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By Lewis H. Reiland

IN 1920, for the first time, the U. S. Geological Survey employed aerial photography in constructing planimetric maps. Contours were added by aerial photography and cultural details corrected. From 1925 to 1929 photogrammetric plotting machines and instruments of foreign design appeared in America for use in constructing complete topographic maps. During this period the only American technique developed was the Brock process, carried out with great success by Aero Service Corp. of Philadelphia, a pioneer in the field of photogrammetry. Between the first and second world wars the Multiplex projector, the Aerocartigraph, and the Stereoplanigraph appeared. The Multiplex projector, most popular of the three, determines three-dimensional values with very high accuracy. Many refinements have been added year by year, and it is now possible to photograph vast areas in a very short time and produce planimetric, topographic, and geologic maps of great value at very low cost per acre as compared with all methods previously known and in use. Both on the ground and in the air, however, accurate results can be produced only with highly skilled personnel and costly scientific instruments and machines. As early as 1928 the writer collected from the U. S. Army Engineers all available formulas and data on photogrammetry and personally contracted a local project of 2800 acres to be surveyed from the air. From the 10,000-ft altitude required for scale the cameras, each equipped with 4-K filters, pierced a ground haze of about 5000 ft, achieving clear, de- finable photography. The result was so gratifying, and the continuing progress in this method of surveying and mapping so great, that in the matter of economy it can hardly be surpassed. Pocahontas Land Corp., for example, constantly refers to its complete file of aero prints, covering its entire ownership in West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky. Photostats are enlarged or reduced from these prints to match the scale of company maps, to which various features are then added.

Jan 7, 1957

By Charlene Gokhale

Geopolymerisation has emerged during the last few years as an industrial and ecological approach to construction and waste management. By utilizing waste materials and their reactive properties, it is now possible to create geopolymers systems that not only mechanically durable enough to be used as construction materials but are also potential stable immobilisation systems for toxic waste. Previous studies by Van Jaarsveld et al. (1997) and Van Jaarsveld et al. (1998) have reported on the numerous applications of geopolymers in the immobilisation of toxic metals. Research into the possible utilisation of geopolymers as an encapsulation media for organic waste has however been rare. This paper therefore provides an insight into the possible utilisation of geopolymers as a binder for hazardous organic materials.

Jan 1, 2003

By Andrew B. Cecala

This U.S. Bureau of Mines report provides a detailed description of the Bureau-designed modified shearer clearer system. Engineering drawings are provided for all major components of this system. The modified shearer clearer system is a revised version of the original system and is intended to improve the ventilation around both cutting drums. The original shearer clearer technique was solely a dust control technique that has been effective in lowering shearer operators' dust exposures. The technique uses a series of water sprays that not only knock down a portion of the dust cloud but also act as small fans that move a substantial amount of air and keep the dust cloud from dispersing over the shearer body. The modified version is composed of two additional spray blocks for improved air movement around both cutting drums, thus lowering methane levels and the likelihood of an ignition. A laboratory study performed with the modified version in a full-scale longwall gallery resulted in a 73-pet reduction in methane concentrations at the shearer machine for both cut directions. The air-moving capabilities of the system provide more turbulence at the cutting drums and reduce methane levels.

Jan 1, 1994

By J. K. Wilmshurst

Absorption, emission and reflection techniques for the study of [molten] inorganic materials at high temperatures have been critically examined. In general, the reflection technique is the most satisfactory for tine study of pure materials, while the absorption, and possibly also the emission techniques, may be useful for studies of certain dilute solutions. In the present investigation infrared emission spectra for sodium nitrate and silver chloride were obtained together with absorption spectra derived from reflectivity data by the method of Robinson and Price for sodium nitrate, silver chloride, lithium and potassium fluoride and their 1:2, 1:1 and 2:1 mixtures and for solutions of zirconium tetrafluoride in lithium-potassium fluoride (1:1) and sodium-potassium fluoride (1:1). It is concluded that vibrational spectroscopy cannot give unambiguous information concerning the existence of complex ions in fused salt, mixtures.

