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By E. J. Gleim

Contact with trolley wire in the mines of the United States has taken a considerable toll of life throughout the years that trolley locomotives have been employed as a means of' transportation. A study3/ of the records over a 15-year period for one State alone showed that, of 98 fatalities resulting from contacts with electrical circuits and equipment, 75 were caused by direct or indirect contact with unguarded trolley wire in coal mines. The law relating to guarding trolley wires in the mines of this particular State, as amended in 1935, reads in part as follows: "All trolley wires carrying 220 volts or more, and less than six feet six inches above top of rail, must be guarded at all points under which men and animals are required to pass***,'" The natural conclusion to be drawn from such records is that lack' of guards or shields must be held responsible for these fatalities. As a preventive measure, it has been advocated that every foot of trolley wire in mines should be guarded. Although some such drastic steps may appear to be amply justified, closer examination of the records nor this and other coal-mining States shows that absence of guards is not entirely responsible; but rather that other factors, such as carelessness and neglect it the observance of certain well-established simple rules concerning installation and location of trolley wires, also are responsible. In other words, if trolley wire is installed carelessly and its maintenance is neglected, it should not be expected that the mere installation of guards will overcome such carelessness and neglect. This publication discusses Various types of guards that have been used in Coal and metal mines of this country, together with related steps bearing upon the problem of 'preventing shock and fatalities from contacts with trolley wire. The material herein contained is taken largely from Information Circular 6577,4/ now out of print, and has been revised to include some types of guards that have been used in metal mines, together with a discussion of guard materials not covered in that publication.

Jan 1, 1945

By John W. Buch

At a meeting of the Anthracite Investigations Advisory Committee in July 1944 at Washington, D. C., the initial work and objectives of the Anthracite Mechanical Mining Section of the Federal Bureau of Mines were discussed. It was learned that interest existed in an improved performance of mining thin, steeply pitching beds above the gangway by mechanical methods. One company offered the use of one of its mines for experimental work, and this offer was accepted. Following acceptance, an effort was made by Bureau engineers to devise a mechanical method with a performance better than that of a new hand method proposed by company engineers for an actual mining condition. The method proposed by the Bureau was to drive 30-degree slant chutes across a 10-foot bed pitching 85 degrees. These chutes were to be advanced by using a lightweight, compressed air-powered, shearing machine of German origin that had been tried in a flat Pennsylvania anthracite bed in 1934, and which did not then prove successful because of blasting difficulties. An attempt was made to obtain one of these machines from England, where it was known machines of this type had been used. Shortly thereafter John W. Buch was sent to Europe as a member of the Solid Fuels Mission to the European Theater of Operations organized by the Technical Industrial Intelligence Committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Through his efforts the Bureau of Mines obtained two such machines, known as the Eickhoff model DEK, one from England and one from Germany. This report covers the preliminary testing of these machines in order to obtain mechanical operating data for use in determining the power requirements for cutting anthracite with machines of this design.

Jan 1, 1949

By Franklin D. Cooper

The value of nonfuel mineral raw materials produced in the United States in 1978 was $20 billion. In 1979, total value increased to an estimated $24 billion, up 20% from 1978. Of the principal metallic ores produced in 1979, about half showed increased quantitative output and all showed increased value per ton compared with that of 1978. Most nonmetallic commodities showed increases in quantitative output and in average value per ton. Because of its decreasing share of the world market, the domestic mineral industry's concerns were the increasing costs of capital, labor, and energy; withdrawals of public lands from mining; and the increasing cost of environmental regulations that tended to deter or delay investment in the Nation's capacity for producing essential minerals.

Jan 1, 1980

By Paul A. Pierce

In 1984, the Bureau of Mines evaluated an area previously identified as having "probable mineral resource potential" for copper, lead, zinc, gold, or silver within the Elkhorn Wilderness, about 5 miles west of Winston, MT. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the mineralized structures at nearby mines and prospects outside of the Wilderness extend into and contribute to the anomalous zone and, if so, to expand the domestic supply of strategic and critical mineral resources for future needs by identifying and quantifying resources on public lands. Fifty-eight soil samples, 23 rock samples, and 1 stream sediment sample were collected in the Staubach Creek area. Overall sample analyses suggest the anomalous zone in the Staubach Creek drainage is possibly associated with -.mall pyritiferous quartz veins. These veins or veinlets may be part of a system of northeasterly-trending structures prevalent in this art of the Wilderness. However, there is not sufficient evidence to prove that identified resources outside of the Wilderness extend into it in the Staubach Creek drainage, or that economic base- or precious-metal deposits are likely.

