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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 D. S. Colby

The productive capacity of natural-gasoline and cycle plants in the United States as of January 1, 1952 was 811,596 barrels per day, an increase of 163,691 barrels per day since the last survey on January 1, 1950. The rate of growth during these 2 years has been 12 percent per year s only slightly below the maximum rate, recorded from 1948-50. This survey, for the first time, presents capacity data on a barrel rather than a gallon basis. Also, for the first time, a break-down of capacity by products has been obtained. The combined LP-gas producing capacity of plants and fractionators equaled 382,790 barrels per day, 47 percent of the total industry capacity tor all products. During January 1952, LP-gas and natural gasoline and other products were each produced at the rate of 76 percent of the January 1 capacity.

Jan 1, 1952

Recommendations from 44 mining industry workshops are summarized and reviewed in the context of Bureau of Mines research and development programs on-going during the period 1974-1977. Approximately 1,000 specific recommendations for research and development are summarized in a systematic and comprehensive format appropriate for review by mining research and development program managers. Relevant Bureau of Mines research programs are briefly described and some opportunities for future research and development are identified.

Jan 1, 1979

By Lowell B. Moon

Concern over possible wartime shortages finally resulted in passage of the Strategic Materials Act in 1939. As authorized by one section of this legislation, the Bureau of Mines proceeded to investigate deposits of seven strategic minerals with the objective of developing tonnages of low-grade material that could be mined in an emergency. During the war, the size of the program and the number of strategic minerals were increased, and the objective was the more immediate one of aiding production. Since the war, the size of the program has been reduced, but the number of minerals on the strategic list continues to be large. The objective has returned to that of 1939. In the course of the program, more than 10,000 examinations were made and about 1,300 projects were run on deposits of 33 different commodities. A considerable contribution to war production was made in six of the commodities investigated, and a minor contribution was made in twelve others. Substantial reserves have been indicated in 19 minerals. Private interest is currently active in some of the deposits developed in 14 commodities.

Jan 1, 1950

By Noel N. Moebs

The Bureau of Mines studied the feasibility of water diversion and overburden dewatering for underground coal mines in the Appalachian region. All relevant published literature pertaining to the occurrence and control of surface and ground water in underground coal mines was reviewed, and the impacts of mine water with respect to health and safety, production, environment, and costs were assessed and are described in this report. The report also identifies the sources of water inflow into underground coal mines, and gives a summary description and evaluation of techniques that can be used to reduce the amount of water entering these mines. Engineering practices currently used by operating coal mines in the Appalachian region to prevent the movement of ground and surface water into active coal workings were reviewed and are summarized. Major emphasis has been placed on the identification of geologic and hydrologic conditions of the site, the water control methods used, and an evaluation of their technical and cost effectiveness.

Jan 1, 1985

By A. P. Grossman

'This report was prepared by Shell Oil Company, Mining Ventures Department in accordance with Cooperative Agreement No. 14-09-0070-b53 dated September 10, 1976, between the United States of America, Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines and C(b) Shale Oil I Project, Ashland Oil Inc., Shell Oil Company, Operator. After completion of this report the Shell Oil Company withdrew from participation In the C(b) Shale Oil Project and advised the Bureau of Minus that plans for publication of this report had also been withdrawn. The Bureau of Mines acting under terms of the Cooperative Agreement hereby releases this report for general information.

Jan 1, 1976

By R. R. Lowery

An analysis of three 1-1/4-diam manufactured wire ropes of 6x19 classification was done to identify and describe reference conditions of new rope. Reference condition is of value when examining tested or retired ropes. Measurements of strand and rope pitch and of wire and rope diameter confirmed adherence of all ropes to those construction specifications. Mechanical properties of strength and ductility were determined by accepted methods for the ropes and wires from the ropes. Individual wires from one rope failed to meet minimum wire ductility values. Wire chemical composition varied in average carbon levels, from 0.70 to 0.78 wt pct, and in manganese content, from 0.45 to 0.80 wt pct. One manufacturer's product contained 1 to 3 wt pct Ni and Cr. Heavily wrought pearlitic steel microstructures were porous and contained inclusions. Cold work variations were evidenced by wrought grain width. Recorded anomalies reflected the condition of the manu-factured products. The report provides data that compare the three wire ropes studied, but cannot verify the effects that these conditions or anomalies have on rope service life.

