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This report summarizes the results of a research project entitled "Fatal Accident Data Base Development." This project is the last project under Contract No. S0110601. Volumes I and 1I, "Industrial Engineering Study of Hazards Associated with Underground Coat Mine Production," summarize the original industrial engineering project and the Fatal Accident Report Analysis project. These projects were completed and accepted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines on December 10, 1971. Both volumes of the report have been made available by the Bureau to the public through the U. S. Department of Commerce technical information service. Another project under the same con tract, entitled "Equipment Operations Safety Study, ' was completed in January 1972 and the report was accepted by the U. S. B. M. at that time. The analysis in this Natal Accident. Data Lose Development report is closely related to analysis in both of the earlier reports. The original project involved an industrial engineering and safety of production operations for a representative sample of underground bituminous coal mines. The contactor was required to make recommendations 'in work practices, mining methods, equipment, and safety practices which can effectively reduce the fatality rate from rib and roof falls.' (Longwall mining methods were excluded from the study.) Time study and work element analyses were performed in over 50 mines as part of the field data gathering effort. Another requirement of the study was to develop sets of multiflow. Process charts, which are diagrammatic illustrations of the time-related interaction of mining, cycle job elements.

Jan 1, 1972

By Robert Linton

THE PURCHASE of silver by the United States Government under the provisions of the Pittman Act is practically completed. Producers of silver in this country will now have to market their silver in competition with the rest of the world. It therefore becomes of interest to study such data as are available and endeavor to obtain such suggestions as may be afforded therefrom as to the probable future market position of the metal. Conditions influencing the marketing of silver are numerous and complex. It is a commodity entering. into the arts and manufactures, and therefore influenced by the condition of various lines of business which make use of it; it is currency-being used by all countries for subsidiary coins and even as the founda-tion of the system by a very few; and it serves as a frequent basis for speculation. The various factors involved can easily set up so many cross-currents in the flow of the metal that predictions in regard to the market position of silver can never be safely made, although it may be possible to form some idea of prob-able trends over a sufficiently long period. Of course price is determined, as is the case with all commodities, by the inexorable workings of the law of supply and demand.

Jan 6, 1923

Australian coals tend to be young in geological age and high in ash by world standards; preparation of the coal before marketing is almost universal. On the basis of float and sink data from 39 locations in the Eastern Australian coalfields, the coals are placed in four categories representing increasing difliculty in their washability characteristics. These seem to be related neither to the geological age nor the geographical position of the deposit and Hunter Valley coals, for example, span all categories. The influence of crushing on the washability of Australian coals is briefly considered and from limited data it is concluded to be appreciably smaller than for British or North American coals. A strategy for the float and sink analysis of Australian coals is proposed and the influence of washability characteristics on current trends in the selection of separating processes for coking and steaming products is discussed.

Jan 1, 1979

By Herbert Clark Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover

As stated in the preface, the nomenclature to be adopted for weights and measures has presented great difficulty. Agricola uses, throughout, the Roman and the Romanized Greek scales, but in many cases he uses these terms merely as lingual equivalents for the .German quantities of his day. Moreover the classic language sometimes failed him, whereupon he coined new Latin terms adapted from the Roman scale, and thus added further confusion. We can, perhaps, make the matter dearer by an illustration of a case in weights. The Roman centumpondium, composed of zoo librae, the old German ceniner of 100 pfundt, and the English hundredweight of 1112 pounds can be called lingual equivalents. The first weighs about 494,600 Troy grains, the second 721,900, and the third 784,000. While the divisions of the centumpondium and the centner are the same, the Libra is divided into 12 unciae and the pfundt into 16 unizen, and in most places a summation of the units given proves that the author had in mind the Roman ratios. However, on p. 509 he makes the direct statement that the centumpondium weighs 146 librae, which would be about the correct weight if the centumpondium referred to was a ceniner. If we take an example such as " each centumpondium of lead contains one uncia of silver", and reduce it according to purely lingual equivalents, we should find that it runs 24.3 Troy ounces per short ton, on the basis of Roman values, and 18.25 ounces per short ton, on the basis of old German. If we were to translate these into English lingual equivalents of one ounce per hundredweight, then the value would be 17.9 ounces per short ton. [ ]