Jan 1, 1987

A prototype EM Location System was fabricated and tested at the Geneva Mine near Dragerton, Utah. This system consisted of six manpack transmitters and six manpack receivers covering the frequency band from 900 Hz to 2900 Hz as well as a six channel receiver designed for use in a helicopter. Tests showed that EM signals from lightweight (314 lb) transmitters could be detected both on the surface and from a helicopter through -2 as much as 1650 ft of relatively high conductivity (2 X 10 mhos/m) over- burden. Furthermore, the resulting field strength profiles could be used to determine source location to within 150 ft of the actual surveyed location in the mine. Modifications were made to a Monitoring, Locating and Communications System being tested at the Bruceton Mine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These modifications have improved the performance and quality of the paging and voice telephony mode of the system. Subsurface receiver modifications have improved reception of voice downlink signals.

Jan 7, 1973

1. In 2001, a total of 785 nonmetal mining operations reported employment to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Examples of nonmetal mining operations include the mining of clay, trona, barite, phosphate rock, gypsum, talc, gemstones, and pumice. Nonmetal mines comprised 5.4% of all mining operations.1 • Nonmetal mining operations are located in all but seven states or territories (Alaska, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands). • The median number of operator employees per nonmetal mine was 6.1.2 • Mines producing common clay comprised 31.2% (n = 245) of all nonmetal mining operations.

Jul 1, 2003

By B. R. Mohal, F. F. Aplan, S. Chander

"The wetting behavior of coal has been determined in the presence of nonyl and octyl series of nonionic surfactants containing polyethoxy groups of different sizes. The wetting behavior was determined by a modified Walker technique and contact angle measurements. The results show that the wetting rate of coal varies with coal rank, structure of the hydrocarbon chain and number of ethoxy groups in the hydrophilic group of the surfactant. A close relationship has been observed between the wetting rates and the short-time advancing contact angles.INTRODUCTIONNonionic surfactants are used in many applications to improve wettability of solids. They can be used as dispersing agents [ 1 ] or dust suppressants [ 2-5] and to control the flotation, flocculation, filtration and, flowability of particulates. This study was undertaken to study the effect of a series of nonionic surfactants on the wetting behavior of coal. Two series of surfactants, namely, ethoxylated nonyl and octyl phenols were used. The nonyl phenol series con tains a linear hydrocarbon chain containing nine carbon atoms (CH3 ( CH2 )8-C6H4- ( OC2H4 ) n, where n is the number of ethoxy groups) . The octyl phenol series contains a branched hydrocarbon chain containing eight' carbon atoms ( ( CH3 ) 3CCH2C ( CH3) 2-C6H4- ( OC2H4 ) n ).Initial wetting rates — modified Walker techniqueWalker et al. [ 6 ] developed a sink test to determine the wettability of coal particles. In this technique, coal particles are dropped individually onto the surface of surfactant solutions of different concentrations, and the most dilute concentration in which coal would sink ""instantaneously"" is determine& This technique is a variation of a procedure initially developed by Draves and Clarkson [ 7 ] to determine the effect of surfactants on wettability of cotton fibers."

Jan 1, 1989

By Welby Courtney

Because of the inherent safety problem associated with the deposition of airborne respirable dust onto the floor and other airway surfaces, the Bureau of Mines investigated the rate of reduction of airborne respirable dust in an airway due to deposition of the particles onto the surfaces of the airway. The effects of relative humidity and air velocity on the deposition rate were examined. It was found that the deposition rate was comparable in magnitude with the Stokes sedimentation rate and that it was independent of relative humidity. However, near the dust source the deposition rate depended significantly upon the air velocity, with such dependence decreasing with increasing distance from the dust source. In addition, the size distribution of the airborne particles was approximately constant along the first 300 ft of the airway, indicating that it was not merely the larger (heavier) particles that were being deposited. These results suggest that deposition, though comparable with the Stokes sedimentation rate in magnitude, does not follow a simple Stokes-type process, and that the process of deposition remains to be explained.

Jan 1, 1986

By Jacqueline A. McClaskey

The U.S. Bureau of Mines Information and Analysis Directorate collects worldwide data on virtually every commercially important non fuel mineral commodity. These data form the base for tracking and assessing the health of the minerals sector of the U.S. economy. The Bureau's data collection activity was instituted by the 47th Congress in an appropriations act of August 7, 1882 (22 Stat. 329), which placed the collection of mineral statistics on an annual basis. The most recent authority for the U.S. Bureau of Mines survey activity is the National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-479, 96th Congress). This act strengthens protection for proprietary data provided to the U.S. Department of the Interior by persons or firms engaged in any phase of mineral or mineral-material production or consumption.

