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By Forrest T. Moyer

THIS CHAPTER of the Minerals Yearbook contains injury experience and related employment information for the coal-mining, coking, oil and gas, peat, and native asphalt industries in the United States for 1962. Injury experience is measured by the number of injuries sustained per million man-hours of exposure in each industry. No attempt has been made to combine these data and present rates reflecting the mineral-fuel industries because the hazards of the separate industries are not comparable. Tabulations showing the trend of injuries and employment for all mineral industries are presented in volume III of the Minerals Yearbook. COAL The injury-frequency rate for the coal-mining industry of the United States increased less than 2 percent, according to reports received by the Bureau of Mines. The number of fatal and nonfatal injuries per million man-hours in 1962 was 45.86, based on final data for anthracite mines and preliminary data for bituminous coal and lignite mines.

Jan 1, 1963

Improve the effectiveness of face ventilation systems in coal mines by minimizing leakage around line and check curtains. Approach In-mine surveys were conducted to determine current curtain construction techniques, their effectiveness and associated costs. In addition, performance characteristics of extensible curtains were evaluated. A total of 77 conventional curtains in 10 mines was examined for 12 important characteristics. Extensible curtains were erected in a full-scale model and examined for operational difficulties, effects of leakage, and air pressure. Survey Results The underground mine study identified four categories of face brattice construction ranging from simple to complex: 1. Simple suspension of the curtain from roof bolts with the bottom edge lying on floor. 2. Spadding of the curtain to the roof on about 12-inch centers and stabilization of the bottom edge with wood or rock. 3. Use of vertical props and spads with a base board for support on the bottom. 4. Use of vertical props with caps and bottom boards plus horizontal brattice support boards.

Jan 1, 1984

To assist coal mine operators and regulatory agencies in selecting the most appropriate method to treat coal mine drainage utilizing expert system computer technology. The software package is called the Coal Mine Drainage Treatment PRO. Approach Experts in the field of coal mine drainage treatment were interviewed to determine their methods of assessing mine drainage treatment problems and their rationale for selecting a treatment protocol. These diagnostic, selection, and design criteria were codified in an interactive set of computer programs. Expert systems permit the user to input specific site data and receive treatment advice customized to the user's site and treatment objectives. How It Works The Coal Mine Drainage Treatment PRO package developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) consists of four programs or modules: (1) a control module, (2) a mine drainage treatment tutorial module, (3) a treatment advice module, and (4) a reference module (figure 1). A context-sensitive HELP Facility is also provided.

Jan 1, 1996

By Charles L. Kimbell

Available statistics on 1989 worldwide consumption of selected nonfuel minerals shown in table 5 show increases for 11 of 14 listed nonfuel mineral commodities with 1 unchanged from the 1988 level, a departure from the pattern of the past 2 years, in which each of the listed commodities registered gains. The 1989 results, however, were better than those for 1986 when only seven listed nonfuel mineral commodities recorded gains with one un- changed from 1985. Consumption of the two ferrous metal raw materials listed advanced as functions of increased output of pig iron and crude steel. The increase in iron ore consumption exceeded the increase in iron ore output, suggesting a slight drawdown of world iron ore inventories. The estimated in- crease in iron and steel scrap consumption was slightly greater than the minuscule increase in world steel production, but it is believed that there was little change in the ratio of iron ore to scrap in steel plant feed on a global basis.

Jan 1, 1992

By Suzann C. Ambrosio

Crude petroleum, the only commercially exploited mineral resource in Cameroon, continued to dominate developments in the mineral industry sector. International mining concerns have expressed interest in developing Cameroon's bauxite and iron and steel potentials. Domestically, the mineral industry focused on production of fertilisers for agricultural development, infrastructure construction, and hydrocarbon development, through the nearly self-sufficient production of fertilizer materials, cement, and crude oil. The mineral sector contributed 5.6% to the estimated 1981 gross domestic product (GDP) of $6.5 billion.2 Petroleum exports accounted for approximately 4.5% of the 1981 GDP and exceeded coffee and cocoa exports for the second consecutive year. The trade gap widened during the fiscal year ending on July 80, 1981, owing to a 21% increase in exports and a 25% increase in imports. Offsetting these balance-of-payments difficulties, typical of developing countries' early economic stages, were increases in foreign exchange reserves to $71 trillion by May 1983.