Jan 1, 1963

By J. Jin, J. D. Miller

"Bubble attachment at hydrophobic surfaces is of critical importance in the flotation recovery of mineral resources and fundamental experimental results have been reported in the literature describing the details of film thinning, rupture, and displacement. Now, for the first time, bubble attachment phenomena are examined using Molecular Dynamics Simulations (MDS). The simulation involves a nitrogen bubble containing 906 nitrogen molecules in a water phase with 74,000 water molecules at the hydrophobic molybdenite (001) surface. During the simulation period of 1 ns, film rupture occurs and the nitrogen bubble attaches to the molybdenite (001) surface, resulting in a contact angle of about 90o. In contrast, the film is stable at the hydrophilic quartz (001) surface and the bubble does not attach. Contact angles, determined from MD simulation after stabilization of the three phase line of contact, are reported and these results agree well with experimental and MDS sessile drop results. In this way, film stability and bubble attachment are described with respect to interfacial water structure for surfaces of different polarity. For example, the interfacial water molecules for the hydrophobic molybdenite (001) surface have relatively weak interactions with the surface when compared to the hydrophilic quartz (001) surface, as revealed bythe presence of a 3 A water exclusion zone at the molybdenite/water interface. INTRODUCTIONAttachment of air bubbles to mineral particles is of fundamental importance in understanding flotation separation phenomena. It is well known that attachment of an air bubble at a hydrophobic surface includes film thinning, film rupture, and film displacement (Somasundaran, 2006; Wilson, Adlard, Cooke, & Poole, 2000). Experimental techniques, such as high speed video, can catch the process of bubble attachment at a mineral surface (Drelich & Miller, 2012; Niecikowska, Krasowska, Ralston, & Malysa, 2012). However, molecular scale information to examine the phenomena has not yet been reported."

Jan 1, 2016

By V. Vorontsov

Catalysts Mo-Ni-S were prepared by combining MoS2 and NiS in weight ratios 1:1, 1:2, 1:4 and 2:1, each of which was admixed with 5%wt Ag and 5%wt YSZ to increase three-phase boundary surface area of the electrode. For comparison catalysts comprising Co-Mo-S in weight ratio of 1:1 of CoS to MoS2 admixed with 5%wt Ag and YSZ and pre-sulfided NiMoO4 were made. The catalysts were examined for electrochemical oxidation of hydrogen sulfide in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) at 850°C temperature. The catalyst prepared from 1:1 (wt. %) NiS:MoS2 demonstrated highest performance. Current density up to 1,330 mA/cm2 and power density up to 300 mW/cm2 were achieved using pure H25 gas, which are the highest among the reported H2S-powered fuel cells ever published in the literature. Anode materials of different NiS:MoS2 ratios have been characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), simultaneous TG/DSC analysis and Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). TG/DSC and NAA results show that addition of NiS and Ag increases fuel cell performance due to improved structure/integrity of the anode. It has also been demonstrated that MoS2 is a suitable anode material in H2S-powered SOFC, with high activity towards H25 oxidation and thermally and chemically stable up to 850°C.

Jan 1, 2005

In the past few years the Rietveld method emerged as a routine tool for quantitative phase analysis (QPA) from X-ray diffraction data. Fast and reliable results became possible by combining modern computer technology and optimised mathematical algorithms with the fundamental parameters approach in the Bruker AXS TOPAS software. Here the routine analysis of bauxite raw material and of aluminium bath electrolyte is presented. The accuracy of bauxite quantification was tested by analysing the IUCr round robin sample. An agreement of better than one per cent was obtained for minor constituents and a maximum deviation of 2.5 per cent for the major phases. This is excellent agreement with expected results from weighting. Ten different phases were quantified in natural samples from Turkey with a precision better 0.5 per cent for the major phases and one per cent for the minor phases. Additionally, crystallite sizes were obtained from the peak profiles that give valuable information for the processability of the material. XRD data from solidified aluminium electrolytes were rapidly measured using silicon strip detector technology. With the LynxEyeTM detector full patterns were collected in 90 seconds and analysed with TOPAS. It is shown how to derive well-established measures such as bath ratio and excess AlF3 from the Rietveld results. These measures are widely used in aluminium production and readily available with very high precision. The excellent agreement with ALCAN reference data demonstrates the outstanding accuracy of the method. The mean deviation between here presented results and reference data is below 0.5 per cent for total CaF2, below 0.25 per cent for excess AlF3 and 0.02 for the bath ratio. The precision of the method was evaluated by repeated measurements.