Jan 1, 1983

By Gene R. Reid

The contract objective is the development and in mine testing of an Automatic Fire Control System (AFCS) for mobile underground metal mining equipment. The effort described by this report covers the period from June 21,1975 through June 30,1976 and accomplished the following tasks: ? Preparation of Data Handling Plan and data acquisition which included visits to twenty mine sites in eleven states, visits to Bureau and MESA facilities, and a literature survey. ? Data analysis which determined the most hazardous type of vehicle for use in the demonstration, and design requirements for the AFCS, ? Development of recommended design concepts for the AFCS. ? Design and development of the AFCS including tests on a full-scale mock-up of a load-haul-dump (LHD) vehicle. ? Underground fire tests on an ST-2B-LHD vehicle at the Hecla Lakeshore mine Casa Grande, Arizona.

Jan 1, 1976

By R. L. Rough

The Bureau of Mines analyzed rotary-coring-operations data to compare mud and air as coring mediums, and to compare core recoveries, penetration rates, and cost data for the respective mediums as part of an investigation of the susceptibility to secondary-recovery techniques of petroleum reservoirs in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. This report describes the rotary-diamond coring equipment and operations employed while coring 20 wells--10 cored using mud, and 10 cored using air. Data relevant to the draw works, rotary-table power, drill pipe, drill collars, core barrel, core head, mud pumps, or air compressors are tabulated. Average bit weight and rotary speed, core recovery, and penetration rates are listed for each formation cored. In general, core recoveries were better from the mud-cored wells, whereas penetration rates were faster for the air-cored wells. Coring costs were about the same for single-formation wells cored with either mud or air; however, costs increased considerably when multiple-formation wells were cored with air.

Jan 1, 1969

This report presents production and delivered costs for coal exports from the five major Western coal-exporting countries: Australia, Canada. Colombia, South Africa, and the United States. Cost data were compiled from visits to 43 mines by U.S. Bureau of Mines engineers between 1985 and 1990. All report costs are in January 1989 U.S. dollars per short ton. Production costs for raw coal are divided into mining and regulatory categories. Costs are broken down by type of cost, type of mine. and country. Scheduled operating and capital costs for raw coal were processed by the Bureau's MINSIM discounted cash flow program to determine total production costs calculated at 0% and 15% discounted cash flow rates of return (DCFROR). Delivered costs are for salable coal delivered to various markets. Costs are broken down by supply country, market, and type of cost. Scheduled operating and capital costs for salable coal were processed by the Bureau's MINSIM discounted cash-flow program to determine total salable coal costs at 0% DCFROR. Added to total salable coal costs were transportation and port costs to get delivered costs. Comparative overview information on the coal industries of the five study countries are appended. This appendix includes information on industry economics and exports, production and reserves, and coal industry issues.

Jan 1, 1993

By Thomas C. Atchison

The purpose of this Bureau of Mines investigation was to measure the amplitude and shape of the strain pulse and the size of the crushed zone produced in a granite by different explosives and to determine how these quantities are related to the detonation properties of the explosives. The reflection theory of rock breakage has shown that the amplitude and shape of the strain pulse incident at a free surface determine the fragmentation and volume of rock broken. Determination of the properties of an explosive that control the characteristics of the strain pulse produced in the rock will help in evaluating explosives for use in blasting. The investigation showed the different explosives produced a twofold variation in the amplitude of the strain pulse but little variation in the shape of the pulse. The explosives also produced a twofold variation in the volume of the crushed zone, but differences among the explosives were more accurately determined by strain-amplitude measurements than by crushed-zone measurements. The peak amplitude of the strain pulse and the volume of the crushed zone correlated with the calculated detonation pressure of the explosive.