Jan 1, 1983

Provide respiratory protection for escape in a toxic or oxygen-deficient atmosphere with a device small and light enough to be belt-worn. Approach Combine a 10-minute, belt-worn respirator with a stored, larger, long-duration (60-minute) attachment that can be plugged into the 10-minute unit without removing the mouthpiece. How It Works The 10-minute device will be carried by the miner at all times, and the 60-minute canister or attachment will be stored near the miner. In the event of a disaster, the 10-minute device would be donned immediately. The miner would then proceed to the stored 60-minute unit and plug it into the 10-minute unit. For the 10-minute unit, a breathing circuit was developed in which air is passed through the KO2 bed twice per respiration. The 60-minute canister differs from the 10-minute unit in that air is drawn only once through the chemical bed per respira-

Jan 1, 1981

By H. E. Powell

The mineral dressing research here reported is part of a continuing program by the Bureau of Mines to develop new or improved concentration processes for oxidized or partly oxidized lead and zinc ores. A sample of low-grade sulfide-oxide, lead-zinc ore from Jasper County, Mo., containing galena, cerussite, pyromorphite, hemimorphite, smithsonite, and sphalerite was concentrated by froth flotation and tabling to a grade of 66 percent lead. Because of the presence of a high content of slime-size values, the overall recovery of lead was limited to 64 percent at this grade. Tests to recover the zinc by froth flotation and by gravity concentration did not give satisfactory results. INTRODUCTION Since its establishment, the Rolla Metallurgy Research Center has con-ducted studies of base metals as a part of its overall program (1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6,7).3/ This research has been, and is, directed to beneficiating complex and submarginal ores, to retreating rejects from commercial installations, and to developing fundamental data.

Jan 1, 1960

By Seth C. Schaefer

The Bureau of Mines studied thermodynamic properties of Al-Ni alloys con¬taining 0.54 to 30.04 atomic percent nickel with the aid of the high-temperature galvanic cell Al(1) // Al+3 (AlCl3 in NaCI.KC1) // Al-Ni alloy (1 or s). Activities of aluminum and nickel (compared with pure liquid metals as the standard state) show pronounced negative deviation from Raoult's law at 1,273 K. The properties [?G, ?Gxs, ?G ideal, ?GA1, AGxs1, ?Gni , and ?GNixs] have been derived from the experimental data and are summarized in tables and illustrations. At 1,127 K, the thermodynamic stability for the invariant three-phase equilibrium consisting of a saturated liquid, A13Ni, and A13Ni2 has been uniquely defined by an activity for aluminum of 0.751. A free energy of formation at 1,127 K of -7,940 cal/g-atom was derived for the compound A13Ni.

Jan 1, 1975

To produce industrial-grade titanium castings by processes that are nonpolluting and lower cost than the currently used rammed-graphite process. Approach Foundry-grade zircon and olivine sands, bonded by waterglass or bentonite, are used to make shell or rammed molds which require relatively low-drying temperatures and do not generate noxious fumes during drying or casting. Procedures Three separate processes have been developed which meet the stated pollution and cost goals. These are: 1. Waterglass-bonded rammed zircon or olivine sand molds are dried at 480°F, zirconia washed, redried, and used in an inductoslag or skull-casting furnace. 2. Waterglass-bonded zircon or olivine sand shell molds are formed at 560°F, cured at 620°F, zirconia washed, dried at 480°F. and used in an inductoslag furnace. 3. Rammed zircon and olivine sand molds are bonded with western bentonite, zirconia washed, dried at 980°F, and used in an inductoslag or skull-casting furnace.

Jan 1, 1981

By Oliver C. Ralston

OUTSTANDING TRENDS of the year included the following: 1. Concentration and beneficiation of iron ores to provide improved blast-furnace feed and extend ore reserves. 2. Successful development of pelletizing and sintering procedures for fine iron ores. 3. The realization that cyclone separation could replace existing classifiers in many grinding circuits. 4. The rapidly blossoming metallurgy of ultrapure silicon and improvements in zone melting. 5. The rapid increase in the use of liquid-liquid extraction and ion exchange in hydrometallurgy. 6. The industrial application of vacuum melting on the 100-ton scale. 7. The hope for developing a columbium (noibium) base alloy for high-temperature use. The technologic advancement in metallurgy that had the greatest effect on the American economy was the beneficiation of iron ores to give improved feed for blast furnaces and indirectly extend our ore reserves. This was not a sudden development but rather culmination of a decade of intensive effort.