Jan 1, 1950

By Richard P. Sheldon

In the last several decades, techniques of data collection have been rapidly evolving. Automated spectroscopic techniques in the chemical analysis of rocks for example have advanced to the point that we can analyze samples faster than we can grind them. Remote sensors of LANDSAT give us intensity measurements in four color bands of every acre of the U.S. every 19 days. Common depth point seismic instrumentation systems used at sea for surveying and networks of seismometers arrayed around the country for earthquake studies likewise are generating vast amounts of data. These along with many other earth science data generating systems have caused a veritable data explosion. How do we deal with these enormous amounts of geologic data presently being produced as well as those produced in the past, and to be produced in the future? There is an immediate need to acquire and utilize past and present basic data in order to address today's national earth science problems. Also data being collected and stored now must be compatible with future data in order for us to be able to undertake the wide spectrum of analysis that must be made in the future. This is a big order! In order to organize and to be able to analyze these data, the USGS has embarked on a wide ranging program of compatible data base construction and the development of computer technology, based on interactive computing, to facilitate resource assessments and analyses. These activities are analogous to two sides of a coin. One side deals with the logic, philosophy, and mechanics of information storage and retrieval; and the other side deals with the sensible application of computer technology to the treatment of data. These

Jan 1, 1977

By Fathi Habashi

While it is commonly known that the precious metals and to some extent copper occur in the native state, it is less known that mercury, iron, nickel, and cobalt do occur also in the native state; the last three (Fe, Ni, and Co) usually occur together in form of an alloy. The particle size varies greatly from less than 10 microns (gold and mercury) to about 400 tons boulders (copper).

Jan 1, 1993

By G. J. Hasenfus

There are no known published methods of estimating the degradation of coal measure rocks by water that are simple and efficient, yet still provide a quantitative, meaningful value for assessing the stability of coal mine floor, roof, and rib. The slake durability test, the standard index method for estimating the durability of rock subject to wetting, can provide misleading results for floor stability assessment. Additionally, slake durability testing is time consuming and requires specialty equipment. Methods based on humidity cycling have been demonstrated to be very effective for assessing coal mine roof, but require specialty equipment and do not address floor stability concerns. Visual observation techniques, such as that developed for the Coal Mine Roof Rating (CMRR) method, adequately qualify rock degradation, but lack quantitative rigor. This paper will describe an alternative method, coined the water sensitivity test, originally developed for floor stability analyses, but also found applicable for roof and rib stability assessment. The test was developed by CONSOL in the early 1990's, and in its current form, has been in use for approximately twelve years. The method is based on the basic slake durability principle of measuring the mass of the rock retained on a screen after submersion in water. The new test employs two screens of different sizes, and also uses modified submersion, drying, and data processing procedures. The method is relatively efficient and can be geared toward batched testing. As with the slake durability test, the resulting index value provides a quantitative measure of the susceptibility of rock to water degradation. In addition to discussing the test method and its development, this paper provides a comparison of results with those fiom standard slake durability tests, and tabulated results for various types of coal measure rocks. Examples of the technique's utility are provided, including assessment of longwall and development floor conditions, roof and rib rock weathering and stability, and drum-bit cutability.

Jan 1, 2005

By AIME AIME

AT the annual .meeting of the Minnesota Section in December, Dr. Leith characterized as a question still open the exact method of origin of Lake Superior iron ores and emphasized it as an important practical problem for the future. He welcomed the step taken last year by Dr. Gruner in presenting a new hypothesis, and asked Lake Superior geologists to meet the challenge of such multiple hypotheses by unbiased, study.