Jan 1, 2008

The arbitration process, and its drawbacks: Any time you have taken part in a major arbitration, and the decision, when it comes out, is not what you thought it would be (which is bound to happen occasionally), the normal reaction is something like æthe arbitrator got it wrongÆ. Again normally, when you have cooled down a bit, and you look in more detail at the decision, you can see, probably, æwhere he got it wrongÆ (it is only male arbitrators who get it wrong). Ultimately, when reason prevails, and you reflect on it, you can see that what really happened was that you failed to get the arbitrator to see what you were getting at in the point or points concerned. This is doubly frustrating, when you consider what has been involved in getting to this point, having been through it all at least twice. An alternative to this process may be the dispute review board.

Jan 1, 1999

By H. A. Doerner

Tellurium is a silver white solid with metallic luster, the e17atal.line torm being ver., brittle aud e.g,s!ly powdered. It has a specific gravity of 6,27, melta at 45a0c. and boils at red het, giving off a. golden 1ellow vapor when air 11 excludei. When heated in air, telluri'UiD burns with a bl\te name tinged with green, and evolves wh1 te vapors ot tellurium dioxide. An amorphous form of tel­lurium, obtained by red.uction and precipi ta.tion from so).ution, haa II specific gr1.vity ot 6,015, and when heated ia cho.nged to the cry:.,talline variety. Telluri,a 11 insoluble in water, c&rbon diaiJ.phido, or h;rd.rochl oric acids, but it 11 41a-1olved bJ nitric or concen t1·ated. sulphi.U·ic acid. It 1..oea not tamiah in moiet ah•• 11 ree11tant to alkaline solutions, e,;:ctpt concentrated KOB, but it 11 cliaaolvecl by tuaed. &lkl 1••. I ts 11.to!!lic weight h..'l.a been the "J.Ubject ot mch controverq, bu\ t.he value 137 .5 :.a bl!ten generally accepted, Tho chflmietr:, of tellurium ia eim1lar to that ot IUlphur. It tonne throo xid.ee TeO, To02, and Te0 , al10 tellur14ea, t•llurite,, and. tellur1.t11, A number of halide compoWld.1, a 3iulph1de, and. a .ulpbat.e are known.

Aug 1, 1922

By Earl T. Hayes

For several years the Northwest Electrodevelopment Laboratory of the Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Air Materiel Command, U. S. Air Force, has been studying zirconium alloys. A preliminary survey of these alloys has been completed and reported as a Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations. 4/ Originally the purpose was to determine the suitability of zirconium alloys in medium-temperature applications. However, data also were obtained on other properties of these alloys, and later the scope was broadened to include amore detailed investigation of a selected group. The zirconium-titanium system was one of those chosen. The Bureau of Mines has been instrumental in the commercial development of both of these metals and has constructed pilot plants for the production of titanium at Boulder City, Nev., and for zirconium at Albany, Oreg. Both elements are in subgroup A, fourth series of the periodic table, and therefore have many properties in common. Since both have similar atomic structures and lattice dimensions the possibility of extended mutual solubility seemed likely. Inc transition-point diagram of Fast indicated that the two metals are completely miscible in all proportions in both the alpha and beta forms.

Jan 1, 1951

By Gudrun A. Saevarsdotti

For decades tile aluminium industry has been practicing gas treatment of aluminium melts. This treatment is of great importance because of its influence on 'impurity" and inclusion removal from the melt. The gas-melt interaction is greatly influenced by the gas composition, melt temperature etc. This paper gives an overview of the interaction between argon-chlorine gas mixtures and the aluminium melt. It covers the thermodynamics of the reaction between the chlorine and a number of different elements commonly found in liquid aluminium, and discusses the behaviour of reaction products in the melt. The paper reports an experimental study of the behaviour of the chlorine-molten aluminium interface, using sodium contaminated aluminium melt with and without the addition of grain refiner.

