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By authority of the Federal Coal-Mine Inspection Act of May 7, 1941, Public Law 49--77th Congress, H.R. 2082,2/ a Coal-Mine Inspection Division was established in the Health and Safety Branch of the Bureau of Mines. Funds totaling $729,000 for the operation of the division and for other incidental expenses were provided in an amendment to the Department of the Interior appropriation bill for the fiscal year 1942 (H.R. 4590). A small. percentage of these funds was made available on July 1, 1941, and a much greater proportion on October 1, 1941, to defray the expenses of the coal-mine inspection work and incidental activities for the remainder of the fiscal year 1942. The Coal-Mine Inspection Division is charged with administering the act and is required to compile, analyze, publish, and otherwise make available for public inspection the information obtained under it and to transmit such information to the Director of the Census. The act requires also that the information obtained be reported to Congress, with such findings and comments thereon and such recommendations for legislative action as may be deemed proper.

Jan 1, 1943

By M. A. Elliott, H. H. Schrenk, L. G. Berger, John C. Holtz

"INTRODUCTION Interest in the possibility of using Diesel 6/ engines for haulage power in mining and tunneling is increasing in the United States, owing largely to the reported successful use of Diesel locomotives in European coal mines and to the comparatively recent development of automotive Diesel engines in this country. The extent of this interest has been evidenced to the Bureau of Mines by numerous requests for information as to the factors that must be considered if Diesel engines are to be used safely underground.Proponents of the application of the Diesel engine to underground haulage base their claims for its safety upon a comparison with the gasoline engine, assuming that (1) the carbon monoxide content of Diesel exhaust gas is always low and that (2) fire and explosion hazards from Diesel fuel are minimized because of its low volatility. In these respects the Diesel engine appears less hazardous than the gasoline engine, whose use underground has been discouraged by the Bureau of Mines and other organizations interested in safety in mining. However, such generalizations cannot be accepted as conclusive evidence that safety is inherent in Diesel engines in underground service, as European experience indicates that certain hazards may accompany their use. Such hazards were discussed in a previous publication 7/ that reviews developments in the use of Diesel locomotives in European coal mines.The Bureau of Mines has initiated a study of the hazards that may attend the use of Diesel engines underground to obtain first-hand information that may serve as a basis for recommending sale practices under conditions existing in the United States."

May 1, 1940

By Robert J. Evans

The monorail bridge conveyor (MBC) is a prototype continuous face haulage system that was surface tested and evaluated by the Bureau of Mines. The MBC consists of a series of cascading belt bridge conveyors suspended from roof-supported monorail track. Tests were conducted to determine MBC haulage capability, maneuverability, power consumption, and reliability using rigid and chain-suspended monorail track installations. Subsequent modifications to improve operation and reliability made during surface testing are described. Mining plans were devised to show potential MBC installations for room-and-pillar, longwall development, and shortwall mining sections. Compatibility tests were conducted with the Bureau's prototype hopper-feeder, to provide additional surge capacity and lump-breaking capability. Results from the surface test program, along with modifications to improve system operation and reliability, indicate that the MBC has the potential to perform success- fully in an in-mine trial.

Jan 1, 1987

By H. A. Watson

Laboratory tests on three commercial methane detectors, two combustion- type detectors and one interferometer-type detector, were made by the Bureau of Mines to determine their response to certain single and multiple flammable gases mixed with normal and abnormal air atmospheres. Although both types of detectors responded accurately to methane-normal air mixtures, they did not show correct concentrations for other single flammable gases in air. Uniquely, the response of the interferometer-type detector to hydrogen was in a negative direction. The effects of individual gases in multiple flammable gas mixtures were approximately additive. In oxygen-deficient atmospheres the methane response of the interferometer-type detector erred on the high side, but only in very low oxygen concentrations were the combustion-type detectors affected-- showing low, erratic methane readings.