Jan 1, 1932

By AIME AIME

L H. DUSCHAK gave an interesting talk at a recent meeting of the. San Francisco Section, based -011 experimental work with a variety of ores at the laborator of the Treadwell-Yukon Co., in Berkeley, Cal. He was of the opinion that the customary "cut and try" method of flotation testing was still in evidence and that the flotation process was more of an art than an exact science. Propounded theories have enabled investigators to' classify reagents as well as to suggest new ideas both in the metallic and nonmetallic fields, but the application of theory has riot as yet been able to solve many of the unknown factors in operation.

Jan 1, 1932

By M. N. Shetty, A. C. D. Chaklader

RECENTLY, it has been demonstrated that a considerable densification and interparticle bonding can be achieved if a pressure is applied to a powder compact while the material of the compact is undergoing either a decomposition reaction' or a polymorphic transformation.' The term "reactive hot pressing" has been coined to identify this process in which a phase change is combined with pressure to achieve interparticle bonding. This process is based on a principle which postulates that there is an enhanced reactivity and mobility of the molecular species at the phase-transformation temperature and this effect is utilized for interparticle bonding in powder compacts. This note summarizes the results obtained in an attempt to utilize this technique to produce ceramic-metal composites. In this case, a decomposition reaction of a compound (which after decomposition yielded an oxide) was used to achieve interparticle bonding in ceramic-metal composites. The reactive hot pressing was carried out in a Phillips induction heating unit, using either a graphite or a high-temperature steel die which functioned as both the susceptor and the hot-pressing component. The die was heated to the desired temperature in a helium atmosphere. All cermets produced by this technique were based on alumina as the ceramic phase. Different metal phases such as iron, copper, and chromium were used to study the effect of varying the metal phase on the properties of the composite. a Mono-hydrate (Boehmite) was mixed with different proportions of metal powders (-325 mesh) in dry condition in a mortar and pestle. No special precautions were taken for proper mixing. The mixtures were then compacted into a cylindrical form having an approximate dimension of 1 cm in diameter and 1 cm in height. For this compaction an ordinary

Jan 1, 1965

By David G. Dixon, Maziar Eghbalnia

"Gold and silver nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited on pyrite at ambient temperature from colloidal solutions prepared by reduction of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate or silver nitrate by sodium sulfide or sodium tetrahydridoborate. The nanoparticles were characterized using Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and the experimental spectra were fitted using Mie - Gans modeling. The modified pyrite was investigated using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Electrodes were prepared from both natural and modified pyrite samples and were modeled using an equivalent circuit (EC) based on the EIS data. The comparison of the results revealed a decrease in charge transfer resistance for the ferric ferrous redox couple associated with the modified pyrite. From this behavior it is concluded that the electronic transport between the nanoparticles and the electrode surface over distances in nanometer scale is enhanced. Nanoparticles below a certain size act as quantum dots due to electronic confmement. Decreased charged transfer resistance at the nanometer scale may be caused by electron transport through tunneling mechanism via quantum dots.IntroductionIn recent years, considerable attention has been focused on the synthesis and study of Metal nanoparticles due to their potential applications in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, material science and their interdisciplinary fields[!]. When material is nano-sized, the physical properties deviate markedly from those of bulk material, however, this effect is highly dependent on the particle size, interparticle distance, and morphology of the nanoparticles [2].An extremely small region of space defmed in a semiconductor material in order of nanometers is called a quantum dot, a term coined by Reed [3]. The three dimensional confinement of quantum dots can change properties of the excitons in comparison to free excitons in a bulk material [4]. Nanoparticles behave electronically as zero-dimensional (restricted in all three dimensions) quantum dots when the de Broglie wavelength of the valence electrons and the particle are in the same size range.As Reed [3] explains electrons confined in a plane have no freedom to move the third dimension. Those confined in a quantum wire are only free to move in one dimension, and those confined in a quantum dot are not free in to move in any dimension. An electron inside a cube of material IO nm on a side is confined to a point."

