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By Robert W. Van Dolah

The prevention of fires and explosions involving the combustibles and oxidants likely to be found in flight vehicles requires a knowledge of the flammability and related characteristics of these materials. This circular is a compilation of the available charactersilics data for a series of combustibles and oxidants of current interest. Vapor pressure data are presented for fluorine, oxygen, chlorine trifluoride, nitrogen tetroxide, nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide, ethylene oxide, hydrogen, ammonia, pentaborane, unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, monomethylhydrazine, hydrazine, and a series of hydro-carbons including decalin, tetralin, bicyclohexyl and other high-density fuels. In addition, flammability characteristics diagrams are included for each of the fuels in contact with air and, where available, other oxidants (for example, oxygen and nitrogen tetroxide). To assist in understanding these data, sections on definitions and theory and applications have been included. Each section is complete in itself and can be used separately. For example, a reader who is familiar with the general theory of combustion and detonation may find the data sections more useful than the definitions and theory and the application sections. However, since pertinent data are included in these sections, they should also prove useful to the experienced engineer interested in preventing fires and explosions.

Jan 1, 1963

By J. B. Zadra

Tungsten, a comparatively new metal, is one of the important strategic war materials. In peacetime, tungsten is widely used as a filament in elec¬tric lamps and electronic tubes and is a vital constituent of some of the most important industrial alloys. High-speed tool steel containing tungsten and stellite alloys containing cobalt, chromium, and tungsten are extremely hard and resistant to corrosion. These alloys and the tungsten carbides are unequaled as cutting tools and in other wear-resistant applications. They play a prominent role in the present era of mass production. Alloys containing tungsten resist oxidation at high temperatures and have been key alloys in the development of modern aircraft. The adaptability of tungsten to new uses is expanding, particularly in the high-temperature range. Domestic production of tungsten has come from a large number of deposits in 17 of the 49 States; but, of the total domestic output from 1900 to 1956, more than 80 percent was produced from mines in North Carolina, California, Colorado, and Nevada. The average tenor of the mined ore was less than 1 percent tungsten trioxide (W03).

Jan 1, 1959

By W. E. Roscoe

"Mineral exploration properties are those on which an economically viable mineral deposit has not yet been discovered. Such properties are bought, sold, optioned and joint ventured on the basis of their perceived potential for the existence and discovery of a viable mineral deposit. The intrinsic value of an exploration property is therefore based on the exploration potential. One measure of the exploration potential is the amount that can be justified to spend on exploration for a viable deposit.The appraised value method uses a cost approach to value exploration properties. It is based on the premise that an exploration property is worth the meaningful past exploration expenditures plus warranted future costs to test remaining exploration potential. Results of past exploration work are analyzed in order to retain only those past expenditures that are productive in terms of identifying remaining potential. Warranted future costs comprise a reasonable exploration budget to test that potential."

Jan 1, 2002

By Mayer G. Hansen

A series of papers dealing with diamond drilling practices, compiled in accordance with an outline prepared by engineers of the United States Bureau of Mines, is to be published as information circulars by the bureau. This paper, the first of the series, describes the general practice at the United Verde mine during the last ten years; specific instances cited in the paper refer to 1930, the last year of full operation. The United Verde copper mine is located at the town of Jerome, Yavapai County, north central Arizona.

Jan 1, 1933

By W. J. Fene, J. J. Forbes

Through education, investigations, and studies and an expanded coal- mino inspection program the Bureau continued to dischargo the responsibility placed on it by Congress 39 years ago for promoting safety and health in the mineral industries. Although much still remains to be dono, definite progress was made in combating physical and psychological hazards in mines and plants. Accident-prevention cours os for coal-mine supervisory officials and special courses for coal-mine safety committeeman were inaugurated. First- aid, mine rescue, and other safety training was conducted for those engaged in all branches of the mineral industries. Assistance was given in recovery work after mine explosions and fires. Studies to reduce the danger of roof falls, the greatest single cause of fatal mine accidents, resulted in the development and adoption of new coal-mine roof-support techniques. Knowledge of the explosion and health hazards of mine and plant dusts and ways of pre-. venting them were advanced. Electrical equipment was tested for safety of operation in gassy coal mines, and emergency mine communications apparatus was developed and tested. More progress was made in the study of controlling flood waters that threaten life and property in the Pennsylvania anthracite region. More coal-mine inspections were made than in any previous year, and an impressive number of improvements resulted from the Federal inspectors' recommendations, even though many of them went unheeded. A program of con- trolling fires in inactive coal deposits on the public domain and private property was instituted during the year.

