools.

Jan 1, 2009

By Donna D. Harbuck

The Bureau of Mines has investigated a process to produce titanium powder directly from titanium salts. If successful, such a process could lower the cost and increase the use of titanium. In this study, K2TiF6, K2TiF3, and TiF3 were reduced with potassium in the temperature range of 650° to 750° C. Under certain conditions, titanium powder 1.6 to 3.3 microns in size was produced. After leaching the product with a 0.1M HCl solution, powder impurities as low as 0.04 pct potassium and 0.28 pct fluorine were obtained. However, oxygen levels of over 1 pct and the frequent formation of insoluble byproducts demonstrate the need for further research to make the powder suitable for powder metallurgy applications.

Jan 1, 2011

By J. P. Morris

A diphenyl ether calorimeter for measuring high-temperature heat contents of ferrous alloys and iron-and steelmaking slags was constructed and calibrated with specimens of molybdenum, alumina, and platinum that were heated to temperatures ranging from 1,720° to 1,875° K. The standard deviation of the calibration measurements was 0.37 percent. By measurements of the enthalpy of delta and liquid iron, the heat of fusion of iron was found to be 3,298 ±100 cal per mole.

Jan 1, 1966

By E. R. Mueller

The natural lives of machines and components vary tremendously! Maintenance managers struggle constantly to maximize their equipment lives while minimizing their maintenance costs, but they normally lack the tools and techniques they need to do this properly. This paper proposes a methodology based on probabilities of failure and expected values for repairs that recognizes the variation among individual machines and components as well as the high costs associated with catastrophic failures. It enables a user to determine the optimum change-out intervals for many types of equipment. The approach proposed here is sophisticated enough to be reliable but simple enough to be applied by the maintenance staff on the shop floor. It will complement existing preventive and predictive maintenance programs.

Jan 1, 1995

By A. Brown

The swift decline of coal during the period of unprecedented expansion in the Canadian economy is a phenomenon deserving careful examination, because the underlying forces contributing to this decline may have broader implications in our national economy. At the present level of technology, coal is more difficult to process, transport and utilize than liquid and gaseous fuels. Fundamentally, it is a matter of limitation in technique. Because coal is a vast store-house of energy in Canada, the reduction of these limitations is in the long-term national interest.

Jan 1, 1967

By I B. Miller

Magnesium International Limited (MIL) has broken new ground in their desire to integrate their mineral development activities in the Southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia in to the communities of the region, despite there being no statutory requirement to do so. In their efforts to define a magnesite resource adjacent to the proposed site for a magnesium metal processing facility, MIL opened their exploration program up for public consultation. In conjunction with the Port Pirie Regional Development Board (PPRDB), a community group was formed to review the impact of exploration and mining on the ecologically sensitive Southern Flinders region. This voluntary move towards full community consultation for mineral exploration was a first in South Australia and probably in Australia. The Community Focus Group (CFG) worked closely with MIL, Primary Industries and Resources of South Australia (PIRSA) and the Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) in the development of an exploration program and Declaration of Environmental Factors (DEF) acceptable to all stakeholders. Collaboratively, the community concerns were discussed and addressed, with the community gaining a very comprehensive understanding of the exploration process and possible future mine development. A balance of social, environmental and economic factors was developed that was accepted by all parties and encapsulated in the final DEF for approval by the regulatory authority. The consultation process was a new experience for all of the stakeholders, each of them effectively exploring new ground in addressing information dissemination, risk management and the social versus economic equation. MIL developed not only a viable and acceptable exploration program but also substantially reinforced its position as a responsible corporate citizen with the Southern Flinders communities.

Jan 1, 2004

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has been a world leader in the development of innovative virtual reality technologies over the last 10 to 15 years. These developments have included developing the world?s first 360° surround, virtual reality (VR), stereo projection theatre system known as AVIE (Advanced Visualisation and Interactive Environment), which was developed by iCinema, a collaborative venture between the UNSW Faculties of Engineering and College of Fine Arts. The UNSW School of Mining Engineering has been responsible for development of mining applications virtual reality software modules and to date, has developed eighteen different mine safety training and mining engineering education modules which run in the AVIE environment. This platform and technology package provides a unique ?immersive environment? experience for groups of trainees or students who can engage with the simulated environment in the complete safety of the virtual reality theatre. In all of the major international mining industries, safety is of paramount importance, and training of personnel is an essential component of any comprehensive proactive safety management system. All personnel need to be aware of the inevitable hazards around them at all times, as well as understand appropriate safety and operational procedures. This can be done by conventional class-room style training sessions, or by provision of training documentation. However the effectiveness of such systems is often very limited due to the inability of trainers to engage with the audience for a lengthy period of time; or to convey the often complex and variable mining environments and situations which can exist in a typical mine. The ability to immerse the trainees in a virtual mine environment, with all the reality of an actual mine but with none of the physical exposure to actual hazards, provides a far more effective and engaging training experience. Furthermore, in the virtual world, trainees can be exposed to the very unlikely, but nevertheless high consequence hazards such as mine fires, falls of ground or outbursts, without any risk to their safety and well-being. The end result is that trainees will be far more engaged with the learning environment they find themselves in, and will develop a far higher level of understanding of the topics, rather than simply experiencing a passive class-room style learning environment offered by conventional training modes. The UNSW systems have been implemented widely within the Australian mining industry and the mining engineering education sector and are now being adopted internationally. This paper presents an overview of the innovative technologies involved in these virtual reality systems ? as applied to the mining industry. Modules developed for both mineworker training and mining engineering student learning will be presented, to illustrate the effectiveness and value of such a training and education approach.

Aug 1, 2013