Jan 1, 2012

By Harry T. Hamilton

THE genial assistant to the president of the New York Trust Co. is the latest addition to the Institute's board of directors, having been elected at the March meeting of the hoard to fill the unexpired term of the late E. E. Ellis. Usually when a banker is appointed to the board of a company the reason is obvious; the difference in this case is that the New York Trust Co. has some of the Institute's money, instead of vice versa. But Harry Hamilton is not really a banker-at least not primarily. Frefluently big financial institutions have a good mining engineer on their staffs to keep them from financing too many "cats and dogs." At any rate Mr. Hamilton gave up his consulting practice in San Francisco back in 1927, to accept his present position in New York. Until then, from the time he graduated from Yale in 1904, lie was constantly engaged in mining operations of one kind or another in the West and in Mexico. His first job was at Christmas, Ariz., where lie did "sampling and miscellaneous work" for the Saddle Mountain Mining Co. The writer tramped up to, all over, and through that property one hog day many years later, when it was run by the Christmas Mining Co., and carp assure the reader that without doubt the young Yale graduate got some good experience and was well broken in. From there Mr. Hamilton went to Cananea for a time, and then to the Copper Queen, at Bisbee, where he was a valued member of the rigging gang. An assignment of assaying and sampling for the Shan¬non Copper Co. at Metcalf lasted for a few months and then he accepted a job for a year with the geological department

Jan 1, 1936

Discussion of the paper of Robert H. Richards, presented at the Butte meeting, August, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 81, September, 1913, pp. 2299 to 2303. C. D. DEMOND, Anaconda, Mont. (communication to the Secretary*) :-Any one who has observed the increased efficiency of the Wilfley tables in a mill when fed from a reasonably good hydraulic classifier, as compared with tables fed from a spitzkasten., which is a very poor classifier, will agree to the advantage of ? better classification." It must be gratifying to Dr. Richards to know that, directly or indirectly, maim mill men are responding to his persistent advocacy of correct principles of ore dressing and are accepting the results of his investigations. As he says, these principles mean much for both the conservation of resources and the profit of operators. When Dr. Richards gives us accurate figures as to the maximum size of free mineral grains in the tailings of the Wilfley table and of the vanner, they will be of a good deal of practical value in delimiting the proper fields for the Wilfley, the vanner, and the round table. He has coined the terms ? free settling" and "hindered settling."' The series may be completed by adding "crowded settling," the main principle of action on both the vanner and the Wilfley table, which is the principle of separation in a mass of grains crowded as closely together as they can be and yet continue free to move between one another; and the occurrence of larger mineral particles in the Wilfley tailing than in that from the vanner is apparently caused by the more violent agitation, due chiefly to the purposely sudden reversal of the stroke. It seems likely that the agitation caused by the wash water dropping directly upon the concentrate on the vanner is more harmful than that due to the shake. For the very finest material that can be concentrated by usual methods, the round table is superior to the vanner because it does not, have even, the gentle agitation of the latter. The action on round tables is, not crowded settling," but "film sizing," 2 but agitation is harmful in the latter action. George Gates proved this harm 20 years ago : in slaking the first successful large-scale application of canvas tables in California gold mills he abandoned all shaking motion, although he had patented canvas tables to which such motion was applied.