Apr 1, 1950

Jan 1, 1992

By Anthony Edey

This report describes work performed and results obtained for the technical and economic feasibility study of oil production by mining methods. The characteristics of oil fields which would make them amenable to mining techniques were identified. An inventory of known U.S. oil fields that offer this potential was collated. This was further divided into fields having potential for underground and surface mining systems development. Several candidate fields that fit particular underground and surface mining system types were then selected. Conceptual mining systems were designed for the selected fields. Five underground and four surface methods were chosen. Costs of oil production were estimated for these selections. The impact of oil mining an the environment was also considered.

Jan 1, 1978

By John S. Carman

Our industry is in trouble. Real trouble. It has never been an easy, secure business. But to-day it is engulfed in revolutionary currents. No longer can there be reliance upon the checks and balances of market forces. Supply and demand largely dictated the economics of business enterprise in simpler days. To-day politics, in particular nationalism become increasingly dominant. And as governments expand and put out tentacles of interference in the direction of the mining industry, far too little understanding is evidenced as to how that industry works. Then there is something which is relatively new -stagflation. As the prices of minerals falls, the capital investment required for new extractive facilities soars at rates which far outdistance those which are cited by governments to indicate the magnitude of inflation. To illustrate; 1) In 1971 it was calculated that $355 million would be required to bring the Cuajone property in Peru into production. Five years later that stage was reached at a cost of $680 million. 2) With the Caridad mine in Mexico, estimated capital investment doubled between 1971 and 1976. 3) The requirements calculated for Cerro Colorado in Panama have risen in two years from $560 to $800. 4) The budget of $240 million for Sar Chesmeh in Iran in 1971 had become $500 million by 1976.

Jan 1, 1977

By George S. Rice

In 1911 the Director of the United States Bureau of Mines instructed the chief mining engineer of the bureau , during an investigation of coal-mine safety conditions in Europe, to ask the directors of the various mine-experiment stations whether they would favor a European conference . The majority of the officials in immediate charge of experiment stations favored the plan , and Victor Watteyne, inspector general of Belgium, suggested that the United States call such a conference to be held immediately after the Eighth International Congress of Applied Chemistry, which was to assemble in New York on September 3, 1912 . Accordingly, invitations were issued by the United States Government to those countries having mine-experiment stations , namely, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, France, Germany , and Great Britain, and to those that contemplated the establishment of such stations , Canada and Mexico . All but Great Britain and Canada accepted ; Mexico designated a representative , who later found it impossible to come. The Government of Great Britain in declining, expressed regret at its inability to accept ; an informal statement was made that the opening of the experimental gallery at Eskmeals , England , occupied the attention of the officials in charge . Delegates were appointed by their respective Governments as follows: Austria-Hungary, Julian Czaplinski , royal mining engineer. Belgium, Victor Watteyne , inspector general of mines . France, J. Taffanel, director of the Lievin experiment station . Germany, Carl Beyling, bergassessor, director of Dortmund experiment station. United States , Charles E. Munroe, consulting explosives expert and George S. Rice, chief mining engineer of the Bureau of Mines . Subsequently Mr. William O'Connor , a mining engineer and mine operator of Wales , who opportunely appeared at the Pittsburgh station with letters of introduction from the South Wales Institute of Engineers and from prominent mining officials of Great Britain , was unanimously invited to take part in the meeting as an unofficial representative of Great Britain . Messrs . Beyling, Taffanel , and Watteyne were met in New York on September 3, by George S. Rice, who accompanied them to Washington, where they were welcomed by Director J. A. Holmes , of the Bureau of Mines , and where , with the delegates to the Eighth International Congress of Applied Chemistry , they were presented to President Taft . Mr. Taffanel was unfortunately called back to France just before the scheduled time of the conference on account of a mine disaster ; the other delegates , including Mr. Czaplinski , convened at Pittsburgh on the morning of September 14. Mr. Rice, representing the Director of the Bureau of Mines , acted as temporary chairman , and called the meeting to order.