Jan 1, 1996

By H. E. Stauss, J. Hino

INTEREST in silicon has arisen again in the past decade as a result of improvements in crystal rectifiers.' Although the preparation of silicon was first reported by Berzelius in 1880, the early product was of relatively low purity, and only the need for rectifiers in World War II led to the production of a 99.9+ pct pure powder. This material in crystalline form was consolidated into massive silicon for use, and the method developed was to melt it with selected added constituents as "doping" agents. Melting techniques, therefore, are of great importance. There are two basic problems in producing silicon ingots free of doping additions; one is the prevention of spitting and the other is prevention of cracking of the ingot during freezing. The most satisfactory arrangement yet developed for producing massive silicon is to melt and freeze in a cylindrical quartz crucible surrounded by a concentric heating element and concentric radiation shields or insulation. For example, use can be made of a tubular heater with a high frequency generator as the source of power and reflecting shields of alundum cylinders. The spitting of silicon is related to gas evolution, and the gas comes from two primary causes—adsorbed gas and the reaction products of silicon and the crucible. Gas is also released from bubbles contained in the quartz crucible walls. Improved removal of adsorbed gas can be achieved by means of controlled melting and freezing. The seriousness of the problem in vacuo is reduced with an electrically operated mechanical movement of the high frequency power coil. The upper portion of the powder charge is melted first and the high frequency coil lowered until the powder is completely molten. During cooling the high frequency coil is raised slowly. These means also reduce the final nonviolent extrusion of large beads of metal through the ingot top during freezing. Better control of spitting and bead extrusion is obtained when melting is done under helium at. atmospheric pressure instead of in vacuo. The problem of reaction between silicon charge and crucible in practice is confined to the reaction between silicon and quartz. This2 apparently is: Si + SiO2 + 2SiO The part that this reaction plays in spitting has not been isolated for separate study. SiO is a volatile vapor at the melting point; of silicon and is released freely during melting in vacuo, but hardly at all in helium at atmospheric pressure. The cracking of ingots is a major difficulty in melting silicon, and its prevention requires special melting techniques or the addition of "toughening" agents such as aluminum or beryllium.' The cracking of the ingots has been explained as being the result of the expansion that occurs upon freezing; although direct observation of freezing ingots reveals visible cracks on the surface only after a red heat has been reached, suggesting that cracking is the result of differential contraction of silicon and quartz. Silicon wets quartz, and the ingot adheres tightly to the crucible. Therefore as ingot and crucible cool, the two either have to pull apart, or at least one must crack. Surprisingly, in spite of the relative thinness of the quartz and the thickness of the ingot, the ingot and the crucible both crack. Microscopic and X-ray4 studies fail to show any plastic flow other than twinning in the ingots. Slow cooling fails to prevent cracking. Another possible solution to cracking is to weaken the crucible. Use of thin-walled crucibles finally led to success with fused quartz crucibles with a wall thickness of 0.25 to 0.50 mm. With such thin-walled fused quartz crucibles consistently uniform success is secured in producing sound ingots 30 mm in diam from the purest available grade of silicon (99.9+) without the use of any type of addition. Melts are made in the size range of 50 to 100 g. Omission of a deliberately added doping agent is not sufficient to insure pure ingots. The reaction of silicon with crucibles and the resultant solution of impurities in the silicon is well-established." In this laboratory, the presence of Al, Be, and Zr has been found spectroscopically in ingots melted in contact with alumina, beryllia, and zircon. The best crucible materials reported in the literature are MgO and SiO2. Use of MgO in this laboratory has resulted in a heavy deposit of magnesium on the furnace walls, showing that a reduction of the magnesia occurred and the resulting magnesium removed from the melt by volatilization. In the case of quartz, the silica is reduced and SiO liberated to deposit on the equipment walls. There probably is real danger that oxygen is dissolved in the ingot when either magnesia or silica is used as the crucible material. Preliminary analyses by Dean Walter in his vacuum unit in this laboratory6 indicate the presence of oxygen in undoped silicon melted in quartz.

