Search Documents

By Oliver Bowles

The Bureau of Mines issued three Information Circulars on marble many years ago (5), (6), (7).2/ They have long been out of print; furthermore, conditions have changed considerably in the industry in succeeding years. A presentation of current data is therefore desirable. This report furnishes general information on marble, including its properties, distribution of domestic and foreign deposits, methods and equipment used in quarrying and milling, economic and marketing problems, and recent advances in marble technology. INTRODUCTION Most marbles are crystallized limestone. The term "marble" is derived from a Greek word meaning to sparkle or flash, because the calcite crystals in marble sparkle as they reflect light. The word "marble" is employed frequently to mean a small ball used in the game of marbles with which nearly every child is familiar. Although the little spheres were originally of marble, few of those made in recent years contain that material; nevertheless, the expression "playing marbles" has persisted.

Jan 1, 1958

By John P. Gooch

The solubility of 1,1,2,2-tetrabromoethane (TBE) in water was determined from 1.0° to 97.0° C. The solubility (S) of TBE in grams of solute per 100 grams water was correlated with [S = 1,920.55 [exp (40292L7 11, T2 10 T 737.577 + 9.923962 ] where T is in degrees Kelvin. A thermodynamic analysis conducted on a system consisting of a TBE phase and a water phase in equilibrium with a vapor phase led to the calculation of the activity coefficient, vapor-liquid equilibrium distribution coefficient, relative volatility, and heat of mixing for saturated solutions of TBE in water. Data required for these calculations were the solubility of TBE in water and the vapor pressures of TBE and water as a function of temperature.

Jan 1, 1972

By George A. Bell

This paper reviewing the leaching practice of the New Cornelia mines of the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co. at Ajo, Ariz., is the first of a series being prepared by the Bureau of Mines on leaching methods and costs in the various mining districts. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author acknowledges the assistance of T. G. Chapman, consulting engineer, and E. D. Gardner, supervising engineer of the Southwest Experiment Station, Bureau of Mines, Tucson, Ariz.

Jan 1, 1930

By Robert W. Geehan

The Bureau of Mines developed, by core drilling, the property of Nevada Scheelite, Inc., from October 5, 1943, to February 24, 1944. Claims of the corporation are near Rawhide in the northern portion of Mineral County, Nev. The purpose of the work was to determine possible reserves in the lateral and vertical extensions of a tactite zone which was being mined for scheelite. Production from this zone to January 1, 1944, was said to be 64,500 tons, with a recovery of 50,618 units of tungsten trioxide. The development work was done by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the U. S. Geological Survey and comprised a study of the geology, mapping the areas, and exploring the deposit by diamond drilling, trenching and sampling. Eleven holes were drilled for a total footage of 2,365 feet of holes.

Jan 1, 1950

By G. B. Shea, R. A. Cattell

This resume of the work of the Petroleum and Natural - Gas Division of the Bureau of Mines for the fiscal years 1940 and 1941 is the second of a series. of progress reports . It brings forward from the 1939 annual report information on the course of activities of the division in carrying out its objectives of increased conservation and better utilization of petroleum, natural gas, and related resources through a coordinated program of research and fact - finding . It discusses, also, special assignments. executed for other Government agencies, which in recent years have constituted a considerable part of the division's work ." . In the present national emergency, in which petroleum is so essential , many of the Bureau's research activities bear directly on the availability, conservation, and use of petroleum for national defense . Accordingly, during the past year attention has been focused for the most part.on.problems associated with the needs of national defense . Several long-time researches , which in themselves are potential sources of desirable knowledge , were judged to be of secondary importance under present conditions and accordingly were suspended . Studies also were oriented in line with rapidly changing conditions to meet the demand for accurate findings on short notice . The Petroleum and Natural - Gas Division has experiment stations at Bartlesville , Okla . , and Laramie, Wyo . , a field office at Dallas , Tex . , and a field office and laboratory at San Francisco , Calif . It also operates the Government helium plant near Amarillo , Tex. In addition to the helium operations , some of the petroleum and natural - gas research activities are conducted at the Amarillo plant .