Jan 1, 1914

By N. Coulson, P. F. Stewart

The Mine Health and Safety Act No. 29 of 1996, as amended, embeds an occupational health and safety management system that facilitates communication between representatives of the state, capital, and labour. In underground mines, two communication loops between these role players serve to separate the production chain of command from the political tripartite relations. Worker-elected health and safety representatives are involved in both communication loops, but are severely constrained in escalating their occupational health and safety concerns to the legalpolitical level. This has a direct bearing on the exercise of the Right to Refuse Dangerous Work (RRDW). As previously reported, health and safety representatives were found to primarily consult their production supervisors in preference to their trade-union representatives. This follow-up article presents production supervisor perspectives on the RRDW. The study demonstrates how, for mineworkers, the two distinct communication subsystems constrain, rather than facilitate, implementation of the RRDW.

Apr 14, 2024

By Oliver Hall

This paper sketches the mining at Noranda as it would be sketched to a visiting engineer. It does not follow quite the usual form, but is presented somewhat along the lines of a conversation. TO give the mining at Noranda its proper perspective, it is necessary to sketch the whole picture and outline: 1. History 2. Metallurgical Problems 3. Exploration 4. Mining Methods 5. Mining Details 6. Filling 7. Pillar Extraction 8. Costs HISTORY Noranda is a relatively young enterprise, with much of the personal character of its founders woven into it. The name Noranda is an abbreviation of Northern Canada and the name has been a happy one for an enterprise based on northern resources, tenacity and courage. The discovery credit goes to Ed. H. Horne. This intrepid prospector returned again and again to his sulphide discoveries on the shores of Osisko lake and, in 1922, after ten years of prospecting, succeeded in interesting S. C. Thomson and H. W. Chadbourne in his discoveries. The early exploration by L. K. Fletcher, from 1922 to 1925, for Thomson and Chadbourne, indicated promising, but somewhat perplexing, ore conditions. Mr. E. Hibbert and Mr. H. L. Roscoe rook on the task of preparing the mine for production and building a smelter in 1926, and this difficult task in this isolated area made steady progress and the smelter was blown-in in December, 1927.

Jan 1, 1937

By Gillyeard J. Leathley

The Cassiar Asbestos mine is situated on McDame Mountain in northern B.C. at a mean elevation of 6000 ft (1830 m), some 6 miles (9.6 km) from the townsite /mill complex. Asbestos ore production averages 1,200,000 tons at 9% R.M.G. (Recoverable Mine Grade) and waste production is 6,000,000 cu. yd annually. Waste is loaded by P&H 1900 AL 11-cu.-yd shovels and transported by 75-ton and 85-ton end-dump trucks to the waste dumps. The ore is loaded by a 992 Caterpillar 10-cu-yd front-end loader into 50-ton and 75-ton trucks, which transport it to the crushing plant located at the mine. The ore is transported by a 15,370-ft (4685-m) tramline to the mill complex.

Jan 1, 1978

By D. Harrington

For many years the Federal Bureau of Mines-in cooperation with other agencies-has been making investigations and compiling and publishing reports and statistics on accidents in the various branches of the mineral industry.4 Its assistance has been enlisted also in health, safety, and ventilation problems' incident to the driving of many large tunnels in the United States in recent years. As part of this work the Bureau has compiled considerable statistical and other information on accident experience in the tunneling branch of the heavy-construction industry. It has always been difficult to obtain up-to-date information on tunneling methods and tunnel accidents. Published accounts of tun¬nel construction furnish much interesting material of engineering, historical, or fiscal value, but usually little or no attempt is made to discuss and critically analyze the means taken to preserve the health and life of employees.