Jan 11, 1913

By J. E. Johnson

Discussion of the paper of Prof. Henry M. Howe, presented in abstract by Bradley Stoughton at the Cleveland meeting, October, 1912, and printed in Bulletin No. 71, November, 1912, pp. 1181 to 1227. J. E. JOHNSON, JR., Ashland, Wis. :-This material is largely beyond the understanding of most of us practical men, but there are certain portions of that diagram that are of enormous importance. We have been conducting a, very extensive investigation of the quality of charcoal-iron and of all iron, and we have found that this eutectic point here (indicating on chart) is a sort of balance point between the good irons and the bad ones, and I have some slides to show what practical results we have found depending on this point here on the d diagram; and it would be a mistake for men who were -concerned with operation and were getting practical results, to think that these things are of no importance. They are exceedingly hard to understand, and I confess that a great deal of them is beyond me, but there is no doubt that the quality of iron depends to an enormous extent on the location of the carbon content of the iron to the right and left of this point, and the position of that point is dependent upon the silicon, and I wish to make a plea to the practical and operating members of the Institute not to disregard this material on account of its being highly scientific, because I hope to show later that there are matters of the highest practical importance that depend directly upon certain portions of this diagram. HENRY D. HIBBARD, Plainfield, N. J. :-T understand that washed metal, which, is practically pure iron and carbon, does not solidify at one instant, is cast-iron does, but passes through a mushy stage. That has been an enigma as to how and why it did so, and possibly some light might be thrown on it in this connection. BRADLEY STOUGHTON, New York, N. Y.:-If Wittorff's propositions are accepted, washed metal containing more than 4.1 per cent. of carbon would begin to solidify as liquid plus Fe4C

Dec 1, 1912

THERE are three objectives in translation of works of this character : to give a faithful, literal translation of the author's statements ; to give these in a manner which will interest the reader ; and to preserve, so far as is possible, the style of the original text. The task has been doubly difficult in this work because, in using Latin, the author availed himself of a medium which had ceased to expand a thousand years before his subject had in many particulars come into being ; in consequence he was in difficulties with a large number of ideas for which there were no corresponding words in the vocabulary at his command, and instead of adopting into the text his native German terms, he coined several hundred Latin expressions to answer his needs. It is upon this rock that most former attempts at translation have been wrecked. Except for a very small number, we believe we have been able to discover the intended meaning of such expressions from a study of the context, assisted by a very incomplete glossary prepared by the author himself, and by an exhaustive investigation into the literature of these subjects during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. That discovery in this particular has been only gradual and obtained after much labour, may be indicated by the fact that the entire text has been re-typewritten three times since the original, and some parts more often ; and further, that the printer's proof has been thrice revised. We have found some English equivalent, more or less satisfactory, for practically all such terms, except those of weights, the varieties of veins, and a few minerals. In the matter of weights we have introduced the original Latin, because it is impossible to give true equivalents and avoid the fractions of reduction ; and further, as explained in the Appendix on Weights it is impossible to say in many cases what scale the Author had in mind. The English nomenclature to be adopted has given great difficulty, for various reasons ; among them, that many methods and processes described have never been practised in English-speaking mining communities, and so had no representatives in our vocabulary, and we considered the introduction of German terms undesirable ; other methods and processes have become obsolete and their descriptive terms with them, yet we wished to avoid the introduction of obsolete or unusual English ; but of the greatest importance of all has been the necessity to avoid rigorously such modern technical terms as would imply a greater scientific understanding than the period possessed. Agricola's Latin, while mostly free from mediaeval corruption, is somewhat tainted with German construction. Moreover some portions have not

Jan 1, 1950

By Frederic P. Dewey

(New York Meeting, February, 1912.) By the old method of determining platinum in ores and bullion, the silver-alloy first obtained in the regular course of assay is parted in strong sulphuric acid and the residual metal weighed. This is re-alloyed with silver by a second cupellation and parted in nitric acid, the residual metal being again weighed. Any difference shown between the two weighings is assumed to be, and is called; platinum. Sometimes it is so, and if any considerable amount of platinum be present, there will be a decided difference between the two weighings; but a slight difference is no real evidence whatever of the presence of platinum. On the other hand, the second weight may equal or possibly exceed the first, even when traces of platinum are present. Again, other members of the platinum group may go into solution in nitric acid more or less. If present, these would be called platinum and escape detection. The method does not provide any direct tests whatever as to the presence or absence of platinum. It is often indecisive, and sometimes jives erroneous results. It is, therefore, quite unsatisfactory. Being called upon many times to determine platinum in a wide variety of materials, particularly when present in very small amounts, I have realized the disadvantages and defects of this old method. In an article on the solubility of gold in nitric acid, 1 I have briefly outlined a method of gathering a little gold out of a solution containing much silver, which furnishes the basis of