Feb 1, 1942

By C. T. Baroch

As part of a general program for investigating all phases of titanium production, argon was substituted for helium in the reduction step at the Bureau of Mines pilot plant, which employed a modification of the Kroll, or magnesium-reduction, process. Argon was substituted for helium in 108 of the 140 batches of sponge made during 1 month's reduction operations for July 1954. Argon was substituted for helium satisfactorily, with only slight modifications in technique. Metal quality, feed rate of TiC14, magnesium efficiency, and average production per batch were closely comparable with either gas. Argon runs were slightly more troublesome because of the formation of condensable chloride complexes, which tended to plug feed and vent lines and to entrap deposits of lower titanium chlorides on the reactor-pot lids. These lower chlorides were objection-able because they were pyrophoric and created obnoxious fumes when pots were opened. When feed and vent lines became plugged care was required in poking or unplugging these lines to prevent air from entering the reactor. These problems were relatively minor, and continued development of reactors and techniques for the use of argon should further minimize objectionable side reactions obtained when argon is used.

Jan 1, 1956

By Ernest A. Curth

Statistics For 1956-66 show that mine transportation accidents accounted for 19 percent of fatalities in bituminous coal mines, second only to roof deficiencies as a cause of death. Productivity per man-shift increased from 10.2 tons in 1956 to 18.4 tons in 1966, but the fatalities per million man- hours of exposure also increased from 0.19 to 0.21 during that same period, indicating that transportation hazards still persist. Consequently, the Bureau of Mines reviewed the transportation fatalities that occurred in bituminous coal mines during 1956-66. The data were processed by computer to find what constitute hazardous conditions and unsafe actions as well as to correlate occupation and age of victims, transportation type, and mine production. Environmental factors and equipment defects which create hazards, as well as unsafe actions of personnel, were determined for each type of mine transportation: Track haulage, mobile nonrail haulage, conveyors, hoists, automotive operations, and front -end loaders, and for transfer stations (loading points, slope and shaft bottoms, surface transfers) and railroad yards. Man-trip accidents, a group with a catastrophe potential, also were analyzed. The basic design and operational features of each transportation type were outlined and procedures considered safe in the light of accident experience were suggested. Findings show that unsafe actions of personnel and hazards created by environmental deficiencies or equipment malfunctions contribute equally in causing transportation accidents. Accordingly efforts should be directed toward improving working conditions, equipment maintenance, and education and training of employees. The trend is toward using safer modes of transportation, notably conveyors. More attention should be given to track haulage operation, railroad yards, and nondestructive field testing of materials.

Jan 1, 1971

By G. L. Neumann

"INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARYThe Guymard mine in Orange County, N. Y., is reported to have been discovered in 1862 and mined until 1876, producing 10,000 tons of lead and zinc ore. 2/The property was examined by an engineer of the Bureau of Mines 3/ in 1948. Development work was done by the Bureau in April and May 1949 and March 1950. During these two periods four drill holes totaling 2,090 feet were completed. The mineralized sections of the core were sampled and assayed.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe diamond drilling was conducted under the general supervision of McHenry Mosier, chief, Mining Development Branch, Minerals Technology Division, Region VIII, and the direct supervision of Kenneth M. Earl and the writer as project engineers. Drill cores were logged by Paul K. Sims of the Federal Geological Survey. Chemical analyses were made by the Bruce Williams laboratories, Joplin, Mo., and the Minerals Processing Branch, Minerals Technology Division, Region VIII, Bureau of Mines, under the general supervision of Paul M. Ambrose, chief, and the direct supervision of Howard F. Carl, chief, Physical and Chemical Section.LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITYThe Guymard deposit (see fig. 1) is on the west slope of Mount Hope, Orange County, N. Y., 1,500 feet northeast of Lake Guymard.Graham station, near the deposit, is on the Erie Railroad about 8 miles north of Port Jervis and 4 miles south of Otisville."