Jan 1, 1993

By J. W. Thompson

OWNERSHIP OF ORE-CONSTRUCTION OF CONTRACT. A contract between the Republic Mines Corporation and the Quilp Gold Mining Co. provided that upon forfeiture of its rights under a contract the Republic Mines Corporation was required to give a good and sufficient deed conveying to the Quilp Gold Mining Co. all ore bodies of every description lying east of the west line of the Quilp Mining Co. claim extended downward vertically and lying south of the north end line of the Quilp claim extended downward vertically and which may apex within the lines of the Surprise, an adjoining mining claim. It must be presumed that the contracting parties under such circumstances had in view their statutory rights as provided by the mining statutes of the United States, and that both were familiar with the provisions as to extra- lateral rights granted by the statute to locators of mining claims. This contract means to include all ore bodies of every description lying east (or easterly) of the west (or westerly) line of the Quilp claim extended downward vertically and south (or southerly) of the north end line of the Quilp claim extended downward vertically within the Quilp claim excepting the part that was overlapped by the Surprise claim, owned by the Republic Mines Corporation. Quilp Gold Min. Co. v. Republic Mines Corp. (Washington), 165 Pacific 57, p. 61. PURCHASE OF GAS-REFUSAL TO DELIVER SALE TO OTHERS. A gas company that had entered into a contract to purchase a quantity of natural gas refused to receive and accept the gas that was tendered on the ground that it did not conform to the requirements of the contract; subsequently the company refused to sign a writing by which it was asked to consent to the sale of such gas to other persons. But the refusal of the purchasing company to sign such a writing giving its consent or its refusal to consent to such sale did. not affect the rights of the seller to dispose of the gas elsewhere and to other persons. OWNERSHIP OF MINERALS IN HIGHWAY. All mineral deposits within the limits of a highway belong to the owner of the fee and he is entitled to remove them so long as he does not interfere with the public use of the highway. City of Scranton v. Scranton Coal Co. (Pennsylvania), 100 Atlantic 813, p. 819. SALE AND CONVEYANCE. SALE AND CONVEYANCE EXCEPTION AND RESERVATION. The owner of an undivided interest in oil and gas lands conveyed the same to certain named grantees by deed containing a clause excepting and reserving all the oil and gas produced from the undi- vided interest in the land described. The language is not apt for the creation of either an exception or a reservation, but is rather that of a layman unfamiliar with legal distinctions. Strictly and literally construed, it affords a basis for a contention that that which was excepted and reserved was not realty in any form or anything inci- dent thereto, but personalty produced from the land. Immediately following the description of the tract, the grantor excepted and reserved something from the land described. What he excepted and reserved, he excepted and reserved then, and it was from his interest in the land. The clause expressed according to the evident intention of the grantor would read: "Excepting and reserving from the above all oil or gas which may hereafter be produced therefrom." No other construction can reasonably be placed upon the language used. The carving out of a separate estate in the oil and gas in land is a common occurrence in oil and gas producing fields. Mandle v. Gharing (Pennsylvania), 100 Atlantic 535, p. 536. RESERVATION CONSTRUED AS AN EXCEPTION. Where apt words of reservation are used in a deed they will be construed as an exception where this is the evident intention of the parties to the instrument. Although an exception and a reservation differ in legal effect, yet in their creation there is no magic in words, and if the meaning is clear either expression will operate for the purpose designed. The technical distinction between an exception and a reservation is frequently disregarded in the ordinary use of the word, and whether the language used creates an exception or a reservation must be determined from the intention of the parties ascertained from the entire instrument.

Jan 1, 1917

By Horace C. Porter, F. K. OVITZ

The various fuel investigations that were being carried on by the technologic branch of the United States Geological Survey were transferred by law on July 1, 1910, to a new federal bureau, the Bureau of Mines, that was authorized to continue the investigations and make public reports of the results. In consequence of this transfer, the following report is published as a bulletin of the new bureau. The United States Geological Survey had been engaged in analyzing and testing coals, lignites, and other mineral fuel substances under authority given by act of Congress. This work, now centered at the experiment station at Pittsburg, Pa., had its beginning in the operations of the coal-testing plant erected at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Mo., in 1904. The results obtained at that plant showed that the work of determining the fuel value of the coals and lignites in the United States with a view to increasing efficiency in their utilization would be incomplete if it did not include systematic physical and chemical researches into the processes of combustion. Hence in its later investigations the Survey carried on such re- searches, concentrating attention on those lines of inquiry which promised results of greatest economic importance. This bulletin is a report on an investigation of the volatile matter in several typical coals-its composition and amount at different tem- peratures of volatilization. As the investigation is still in progress and will doubtless include other coals than those already examined, the bulletin may be considered a preliminary report, stating the prob- lems studied, the methods used, and the results thus far obtained.