Jan 1, 1958

Lower costs associated with hands-on training in donning and using a CSE ,self-contained self-rescuer (SCSR). Background In June 1987, the Mine Safety and Heath Administration (MSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring that all persons entering underground coal mines must be given bands-on SCSR training. The ETS will shortly be replaced by a new standard requiring this hands-on training. Bureau of Mines research has shown that the most effective means of delivering this training is to have the trainee go through a six-step training procedure while in a kneeling position. Once the miner has looped the neckstrap over his or her head, he or she completes the donning sequence in this order: 1) activate oxygen; 2) insert mouthpiece; 3) put on nose clips; 4) put on goggles; 5) adjust neck and waist straps; and 6) replace miner's cap and prepare to move out. This procedure is repeated until the miner demonstrates that he or she is proficient at the task.

Jan 1, 1988

By J. W. Horne

The quantitative determination of salt in petroleum ins generally divided into two steps - (1) extraction of salt from the oil and (2) accurate measurement of the extracted salt. This paper presents a method used by the Bureau of Mines for quantitatively extracting the water-soluble chloride salts4/ from petroleum and discusses important details attendant on the success of the method. Among these details are homogeneity in the dispersion of salt crystals, emulsified brine and other impurities in the oil sample, complete solution of the salt, and total extraction and titration of all the aqueous phase. Recently, the chlorides of sodium, calcium, and. magnesium produced with and present in various oils have developed growing problems of salt deposition and corrosion in the petroleum industry. Therefore, a technical study of various emulsions and salts that accompany petroleum is being made by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the State of Oklahoma. One report (5)5 reviewing the literature pertinent to the study has been published.

Jan 1, 1940

By J. W. Horne

The quantitative determination of salt in petroleum ins generally divided into two steps - (1) extraction of salt from the oil and (2) accurate measurement of the extracted salt. This paper presents a method used by the Bureau of Mines for quantitatively extracting the water-soluble chloride salts4/ from petroleum and discusses important details attendant on the success of the method. Among these details are homogeneity in the dispersion of salt crystals, emulsified brine and other impurities in the oil sample, complete solution of the salt, and total extraction and titration of all the aqueous phase. Recently, the chlorides of sodium, calcium, and. magnesium produced with and present in various oils have developed growing problems of salt deposition and corrosion in the petroleum industry. Therefore, a technical study of various emulsions and salts that accompany petroleum is being made by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the State of Oklahoma. One report (5)5 reviewing the literature pertinent to the study has been published.

Jan 1, 1940

By M. M. Tilman

The Bureau of Mines investigated the precipitation strengthening of lead¬-base alloys containing 0.5 through 4 weight-percent combined Cd plus Sb. The Cd and Sb were alloyed in a 1-to-1 atomic ratio which maintained compositions along the quasi-binary section Pb-CdSb. Tensile properties, creep rates, and stress-rupture values were obtained on alloys in the aged condition. The highest tensile strength was observed in an alloy of Pb-3 CdSb, After aging for 6 months at 90°±3° F, this alloy had a mean tensile strength of 8,950 psi with 15-percent elongation. An aged alloy of Pb-1 CdSb exhibited a steady state creep rate of 1.2 X 10-3 percent per day at a stress of 500 psi and a temperature of 90°±3° F. Times to rupture at stresses up to 4,000 psi and at a temperature of 90°±3° F were obtained for some compositions.

Jan 1, 1970

By Harry W. Campbell

U.S. Bureau of Mines investigation; identified no mineral resources or evidence of mining activity in the Sheep Divide RARE II area. A deposit 10 mi (16 km) southwest of the area contains copper and silver minerals in the Triassic Wild Sheep Creek Formation which probably underlies basalt lava flows covering the study area. Abundant basalt in the area can be crushed and used as aggregate, but suitable deposits closer to markets are widely available No sand, gravel, coal, oil, gas, or geothermal resource, were Identified. INTRODUCTION Location and Access The Sheep Divide RARE II area [10 mi (16 km) west of the Snake River] encompasses 7,100 acres (2,800 ha) of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Enterprise, Oregon, is located 23 air mi (37 (m) west of the area. Peripheral access is provided by the highway from Joseph to the community of Imnaha, Oregon, then south to the study area by the graveled Upper Imnaha Road (fig. 1).