Jan 1, 1959

By O. S. North

As recently as the late 1920's there Were few indications that a 15-million-dollar-a-year industry would ever grow out of the mineralogic curiosity vermiculite. Today, it is an important industrial commodity, used primarily as an insulating material and lightweight aggregate, but with a wide range of other applications. The quantity of crude vermiculite produced and used in the United States increased 14-fold in the 17 years between 1935 and 1951. The vermiculite minerals are of secondary origin, formed by hydrothermal alteration of an ultrabasic igneous rock, generally pyroxenite, or by alteration of phlogopite or biotite mica or possibly other similar minerals. According to different authorities, vermiculite may originate either by direct hydrothermel means, by the weathering of biotite or phlogopite, or by a combination of these two agencies. Vermiculites frequently occur at or near the contacts of an acid intrusive rock, especially a pegmatite dike, with a basic or ultrabasic country rock.

Jan 1, 1953

By R. S. Fowkes

The degree and manner of packing of bulk materials influences all phases of their loading, such as by a front end loader or a dragline, and their mechanics of flow, such as through a binhopper or an ore pass. The most important quantity in analyzing the handling of a bulk material is its shear strength which depends primarily on the same parameters as those that determine the packing state. Some of these are size, size distribution, moisture content, particle shape, particle orientation, and cohesion. The variables that affect the packing state arc vibration, pressure, intensity of deposition, velocity of deposition, and, when the material is confined, container used. The analysis of packing by a number of investigators has been done almost entirely with spherical particles. Most of these studies have dealt with monosized spheres. There is scant information on particles with angular shapes. Since most of the investigations by far have been concerned with ceramics and powder metallurgy, the particle sizes and ranges of size distribution have been small compared to those generally found in mining after fragmentation.

Jan 1, 1974

By E. C. Lane

[This Is the ninth in a series of reports on properties of commercial motor fuels, made in accordance with a cooperative agreement between the Cooperative Fuel Research (C.F.R.) Committee and the Bureau of Mines of the United States Department of the interior. The first report gave data on motor gasoline sold during the winter of 1935-36.3/ The Present report presents analytical data for 2,033 samples, representing the products of approximately 80 companies, which, as in previous surveys, include both large and small suppliers. In addition, the Pacific coast is represented by data that were average by the Pacific Coast Technical Group before 'being submitted and are published exactly as they were received. As in previous surveys, the data are divided into the three groups of samples of regular-price, premium-price, and third-grade gasolines, and each group has been averaged separately. The cumber of samples, items, and brands comprising each group, exclusive of those of the Pacific coast, arc as follows: Regular price, 1,066 samples, 208 items, and 49 brands; premium price, 575 tamales, 154 items, and 38 brands; third-grade gasoline, 7;4 samples, 150 items, and 53 brands. The meanings of these terms as used in the surveys tar as follows: Sample: The individual supply of gasoline obtained at the filling station and analysed in the laboratory.]

Jan 1, 1940

By D. H. Desy

The Bureau of Mines studied the properties of copper that had been oxide dispersion-strengthened with 2 vol pct of either yttria or alumina. Compounds of copper and aluminum or yttrium, coprecipitated from aqueous solution, were converted to oxides; the copper was reduced, compacted, sintered, and extruded. For the resulting copper-dispersoid composites, room temperature tensile properties after annealing in hydrogen, elevated temperature tensile and stress-rupture properties, and electrical conductivity were determined. Compared with oxygen-free copper, copper-2 vol pct alumina or yttria had improved strength after annealing between 400° and 1,000° C, and improved elevated temperature strength, with little loss in electrical conductivity.