Jan 1, 1910

By H. H. Schrenk, L. B. Berger, W. P. Yant, F. A. Patty

"The use of small such as canaries and white mice, for detecting carbon monoxide depends primarily on the fact that the volume of respiration of these animals in proportion to their volume of blood is much higher than for man. Accordingly, when animals and men are simultaneously exposed to a given concentration of carbon monoxide the animals will absorb it more rapidly and attain serious poisoning in less time than men. Prom a practical viewpoint the use of the animals depends on the margin of time between observable symptoms in them and serious poisoning in man, during which man can return to fresh air or use respiratory protection. It should be remembered, however, that during the time the animal is incurring a detectable degree of poisoning, man is also absorbing some carbon monoxide, and the margin of time is not very wide. Experience with canaries has shown that an occasional specimen may have a tolerance above the average of the species and fail to exhibit symptoms before man incurs a very discomforting and possibly a serious degree of poisoning.It is also well known that physical activity increases the demand for oxygen by the body, and the respiratory exchange and circulation of the blood are increased to meet the demand. This sets up a vicious condition if carbon monoxide is present in the air because the rate of absorption of carbon monoxide is not only increased by the increase in respiration and circulation, but the absorption of carbon monoxide decreases the capacity of the blood for carrying oxygen at a time when the demand is high. These facts, together with the increase in respiration and circulation which attend excitement, underlie the caution to be calm and to walk slowly and to reduce physical exertion to a minimum when exposed to carbon monoxide. For these same reasons, when using animals for detecting carbon monoxide it is endeavored to keep them active, thereby tending to increase the response of the birds and widen the time between observable effects in the birds and effects in the man. As rule canaries are kept fairly active through fright at the unnatural surroundings and in their endeavor to remain on the perch of the cage when carried into the atmosphere to be examined. They also experience an excitement stage with oncoming carbon monoxide poisoning. Sometimes, however, especially if the air is cold, they tend to be inactive and quiet. Ordinary mice and white mice become inactive with use and also with oncoming poisoning. They huddle in the corner or the cage, and thereby not only reduce their sensitivity but make it difficult to observe signs of poisoning."

Oct 1, 1930

By P. R. Tisot

This report discusses the waxes made from shale-oil wax distillate, a specific fraction obtained- from crude shale oil. The plate wax crystals Were exceptionally well suited to solvent extraction. Methyl ethyl ketone was the preferred dewaxing solvent.' The quantity of wax recovered at 32°F was 18.8 percent of the wax distillate, or 6.6 percent of the crude shale oil. The laboratory batch processes used for separating the wax from the distillate and subsequent refining were based .upon conventional petroleum methods. Three grades of shale-oil waxes were made and designated as crude, semirefined, and fully refined. The solvent-extracted wax consisted mainly of paraffin and olefin hydrocarbons. The physical Properties of the fully refined shale-oil wax were the same as er corresponded closely to those of Billy refined petroleum paraffin wax. Inasmuch as the crude and semirefined shale-oil waxes can be separated and refined in much the same manner as petroleum waxes, the cest of manufacture should be about equal to that for making petroleum paraffin wax. The cast of making a fully refined shale oil wax will be somewhat greater than for making .a fully refined petroleum paraffin, due to the loss of the oleofinic material from the shale-oil wax by acid treatment and the increased quantity of acid required for its removal. An analytical method for the determination of wax in shale-oil dietillates, a list of the physical properties that wore determined for the waxes, and the method for testing those properties are given in the appendix to this report

Jan 1, 1950

By Raymond M. Stateham

A portable, handheld infrared scanner has been used to detect abnormal surface temperature on dumps of flood-generated trash near Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Three of eight dumps examined had thermal anomalies on the surface, indicating temperature buildup at depth. The anomalies found with the scanner were verified by measurements with a thermocouple probe or a carbon monoxide detector. One week after the investigation was completed, open fire broke out at the site of one of these thermal anomalies; about 6 weeks after the investigation, a thermal anomaly in another dump was verified when a trench was excavated in the dump.