Aug 1, 1952

By C. H. Fisher, Abner Eisner

"INTRODUCTION Sulphuric acid of various concentrations has long been used as a reagent in the determination of olefins and aromatics in hydrocarbon oils 4 such as gasoline, kerosene, and neutral oils from coal—tar distillates. Despite its long use, however, there is no general agreement as to optimum conditions and concentration of acid, and numerous methods and modifications have been recommended. In most cases, treatment of the neutral oil with 60 to 90 percent sulphuric acid, followed by distillation to the original endpoint to remove olefin polymers, is recommended for the estimation of unsaturated hydrocarbons. The distillate thus obtained is taken as olefin—free oil and used in later stages of the anlysis. Aromatic hydrocarbons generally are determined in the olefin—free oil by suphonation with more concentrated acid (96 to 100 percent and fuming sulphuric acid are recommended), the hydrocarbons not attacked and removed as water—soluble sulphonic acids being considered as saturated hydrocarbons. In some cases the saturates are examined further by differentiatingbetween cyclic (naphthenes) and acyclic hydrocarbons (paraffins). Generally this is achieved by physical methods, although strong sulphuric acid is known to react preferentially with some types of saturated hydrocarbons,It was the purpose of the present work to make a general study of this type of analysis and to investigate the reactions of hydrocarbons under conditions often used in analyses that employ sulphuric acid reagents. Since previous work is not in good agreement, the optimum concentrations of acid for the different stages of the analysis were determined. Several sulphuric acid methods previously recommended and new modifications were compared, two synthetic solutions being used as the reference oil. The results obtained are presented below under separate headings."

Dec 1, 1937

By Charles A. Kumbe

"INTRODUCTION The Sullivan Mine was examined by Thomas L. Chapman, an engineer of the Bureau of Mines, in March 1943. Samples taken from the few mineralized exposures justified further investigation of the property. To determine whether extensive exploration of the property would be warranted, the Bureau did a small amount of trenching and underground work during April 1943, 3/ under Bureau project 1462.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIn its program of exploration of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Mines has as its, primary objective the, more effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy. It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratary project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts preliminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurigical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests.The investigations of the and Metallurgical Branches of the Bureau, as reported in this paper, were supervised by J. Hedges, district engineer for Arizona, and S. R. Zimmerly, regional engineer for the Western Region, respectively."

Feb 1, 1947

By Blade O. C.

This report is one of a series made by the Bureau of Mines under a cooperative agreement with the Coordinating Fuel and Equipment Research Committee of the Coordinating Research Council, Inc., on the characteristics of commercial aviation gasolines. The series of surveys is a continuation of like work conducted from 1940 to 1946 by the National Bureau of Standards under a similar cooperative agreement. A list of reports of previous surveys is given at the end of this paper.

Jan 1, 1950

By Mark S. Sanders

The purpose of the present study was to develop and test improved Type V workvests for use on dredge operations. The goal was to design workvests that would be more comfortable to wear, would interfere less with task performance, and would better meet the needs of dredge workers. It was hypothesized that by attaining these goals, the resulting vests would be worn more often and would be kept buckled more of the time than traditional vests. The study involved three major phases. In Phase I, visits were made to dredge operations and a definition of the problem was developed. Problems with current vests were identified and working conditions and tasks surveyed In Phase II, prototype vests were developed and laboratory tests were per-formed to assess comfort and interference. In Phase III, the prototypes were modified and field tested with actual dredge operators and workers.

Jan 1, 1985

By J. R. Koehler

Effective barrier pillar design is essential for safe and productive underground coal mining. This U.S. Bureau of Mines report presents an overview of available barrier pillar design methodologies that incorporate sound engineering principles while remaining practical for everyday usage. Nomographs and examples are presented to assist in the determination of proper barrier pillar sizing. Additionally, performance evaluation techniques and criteria are included to assist in determining the effectiveness of selected barrier pillar configurations.

Jan 1, 1995

By S. H. Ash

The Pennsylvania anthracite-mining region is the only one in the world of major magnitude. As the deposits of anthracite in the United States are limited virt113.lly to Pennsylvania, the difficulties of this industry have been commonly considered a State rather than a national problem. However, there is also national interest in the conservation and wise utilization of all fuel resources and in the control of interstate waterways. The anthracite industry is confronted with the very se:;-ious :problem of accumu.lation of water in many of the mines. This problem must be solved soon if progressively higr-er mi~ing costs are to be avoided. The water proble~ cannot be solved by the operating compa,nies without State or Federal aid, or both, owing to the magnitude of the work requir~d, diversity of interests of the coal ana surfa.ce ovmerships, hazard to the whole mining community, and interests affec~ed outside the mining region. The cost of abati~ the ever-increasing_surface seepage to mine workings and of handling this seepage once it }3s occurred is beyond the economic resources of most ope~ating ma.'18.gements. The data in this paper giving the high lights of the water problem and indicating what appears to be a step in the right direction are based upon observations made during the past year that the industry desires and believes it is to the npublic interesttr to keep mine workings free of flood end surface waters.