Jan 1, 1969

By Carl R. Peterson

Development of reliable, portable, low headroom, hard rock crushers would improve the efficiency of most currently operated conveyor systems and make it possible to bring conveyor haulage closer to the face, thus eliminating expensive rock rehandling procedures. A crusher that could be easily moved would permit the more widespread use of lower cost haulage systems, such as conveyors, to transport the ore out of the mine. Such crushers would be installed close to the working areas, resulting in an optium haul from the face to the dump location. A recent contract study by Rapidex, Inc., "Application Study of Portable Underground Hard Pock Crusher" (USBM Contract No. J0265006) provides a survey of industry needs in portable underground crushing, together with conclusions and concepts as to specifications and type of crusher required to serve the greatest number of operations. To fill this need a three phase program has been undertaken by the Bureau of Mines: Phase I - Design: Phase II - Construction and Testing, and Phase III - Production Underground Test. This report covers Phase I only, and includes the complete engineering design and specifications of the Rapidex Rotary Jaw Crusher conceived in the earlier "Applications Study". Also included are the design, construction, and testing of a quarter-scale functional model, utilizing three different types of rock and two different crusher feeder systems.

Jan 1, 1978

By Jeffrey Y. Foley

In 1980, the Bureau of Mines investigated the northern Darby Mountains on the Seward Peninsula, AK, for radioactive mineral deposits. Uranium is concentrated in silicified shear zones in biotite quartz monzonite of the Darby pluton. The shear zones are best exposed in steep, narrow, avalanche gullies; they are characterized by radiometric anomalies and by uranium and thorium geochemical anomalies. Radiometric and geochemical anomalies are also found over altered biotite quartz monzonite where there are no visible shear zones. The radiometric and uranium anomalies are often spatially, but apparently not genetically, associated with alkaline mafic and felsic dikes. Similar geochemical and radiometric anomalies over discolored altered zones and geochemical anomalies in sediments downstream from the altered zones indicate that additional areas may also be favorable targets for uranium deposits. Analyses of panned, heavy mineral concentrates show no significant concentrations of uranium or thorium in resistant heavy minerals. This indicates that radioactive elements in the Darby pluton are concentrated in soluble, nonresistant minerals that may constitute a recoverable uranium resource.

Jan 1, 1986

By C. H. Fisher

[Many methods of analyzing tar oils for their tar acid and base content have bun employed in connection with both academic and. industrial investigations. Most of these analytical procedures are based on the diminution in volume caused by extraction with alkali and mineral acids (contraction method), although other methods haves been employed.4/ In many instances the adoption of an analytical method was not preceded by adequate study, and, as a consequence, the literature, on this subject is conspicuous for its contradictory claims and recommendations. It has bin shown in the, case of certain synthetic solutions5/ that large errors may result if the analysis is carried out by simple extraction with alkali and mineral acids.]

Jan 1, 1936

By C. H. Fisher

[Mxny methnhs of ,analyzing tpr oils fnr thoir tar acid ~nd base cnntent hava boon employL~d in connection mith both ac~d,.mic and. industrial investigs- tions. Mnst of thznu nnalyticel proc?durn~s aro bpsed nn th; diminution in volums caused by extract lon sit5 alkali 5 minL+ra,l acids (cantrsction rn,>thod) , although othrr mr~thrids havu &apos;sL<on ?q~lnglt 8 . In many instmccs th-: donti ti on of RT~ m~lytic~l m ithod was not ;r.:c ~d~d by ~d.jqunt9 study, and, ns 3 cone+ qucnce, tha lit .,ratur ? on thls sub,jr:.ct is consoScuous for its cnntr~dictnry . claims and rocnmmondatinna.. 1.t tiR.s b9~n shoyn in th;, cnsn of c.lrtn.in synth?tic solut innsfi/ thnt larg~ jr-orn sny rcsult if th2 ,mnlysis is c~rri~d out by sim~la extraction wi.th alidi r.nd min 3rd ncids.]

Jan 1, 1937

By Arno C. Fieldner

The determination and publication of data o the chemical and physical properties of American coals have been primary functions of the Bureau of Mines since its creation in 1910. In recent years this program has been expanded to meet increasing needs for information on the suitability of coals for the production of coke, gas, and byproducts, and within the last year an experimental coal-hydrogenation plant has been completed. With this addition, the Bureau is able to cover every phase of coal utilization, including combustion, carbonization, liquefaction, and complete gasification. The need for this information is increasing not only to meet the requirements of consumers but also to give the data required to establish the classification and minimum selling price of coal by the National Bituminous Coal Commission.

Jan 1, 1938