Jan 1, 1953

By P. C. Beuria

Iron ore concentrate contains different mineral phases viz. hematite, magnetite, goethite, kaolinite, and gibbsite. Presence of some of these phases like goethite, kaolinite, and gibbsite contribute to the loss on ignition (LOI) content of the sample. Iron ore fines (pellet feed) are pelletized for utilization in DRI & BF processes. In the present pelletization technology i.e., straight grate and grate kiln processes, the LOI in the ore should be within the range of 2.0-2.5%. LOI content in the iron ore concentrate is found to be more than 4% after beneficiation of low-grade iron ore. It is therefore difficult to produce good quality pellet because of high LOI content. The LOI content of the sample is a detrimental factor in the pellet making. For effective pelletization, the LOI content in iron ore fines needs to be reduced before pelletization. It can be reduced by fluidized bed roasting. The objective of present work is to understand the kinetics of removal of LOI from iron ore fines. The effects of bed depth, temperature, and residence time on reduction of LOI content in iron ore fines were studied using muffle furnace. The process of roasting was carried out at four different temperatures varying from 400 to 950 °C with a variable residence time of 30, 45, 60 & 75 minutes and at bed depths of 16, 32, 48 & 64 mm. In all instance of experiments carried out, one of the parameters was kept constant. It was observed that at 850 °C and 30 minutes of residence time, there was sufficient removal of LOI in static bed condition even at a high bed depth of 64 mm. Keywords: LOI, pellet feed, fluidized bed roasting, goethite

Sep 1, 2012

By Bruce I. Thomas

The Fairbanks mining district forms an arc 40 miles long and 8 miles wide on the north side of the Tanana Valley in central Alaska. This is a region of broad valleys and rounded hills that range in elevation from 600 to 2,600 feet Lode-gold production started in 1910 and has continued sporadically to the present, but the largest single mine produced only 40 tons per 24-hour day. Total recorded lode-gold production of the district is 241,000 fine troy ounces of gold from ore that averaged 1.32 fine ounces per ton. The ore was mined chiefly from narrow veins and veinlets alined along anticlinal folds at Ester Dome and the Pedro Dome-Cleary area. The only proven reserves are reported to be at the Ryan Lode at Ester Dome and at the Keystone Mines, Inc., holdings in the Pedro Dome-Cleary area. An inferred lode-gold resource for the district of approximately 4,000,000 ounces is considered to indicate only the order of magnitude of the lode-gold potential because of the absence of detailed data needed to evaluate the numerous deposits.

Jan 1, 1973

By R. E. Tremoureux

This paper describing the methods and costs of quarrying limestone at Sloan, Nev., is one of a series of similar papers being prepared for and published by the Bureau of Mines on this industry in the United States. These papers are designed to disseminate information regarding the methods used. The cost tabulations represent local operating expenditures only and not total production costs. It is recognized that publication of total production costs might in many instances cause embarrassment to individual producers as well as to the industry as a whole. On the other hand, operating costs are essential to the technical discussion and study of the methods Employed. The attention of the reader is specifically called to this differentiation in order that no misunderstanding of the scope of the cost tabulations shall ensue. The quarrying operations at Sloan are interesting not only from a technical viewpoint and because of the magnitude of the deposit, but also because the quarry is located in a desert region far removed from the centers of population where lime is used. The quarry and plant are in Clark County, Nev., 20 miles west of Las Vegas, which is the nearest town to the site of the Boulder Canyon Dam. Sloan is on the main line of the Union Pacific Railroad connecting Salt Lke City and Los Angeles. The latter city is 280 miles from Sloan and it is the shipping, point for all supplies.

Jan 1, 1932

By J. W. Paul

This circular is one of a series of reports on coal mining methods and cost s which are being prepared by the U. S. Bureau of Mines for the purpose of making available to those interested in the industry a knowledge of the mining methods employed in mines where mechanical and hand loading is practiced and the cost data on the several operations pertaining to the removal of coal from the working faces and its transportation to the tipple for loading into railroad cars. The methods employed are influenced by the natural local conditions with respect to the thickness and character of the coal beds and the overlying strata, the means employed for roof support and its control, and the disadvantages incident to the development of mines in thin coal beds.