Jan 1, 1983

By Thomas P. Meloy

"The presence of respirable quartz-bearing mineral par-ticles has been well documented in many coal mines, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration regulations address the quartz content of mine dusts. Unfortunately, the correlation between the quantity of respirable quartz-bearing mineral particles and the pathogenicity of the dust is not strong. Work is currently underway by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health/U.S. Bureau of Mines and work is being included in the Respirable Dust Center Program by Dr. Seehra to determine the surface availability of quartz in mixed composition mine dusts. However, this paper propose a possible source of surface quartz or a spe¬cial region in the coal that may contribute to the pathogenicity of selected particles in the respirable dust.Assumed in this model is the hypothesis that either the cleat surface is coated with quartz or some cytotoxic sub-stance that in the body is capable of destroying macrophage and thus inducing a fibrotic response (1) that during the frag¬mentation a reasonable proportion of the respirable size coal particles contain some of the original cleat surface and that these particles have the same order of in vivo cytotoxicity as do the quartz particles. It may be that these cleat surfaced respirable size particles are only contributory to the overall pathogenicity of the coal dust, nevertheless, there are enough of these particles to to considered as a potential source of the cytotoxic dust particles.This paper demonstrates that if the cleat surfaces are mineralized with quartz or have a pathogenic coating, then in many mines there will be enough respirable coal dust particles containing some cleat surface to cause a fibrotic reaction. To understand why some of the dust particles contain as part of their surface some of the cleat surface, consider what happens when a beer bottle is broken. While there are a large number of beer bottle fragments, many of the fragments, particularly the larger fragment sizes, will have as a fraction of their surface part of the original beer bottle surface. The model and mathematics of this problem have been worked out by Meloy.(2-4)In the homogeneous IAC model, (2-5) a fragment or par-ticle resulting from comminution is equally likely to occur anywhere in the material being broken. Therefore the probability of a particle of size x having part of the cleat surface in it, p(x), is proportional to x. Thus:"

Mar 1, 1989

By Robert F. Kehrman

As with many new technologies, the rapid growth in solution mining for uranium has created uncertainties regarding the environmental impact of mining operations. In solution mining, the largest area of concern is the impact of the process on the quality of ground water supplies. As a result, a rapid and reliable technique of detecting lixiviant excursions is desirable. Such a method would replace the periodic sampling technique and should provide a more or less continuous monitoring method. To this end, resistivity techniques were evaluated as an alternate means of tracking lixiviant movement. A program was devised which had five specific tasks. These were: (1) evaluation of the techniques, (2) development of the most promising technique or techniques, (3) field testing of the techniques, (4) testing of the BuMines probe, and (5) reporting. The result of the analytical and field work is that various resistivity/ resistance techniques do provide a means of detecting lixiviant movement in Northern Wyoming. Surface and downhole galvanic surveys and controlled source audio magnetotellurics (AMT) were evaluated. All three techniques showed some degree of success.

Jan 1, 1979

By M. G. Zabetakis

Amyl nitrite (C5H11NO2) is a pale-yellow liquid with an ethereal fruity odor and a pungent aromatic taste. Its use in first-aid treatment of cyanide poisoning has been suggested by Chen and his coworkers. Although not the most effective treatment, it is the only one that does not require intravenous injections and is, therefore, very suitable as a preliminary measure, which only involves breaking a capsule near the patient's nose until intravenous injections can be given. In the case of the sodium nitrite -sodium thiosulfate treatment, for instance, such injections require about 15 minutes. As amyl nitrite "Pearls" (small capsules containing liquid amyl nitrite) are placed in many first-aid kits by various companies that handle, store, or use hydrogen cyanide gas, it appeared advisable to investigate the explosion hazards of this material in air and oxygen. Accordingly, tests were made to determine the limits of flammability, temperature range of flammability of amyl nitrite saturated with air and with oxygen, and minimum ignition temperatures of this material in air and in oxygen.

Jan 1, 1952

By Raymond P. Maloney

The Rhyolite mercury prospect is on the south flank of Juninggulra Mountain--a large rhyolite intrusive in the Kuskokwim River region about 36 airline miles northwest of Red Devil, Alaska. Bulldozer trenching by the Bureau of Mines exposed bedrock at intervals in a 2,000-by 3,000-foot area where previous prospecting by the owners had disclosed abundant float and several in-place stringers containing cinnabar in widely varying amounts. The additional trenching indicated that the mercury mineralization in the limited area investigated was confined to erratically distributed short stringers and to small lenses, occurring in discontinuous zones in numerous silica-carbonate dikes and sills or along their altered contacts with sedimentary rocks. The geologic relationship of the mercury-bearing silica-carbonate dikes and the nearby rhyolite intrusive is similar to that existing at several other mercury mines and prospects in the. Kuskokwim region. The depth of over-burden and the presence of permafrost were serious obstacles to bulldozer trenching, and only a comparatively small part of the mineralized area was thus investigated.

Jan 1, 1962

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