Jan 1, 1966

By Robert H. Peters

The objective of the project descibed in this report was to design and field test a model health and safety program at a coal mining company and a gold mining company. The model program was implemented primarily by providing training on loss control, accident investigation, and the operation of mobile equipment; and by providing technical assistance to help solve health and safety problems. Data were obtained from company records on occupational injuries, illnesses, accidents, and "near misses"; and through direct observation of employees performing a large number of randomly selected jobs. At the coal mine, employees were observed five times over a 15-month period. At the gold mine, employees were observed six times over a 16-month period. During the study, the percentage of sampled jobs containing one or more safety deficiencies decreased from 74.3 pct to 36.6 pct at the coal mine and from 86.4 pct to 19.1 pct at the gold mine. Work on this project was performed by Woodward Associates, Inc., under a Bureau of Mines contract.

Jan 1, 1986

By Guenter F. Lehmann

This report summarizes the results of the development and testing of a prototype monorail suspended bridge conveyor (MBC) system as a method of continuous haulage In underground mining applications. Included are the results of full scale, surface and underground testing of the complete MBC system. Conclusions drawn from these results, together with recommended modifications, supports the viability of the MBC system.

Jan 1, 1988

By Walter E. Lewis

The Fort Randall Reservoir project, on the Missouri River at Pickstown, S. Dak., was designed by the Corps of Engineers and is part of the Missouri River Basin Development Program. The location of the project with respect to adjacent features is shown' in figure 1. When the project is finished, it will include a large earthwork dam and 12 circular tunnels, 8 of which will be equipped for power and 4 for flood control. Various phases of the construction have been contracted to independent companies, and at present four companies are working on different phases of the project under a rigid time schedule. Western Contracting Corp. is the contractor on stage II, earthwork; Johnson-Winston Construction Co. is the contractor for construction of the intake towers at the upstream side of the dam; McCarthy Improvement Co. has the contract for the power house and the outlet works on the downstream side; and Silas Mason Co. has the contract for driving the power and flood-control tunnels. The latter two companies use the same roads for ingress and egress to their respective work areas and the same general waste dump area. Under such circumstances, it is necessary that each company stay on a time schedule in regular sequence to avoid interference with the other.

Jan 1, 1951

By James Westfield

Following is a brief history of Bureau of Mines Division of Coal-Mine Inspection activities that have favorably effected health and safety and reduced Injuries at coal mines: The Federal cline Safety Code for Bituminous Coal and Lignite Mines of the United States was issued originally by the Director of the Bureau of Mines on July 24, 1946, after consulting with management and labor representatives of the coal-mining industry. The code has been used by Federal coal-mine inspectors while inspecting bituminous-coal and lignite mines for the existence of unhealthful and unsafe conditions and practices in these mines. A revised code was issued by the Secretary of the Interior on October 8, 1953, after further consulting with representatives of management and mine workers, and was incorporated in the 1952 and subsequent bituminous-coal wage agreements. The agreement of May 29, 1946, betweeen the Secretary of the Interior, acting as Coal Mines Administrator under authority of Executive Order 9728, and the United Mine Workers of America, covering bituminous-coal and lignite mines in Government possession, charged Federal coal-mine inspectors with the responsibility of making periodic investigations of the mines and reporting to the Coal Mines Administrator any violations of the Federal Mine Safety Code. Federal coal-mine inspectors also had temporary authority to close mines considered imminently dangerous, but authority under Executive Order 9728 was removed on June 30, 1947, when Government control of the mines was terminated.

Jan 1, 1962

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 Jr. Frank Parrish

This report describes the performance of 17 selected water-injection projects producing from Pennsylvanian-and Permian-age reservoirs. Illustrations depict reservoir structure and thickness, and production and injection history. A selected bibliography of publications pertaining to area oil recovery and geology is included. Tabulations of field and reservoir data reveal marked differences in the projects. Increased oil recovery resulted from injecting water in most cases; however, seven projects recovered less oil than the operators anticipated. Oil recovery by water injection ranged from 0.2 to 262 bbl per acre ft, or 0.1 to 22.5 pct of the initial stock-tank oil in place. Major reasons suggested for poor performance include: (1) Adverse directional horizontal permeability, (2) channeling of injected water through fractures or zones of high permeability, and (3) lack of containment of injected water. One 330-foot-deep project is among the first successful shallow water-floods in north Texas. Another project is the first successful Canyon sand-stone waterflood reported in the area. Previous gas injection in two Cisco sandstone projects did not prevent the reservoirs from responding favorably to waterflooding.