Jan 1, 1973

By Jack L. Henry

A laboratory and a pilot-plant-scale investigation has been conducted by the Bureau of Mines to examine possible sources of nitride defects in the production of magnesium-reduced titanium sponge. The production of alpha-stabilized nitride inclusions in hot-rolled titanium plate from air contamination of sponge during its manufacture has been experimentally demonstrated. Magnesium-reduced sponge prepared from air-contaminated magnesium or when contaminated by an air leak during reduction, vacuum distillation, or inert gas sweep, shows very large variations in nitrogen content. Refractory nitrides, delta TiN and epsilon Ti2N have been identified in this sponge. The highest incidence of inclusions resulted from sponge that was reduced by air-contaminated magnesium and from sponge subjected to air contamination during the vacuum distillation cycle and during helium sweep. Air contamination of sponge during the reduction cycle was not nearly as effective in producing inclusions. Tests showed that color and texture may not be reliable criteria for locating defects during sponge inspection. Maintenance of good vacuum-tight integrity, filtration of molten magnesium prior to charging into the reduction retort, and mechanical attrition of sponge to pulverize and disperse nitrides are suggested as practices to lower inclusion incidence in commercial titanium ingots.

Jan 1, 1974

By Steven W. Schmauch

The Ruby Mountains study area encompasses 75,615 acres managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Madison County, MT. A mineral survey was conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey in 1984. Bureau of Mines personnel reviewed literature and county mining records, and examined prospects or mineralized areas to determine mineral resources. Geological Survey personnel evaluated the area by geochemical sampling and geophysical surveys. There are no organized mining districts and no current claims in the study area. Significantly mineralized quartz veins, shear zones, or talc bodies apparently do not exist within the study area. A small part of the Kelly Iron Deposit is inside, but dips away from the study area; the main occurrence is estimated to have 32 million tons of subeconomic resources that average 21 percent iron.

Jan 1, 1985

Although the technology involved in removing material from below the earth's surface has a long history, communication systems in underground workings are relatively new to the industry. Communication equipment did not begin appearing in underground mines until the early 1900's. Figure 1-1 shows a miner using a Western Electric standard telephone set for underground mines in 1913. These early phones were essentially the same as those used aboveground, except that they were enclosed in cast-iron boxes as protection against moisture, acid fumes, and gases.

Jan 1, 1984

By David A. Monaghan, Kenneth R. Maser, Adi R. Gurdar, D. Randolph Berry

4. Preliminary Study - Remote Seal Checker 4.1 Introduction Determination of the completeness of each individual seal at the time of its emplacement is essential for an effective remote sealing system. A satisfactory seal checking technique should provide a signal which: (1) indicates percentage completion as the seal is emplaced (2) provides a definite indication of a complete seal (3) indicates the size of the unsealed area if a complete seal is not feasible This information is required to establish the need for additional seal material, the need for additional seals, and the risk likely involved in entering the mine., In many situations it is as important to know the quality of a seal as it is to build an effective one. It is likely that with repeated use the remote sealing technique developed by Foster-Miller Associates will be sufficiently reliable and predictable to preclude the seal checking requirement. It is recommended, however, that each seal be checked during construction to insure its completeness and increase the level of confidence so necessary in reopening the mine. 4.2 Description of General Problem Several characteristics of remote mine seals are important in considering techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of these seals. These include:

Jan 1, 1973

By F. Garacia, J. Cervik

Gob holes are routinely used by the mining industry to vent methane from gobs and to prevent it from entering the mine ventilation system. In some cases, flows from gob holes are measured by centering an anemometer on the end of a discharge pipe. These measurements are erroneous and tend to be high by as much as 30 pct. The Bureau of Mines deter- mined method factors (correction factors) for anemometer measurements taken in this manner. Method factors for 4-, 6-, and 8-in (10.2-, 15.2-, and 20.3-cm) ID pipe are 0.68, 0.71, and 0.78, respectively. Comparisons between horizontal and vertical flows indicated no significant change in method factors. Consequently, the method factors for horizontal pipe flows can be applied to vertical upward flows.

Jan 1, 1987

By C. B. Manula

In this report, the application of the Open Pit Materials Handling Simulator (OPMHS) to a Southwestern surface mine using draglines and front-end loaders is described. The specific objective of the study is to demonstrate the application of the simulator to analyze mine planning and to analyze alternatives for increased production. The simulator was verified by comparing long term production figures to the simulated results from data collected on a mine visit. A short term and a long term alternative are studied with projected productivities and scheduling. No economic analysis of these proposals were performed.

Jan 1, 1977