Jan 1, 1929

By ROBERT B. COONS

SELECTIVE SERVICE must meet three important demands for man power: (1) Activities concerned with production of war goods. (2) The armed forces. (3) Civilian activities and institutions the continuance of which are essential to maintaining the structure of our American democracy. In the above enumeration of demands I have placed everything, including most of our most prized possessions and activities, after the demand for men for war production and the armed forces. To establish an order between the latter two is difficult. For the time being, at least, the Selective Service policy is to make sure that we avoid the risk of "too little and too late." No soldier, sailor, or marine should be sent from these shores to risk his life without the assurance of having a gun, clothes, food, and medical supplies. Therefore, the premium is now being placed on man power for war production and in our process of selection no stone is left unturned to see that our agencies are fully informed of the needs of war production. Our procedures set up recourses for employers of war-production man power so that their activities need not be disrupted, at least not until they have had time to train replacements.

Jan 1, 1942

By Gunjan R. Bhattarai, Kumar Bhattarai

Recently, there has been an enormous increase of interest in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and their applications by researchers, government agencies, and the underground construction industry. Ultimately, these tools have the potential to automate the design and construction processes and boost productivity, safety, quality, and operational stability. This paper presents ongoing research and applications of artificial neural networks (ANNs), robotics, and 3D technologies in ground characterization, tunnel ground support prediction, risk projection and reduction, and productivity enhancement in TBM operations. The paper further investigates potential uses of AI, robotics, and 3D technologies in the underground construction industry

Dec 1, 2022

By Stanley Noss

One need be neither an historian nor technologist to recognize that activi¬ties related to the conversion of coal to other usable energy forms have been active for nearly fifty years. The degree of such activity and its evolution to significant commercial proportions has, however, fluctuated widely with world circumstance. For the past decade there has existed both a consistent technology evolution effort in classic R & D proportions, and a mainstream commercial acti¬vity but in rather modest proportions when viewed from the vantage point of world energy needs. But the chain of events wherein it became increasingly obvious that we were in energy trouble irrespective of world politics, spurred alternative energy source activities in the fossil fuels areas. The oil embargo of 1973-1974 made the obvious even more so and provided additional emphasis for the need of such alternatives. Yet the preponderance of these added expenditures and activities (with one notable exception which is the subject of this discussion) has been focused on the intended identification of the best or ultimate process by means of analytical and modest empirical means, whereas our circumstance dictates a bold, higher-risk effort to prove the viability of coal conversion as an industry on a real-time, real-size, real-economics basis. With such proof on hand, industry demands in all related areas will provide the stimulus, motivation and environment for all processes. There is both need and room for many who will compete for a meaningful segment of this new industry which can grow at a rate never seen before in our growth history. The single program in the world today oriented specifically toward the goal of proof of industry viability is the Energy Research and Development Administration's CBF (clean boiler fuels) Program for which COALCON is proud to be the prime contractor.

Jan 1, 1976

By K. Ilankoon, I. M. Saman, S. J. Neethling

In heap leaching the transport of the acid from the drippers to the surface of the ore particles is a major factor in the overall performance of a heap. This flow behaviour is complex as the flow is unsaturated and occurs along a tortuous set of inter-particle channels and connections. The particle properties such as size, shape and porosity are very important when modelling the liquid holdup and flow within heaps, since the dominant mechanisms at work are quite different. This paper investigates the effect of these particle properties experimentally on heap flow behaviour using a 1-D column leaching system consisting of non-porous glass beads with a system of actual ore particles. The similarities and differences between the two systems on flow behaviour are described using an inter-particle flow model. In addition, the applicability of positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) for laboratory column leaching will be detailed to calculate hydrodynamic dispersion in packed beds compared to more conventional residence time distribution (RTD) tests and also to obtain the time averaged rivulet flow paths through the particles of the bed for the better understanding of heap hydrodynamics.

Jan 1, 2014