Jan 1, 1965

By H. R. Shell

The work on synthetic mica and related subjects is being reported in a series of technical articles (see Supplementary Bibliography), each of which describes some special aspect of the subject. This is the final report on chemical analysis of the fluoride-containing silicates. A condensation of this report has been published (26).3/ Chemical analysis affords one of the best means of ascertaining the final com-position of either a heterogeneous mass or a single pure crystal, particularly where some constituents may be volatile. The analysis of fluoride-containing silicates was not so well known or understood that highly accurate results were commonplace. For example, on synthetic mica a university laboratory reported 11.6 and 9.2 percent fluoride when at least 13.3 and 11.3 percent were present, respectively; a commercial testing laboratory reported 9.14 percent as compared to 12.6 percent; and a glass company reported 7.0 percent as compared to 9.0 percent present. No intimation is made that these analysts could not have done better, but the point to be stressed is that the methods in use were long, tedious, and generally required a certain familiarity for best results.

Jan 1, 1956

By Carl F. Wingquist

Electrical resistance heating to effect thermal fragmentation of semiconductive rock was examined by the Bureau of Mines. Tests were carried out on copper-bearing ores of the Nonesuch Shale Formation in the laboratory and in the the field at White Pine, Mich. Fieldwork included primary and secondary breakage tests. Heating tests on in situ rock failed to produce thermal dam-age to an extent considered useful; however, boulders up to 30 ft3 were effectively broken by the method. Power input to the test rock was taken from a 50-kV, 5-amp dc power supply.

Jan 1, 1976

By J. R. Thoenen

In June 1929 the Bureau of Mines issued a 13-page Information Circular entitled "Mineral wool." This was one of the first publications to present to the public some technical aspects of the mineral-wool industry. Since that time several articles have appeared on the subject in the technical press as well as publications by State organizations. Inquiries for information on mineral wool have continued to be received by the Bureau of Mines in large numbers, and in 1935 it was decided, with the cooperation of the is industry, to make a field survey of the plants then producing and to collect therefrom technical data to be compiled in a paper for public distribution. As a first step, a brief questionnaire was mailed to the known producers asking if they would cooperate for publication. Favorable replies were received from of percent of the manufacturers, and the field work was started. As the study progressed and tie number of plants visited grew, it became more and more apparent that the industry had made rapid strides in technical operation and control of their product, as well as in increasing production during the mast decade.

Jan 1, 1938

By L. F. Christianson

The presence of salt in crude petroleum has been known for many years, but recently the percentage of chloride salts of calcium, magnesium, and sodium produced with some crude oils has increased to such an extent that the removal of the salty compounds is imperative for some refiners and their presence causes considerable apprehension for others. The exact reason for this increase of salts is not known definitely, but in all probability a combination of factors contributes to the condition. The most important are acidizing of wells, development of new fields producing crude oils of greater salt content, and the depletion of old fields with an attending increase in the production of emulsified brine. Due to handling

Jan 1, 1938

By L. F. Christianson

The presence of salt in crude petroleum has been known for many years, but recently the percentage of chloride salts of calcium, magnesium, and sodium produced with some crude oils has increased to such an extent that the removal of the salty compounds is imperative for some refiners and their presence causes considerable apprehension for others. The exact reason for this increase of salts is not known definitely, but in all probability a combination of factors contributes to the condition. The most important are acidizing of wells, development of new fields producing crude oils of greater salt content, and the depletion of old fields with an attending increase in the production of emulsified brine. Due to handling