Jan 1, 1941

By K. P. Wang

The foundation of Japan's growing industrial and economic strength lies primarily in minerals, power, and technical know-how. Domestic raw material resources cannot supply domestic demand, and imports are indispensable. The Japanese are forced to acquire minerals and metals on a global basis, and their activities already have made an impact on international markets. A by-product of these efforts is the development and expansion of mines in many parts of the world to supply Japanese requirements. Japan now has a surplus capacity to produce finished products for consumption and export. Tradition-ally, domestic deficits in minerals have been met by importing crude materials. Because of the rising demand, however, the time has come when semi finished products as well as crude minerals are required. While the domestic market is the mainstay for Japan's industrial products, expanding export markets are essential for balancing trade and for providing economic prosperity and higher living standards for the Japanese people. Japan has a long history of mineral and industrial development, and the best in modern practices abroad has been adopted and modified for use under Japanese conditions of smaller enterprises, cheaper labor, and a more closely knit society. Generations of industrious workmen, technicians, and business-men have been trained in industrial occupations. Devastation of war temporarily slowed progress, but at the same time provided the opportunity for reconstruction, modernization, rationalization, and expansion. The Japanese excel in small and medium-sized operations, but they also have mastered large-scale production. Management is aggressive, practical, and strongly imbued with the concepts of effective utilization of resources. Integrated operations, diversification of facilities, intense competition among concerns in the domestic market, and close cooperation in foreign activities characterize Japanese industrial policies. Available capital has been utilized up to the limit for the establishment of mineral and other industrial facilities at home and abroad. Technology, machinery and equipment, and transport services have been exported along with venture capital, and funds have been advanced against future delivery of foreign raw materials. The Government has been restrained in regulatory functions and has provided technical services to private industry. Thus, Japan's technological foundations are secure, management practices are efficient, and government has stimulated production. The future outlook is bright for the continued rapid growth of mineral and other industries in Japan. Already supreme in Asia in per capita output and living standards, Japan steadily is gaining on the European countries. Steel production has overtaken the United Kingdom and is pressing the level in West Germany. Consumption of fuels and power is expanding at a rapid rate. Construction activities are booming. Japan has built up medium-sized non-ferrous industries. Its ability to produce the exotic metals needed in the nuclear space age is well established. Since Japan makes a great variety of mineral products, her overall posture in mineral extraction and processing is strong. Primarily as a result of intensive efforts in the mineral and other industrial fields, Japan is emerging in world markets as a serious competitor to all industrialized nations.

Jan 1, 1962

By Sara J. Davenport

The human race has been exposed to copper for thousands of years, as copper and gold were the metals first used by man (1). if According to Ramazzini (2), "of all the metals that man's ingenuity has contrived to dig out of the bowels of the earth, iron and copper are the most useful, far more so than silver and gold." Workings of copper in the oldest known copper mine associated with the smelting of this metal have been traced back to 4300 B. C. Facts revealed by archeological research in India, Austria, Hungary, France, Italy, and Spain indicate that the use of copper probably began about 5000 B.C. (3), and that about 4000 B.C. a copper age came intermediate between the stone and bronze ages (4). Copper ores are rather widely distributed and are found in nearly every country. Many of the copper minas of Europe have been worked since before the Roman Empire. The must important mines in Europe occur in the district around Huelva, extending into Spain and Portugal. The German deposits are located mainly about Mansfeld (Rhenish Prussia); they have been worked continuously for 1,000 years. Some of the mines in Africa have been worked by the natives for centuries, and China has produced copper from shallow pits for thousands of years. India also has many ancient mines worked in the early centuries (2).