Apr 1, 1912

The complex organic chemicals in coal differ from those in petroleum mainly by the ratio of carbon atoms to hydrogen atoms; this ratio is about 2 for coal and 1 for petroleum. By changing the ratio, coal can be converted into compounds similar to those found in petroleum. In. very simplified form, omitting here the special conditions required, the paths by which this can be done are: [ ] Part or all of the coal is first gasified by reaction with steam and oxygen, either in a gasifier or while the coal is still in place underground. The resulting gas is mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide, with impurities that .must be removed before further processing by one of the following routes.

Jan 1, 1959

By Arcy, D&apos Banister

The productive potential of the Nation's principal active and inactive silver mining districts has been evaluated, using 1964 economic conditions and assumed silver prices ranging up to $3 per ounce. On this basis, the United States has an estimated 5 billion ounces of unmined silver, excluding minor byproduct silver in gold deposits. Approximately 3.5 billion ounces are contained in deposits requiring higher silver prices to be economically minable, and about 1.3 billion ounces are in currently operating mines. An analysis of silver consumption trends since 1954 indicates that the free world industrial market will climb to nearly 800 million ounces annually by 1985. U.S. industrial silver consumption has been projected to increase at an annual rate of 4 percent from 1965 to 1985. Average annual increase for the remainder of the free world has been 8.1 percent since 1953; this is expected to level off with an estimated average increase of 5 percent to 1975 and 4 percent from 1976 to 1985. Foreign silver production has, in the past, exceeded consumption, but in 1960 the supply deficit was over 100 million ounces. U.S. production, also traditionally exceeding demand, was suddenly overtaken at the start of World War II. By 1964 the annual deficit, excluding coinage, was over 84 million ounces. World coinage requirements of silver are fast declining and expected to total only 25 million ounces annually by 1985. In fact, coins are already becoming major short-term source of silver to fill the large deficit between industrial demand and current production. The larger, long-term deficit (to 1985, the limit of this study) must be balanced by silver from the hoards and new production from silver deposits. Eventually all of the deficit must be met by new production or silver prices will rise until consumption is greatly curtailed. To balance free world supply and demand, it is estimated that the free world must produce an additional 85 million ounces by 1975 and 375 million ounces by 1985. The estimated proportion expected from U.S. deposits is 17 million ounces by 1975 and 74 million ounces by 1985.

Jan 1, 1969

By Bradford F. Townsend, Matthew E. Fowler, Michael F. Smithson, Lawrence R. Eckert

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Information contained in this work has been obtained by SME, Inc. from sources believed to be reliable. However, neither SME nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein, and neither SME nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of use of this information. This work is published with the understanding that SME and its authors are supplying information but are not attempting to render engineering or other professional services. If such services are required, the assistance of an appropriate professional should be sought. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any statement or views presented here are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of SME. The mention of trade names for commercial products does not imply the approval or endorsement of SME.

Dec 1, 2010

By Edward A. Metz, R. Larry Grayson, Douglas F. Scott

We describe inconsistencies in disease and illness reporting in U.S. mining, identify under-reporting of disease and illness in U.S. mining, and summarize selected disease and illness in U.S. mining from 1983 through 2001. Methods: We summarized information on mining-related disease and illness data for the years 1983-2001 from the Mining Safety and Health Administration database (MSHA). Results: Discrepancies exist in types of information collected by the Centers for Disease and Control, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Mining Safety and Health Admin¬istration database. Several factors, including a worker's fear of losing his or her job, health insurance, or other job-related benefits contribute to under-reporting of disease and illness information in the US mining industry. Conclusions: Since 1997, both number of workers employed in mining and disease and illness rates have decreased; however, the highest disease and illness rates in mining continue to be coal worker's pneumoconiosis and hearing loss.