Jan 1, 1938

By Charles B. Carpenter

For many years, studies of ground movement and subsidence accompanying subsurface mining operations have been part of the research program of the Bureau of Mines. Periodic observations by engineers of the Mining Division of the Bureau of man-built structures beneath which mining operations are conducted offer indisputable evidence of subsidence in the form of creeks in masonry structures and fractures and depressions in tie surface of the earth. As the removal of subsurface rock and earth material by mining, especially by the room-and-pillar method, is equivalent to withdrawing some of the foundation of a building, subsidence of the formations above, the mining levels in certain air-as is easily understood as a gravitational adjustment of the overlying earth formations.

Jan 1, 1940

By Charles B. Carpenter

For many years, studies of ground movement and subsidence accompanying subsurface mining operations have been part of the research program of the Bureau of Mines. Periodic observations by engineers of the Mining Division of the Bureau of man-built structures beneath which mining operations are conducted offer indisputable evidence of subsidence in the form of creeks in masonry structures and fractures and depressions in the surface of the earth. As the removal of subsurface rock and earth material by mining, especially by the room-and-pillar method, is equivalent to withdrawing some of the foundation of a building, subsidence of the formations above, the mining levels in certain areas is easily understood as a gravitational adjustment of the overlying earth formations.

Jan 1, 1940

By D. J. Parker

In attempting to discuss a subject of this character it should be clearly understood at the outset that the purpose is not to emphasize the mere fact of occurrence of such catastrophes, the memory of which time has largely relegated to oblivion, but rather to stress the means of their prevention, available not only subsequent to but also at the time of occurrence. A careful, conscientious, unbiased study of the causes of mine explosions leads inevitably and definitely to the conclusion that the human element is the most important factor. The human factor should however, be evaluated in terms of responsibility--responsibility on the part of the employer to recognize the existing hazards and take the necessary remedial action, and on the part of the employee to perform his duties faithfully, diligently, scrupulously, and in strict conformity with State mining laws and company rules or other regulations.

Jan 1, 1933

By Dipak C. Talapatra

This report describes the development of guidelines for design, inspection and maintenance of automatic couplers. In order to devise the guidelines, performance requirements for automatic couplers were carefully established. This was done through a comprehensive survey of coupler manufacturers and extensive observation of automatic couplers in service in a broad spectrum of mines. The capability of the couplers to withstand the demands of the mining environment in terms of strength characteristics, gathering range, curve negotiability, and other factors were all carefully evaluated. An analysis of coupler related accidents for the years 1972-1976 was carried out to provide information on the safety and reliability of existing automatic couplers. This formed an important input to the development of the guidelines. It is expected that these guidelines will be useful to coupler manufacturers for establishing designs for improved automatic couplers, and to mine operators for maintaining their couplers in a safe and good operating condition throughout their expected lifetime. This report is in two volumes: Volume 1 Technical Report Volume 2 Design, Inspection, and Maintenance Manual

Jan 1, 1977

Argentina follows Venezuela and Mexico as the largest producers of crude petroleum and natural gas in Latin America. Argentina 1S practically self-sufficient in fuels, but relies substantially on imports for its supply of copper, iron ore, ferroalloys, sulfur, and fertilizers. Mining activity is limited and is in an incipient stage of growth, considering the country's potential for mining. Most nonfuel mineral output in 1979 consisted primarily of minerals used for construction, while only 9% are other nonmetallic, and 2% are metallic minerals. Argentina is Latin America's major producer of boron minerals and uranium (yellow cake). Mineral exports consist primarily of borates, uranium concentrates, and of late, some tin. These exports have in the past been shipped mostly to Great Britain. London banks have been involved in arranging financing for St. Joe Minerals Corp. IS planned development of the El Pachon copper deposit (see map), and were being counted upon to also back the development of large copper and manganese projects. The following is a review of Argentine mineral production in 1979: (For 1981, the production of boron minerals is put at 167,000 metric tons and uranium at 300,000 metric tons.)

Jan 1, 1982