Jan 1, 1953

By John J. Mulligan

The Bureau of Mines investigated the tin deposits of the Cape Mountain area during July and August 1962 to test the effectiveness of detrital-cover sampling in permafrost areas as a relatively cheap and simple means of guiding mine development and exploration. Results indicate that systematic detrita1-cover sampling can be used effectively to delineate obscure deposits with sufficient accuracy to permit sampling with a minimum of trenching or drilling. Extensions of known outcroppings were traced in sufficient detail to guide lode sampling and several previously unknown tin-bearing lodes were found and sampled. Lode sampling was limited to the minimum needed to establish the reliability of detrital-cover sampling results. The results of previous lode and placer investigations are summarized and detrital-cover sampling methods and results are described in detail.

Jan 1, 1966

Underground coal mine tracked vehicles have been studied to determine the state of the art and how brakes might be added to the coal haulage cars. Specific areas of interest are: brake sys terns, couplers, car trucks and car handling procedures. Problems related to adding brakes to the haulage cars appear to be: the limited amount of room to mount the brakes on the cars, brake line connection between rotary dump cars, achieving desirable braking characteristics without over complicating the system and keeping the installation cost to a reasonable figure. This document combines the information contained in the first issue of the "State-of -the-Art of Underground Coal Mine Tracked Vehicle Brake Systems," BRL Report No. 6080, with that contained in a subsequent monthly report.

Jan 1, 1973

By Llewellyn A. Rubin

ROUTINES AND SUBROUTINES A- 1 Wait Loop (Wait) A- 2 Receiver Processing (RCVP) A- 3 Control Panel Sequence (CPNL) A-4 Interrupt Routine (INTRP) A- 5 Math Processing Routine (PROC) A-6 Input Constants for Math Routine (CONI) A-7 Angle Conversion Routines (LVERT) A- 8 Display Routine (DSPY) A- 9 Message Print Auxillary Routine (MESSO) A-10 Auxillary Subroutines (AFUTC and AGETC)

Jan 1, 1973

By Edward I. Renouard

"THE mineral industry is constantly undergoing changes and facing challenges, and today we are in the midst of another serious one -namely, manpower requirement at every level in the mines, shops and plants. In the not too distant past we had a situation where labour was plentiful, although the equipment, by present-day standards, was quite inadequate, and that's easily understandable when you look back at the primitive methods by which our Western mines were first developed and operated, and then improved by the inventiveness and ingenuity of man.I'd like to show you a few slides from drawings made by Buck O'-Donnell which illustrate some of yesterday's methods of mining. Some of you probably had first-hand experience with some of these so you know they were tedious, time-consuming and involved a lot of heavy labour.Taking the Anaconda Company operations at Butte as an example, we can see what has happened in just the past ten years. In August of 1956, the Butte mines had 5,516 day's-pay employees and 976 salaried employees, for a total payroll of 6,492. In August of this year, there were 3,645 day's-pay employees and 605 on the salaried roll, for a total of 4,250. The number of contract miners had gone from 1,347 in 1956 to 606 in 1966 and that of other underground miners from 2,893 ten years ago to 1,149 this year. Along with these changes, however, another change of special significance has taken place, and that is in the number of skilled craftsmen, surface engineers and so on required for our operations. In 1966, we had 1,890 of these people, 600 more than in 1956 and nearly three times as many as just twenty years ago."

Jan 1, 1967

By Thomas Gales

Longwall mining has a high potential for producing bulk production from a single face. Production is interrupted for a considerable time when it is necessary to move the equipment to a new block of coal. The frequency of such moves can be reduced by increasing the dimension of the block to be moved. Merely doubling the tonnage in a block to be mined may increase production by more than 21,000 tons per year. The time taken to move the equipment can be reduced by careful preplanning, industrial engineering analysis, and specially designed equipment. Reducing its move time from 30 days to five days can increase production by more than 25,000 tons per year. Increasing the panel dimensions and reducing the move time can give an increase in pretax profits of more than $600,000. A comprehensive bibliography is included.

Jan 1, 1977