May 1, 1941

By David D. Walker

The purpose of the investigation was to describe and appraise tungsten deposits in Montana . The work supplements previous investigations made by Pattee ( 10 ) and Walker ( 17 ) in selected areas of the State . Scheelite deposits in tactite are the most numerous and most important economically , having accounted for nearly all of the State's tungsten production . Of the 64 deposits examined during the current study , 50 contained scheelite , 11 hubnerite , 2 wolframite , and 1 ferberite . The State's major tungsten production has been from scheelite deposits in Beaverhead County . The report lists , by counties , the type and grade of each deposit . The more important occurrences are accompanied by geological and assay maps .

Jan 1, 1963

By Frank K. McIntosh

Bauxite was first discovered in Tennessee, at Chattanooga, in 1906, during the construction of' the McCallie Street tunnel through Missionary Ridge. Several years later, bauxite was found in sinking a well on the Perry or Isabella Stewart property. These and other deposits furnished a substantial tonnage for the abrasive and chemical industries during the years 1906 to, 1920. The search for domestic sources of war material prompted by World War II brought the Tennessee bauxite deposits to the attention of the Bureau of Mines. During the summer of 1942, James S. Cullison and E. Godwin, geologists of the United states Geological Survey, made a survey of the bauxite deposits of the area. In August 1942, Harold B. Ewoldt, a Bureau of Mines engineer, accompanied by the Geological Survey party visited the area and a drilling program was prepared. Drilling was started in November 1942 and continued until March 1943. A total of 2,519.5 feet in 38 holes was drilled on three properties.

Jan 1, 1949

The influence of fuel additives on automobile exhaust emissions was studied using engines currently found in the U.S. vehicle population. The fuel additives used in the experiment were four multifunctional additives and one lead antiknock additive. Experimental work was done to determine both the direct effect of the additive per se on exhaust emissions and the influence of Long-term additive effects on emissions with mileage accumulation. Results showed no significant direct or intermediate effect on exhaust emissions for any additives tested. In subsequent experimental work concerned with the long-term or indirect effects of additives, the detergent-dispersant additives were found to have little influence on emissions when used in conjunction with high-quality oil and motor fuel. The lead (tetraethyl) antiknock additive increased exhaust hydrocarbons approximately 12 to 17 percent during a 4,000-mile accumulation period using a base fuel containing 2 ml of tetraethyl lead per gallon. An unleaded fuel was used during a similar accumulation period with no significant increase in exhaust hydrocarbons with mileage.

Jan 1, 1971

By Oren C. Baptist

Umiat field contains the largest accumulation of oil discovered so far in Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 in Arctic Alaska. The Umiat anticline was tested with 11 wells; 6 produced oil in varying quantities. Behavior of the wells during testing was unpredictable. For example, one well was abandoned as a dry hole after all tests failed to recover any oil, yet an offset well, only 200 feet from the dry hole, produced 400 barrels of oil a day. The main oil reservoirs are less than 1,000 feet deep and are in the permanently frozen zone (permafrost). Reservoir pressures are low, and most primary production will be by expansion of gas-in-solution in the oil. Because of the unusual reservoir conditions and the difficulties encountered in drilling and completing the wells, the Department of the Navy asked the Federal Bureau of Mines to make laboratory studies of the reservoir sand to determine the cause of well plugging and to provide laboratory information, to be used as an aid in estimating oil recovery from frozen reservoir rocks under solution-gas expansion from low-saturation pressure conditions.

Jan 1, 1960

By W. G. Pariseau

A U.S. Bureau of Mines case study of pillar recovery in high-grade ore near the Ross shaft at, the Homestake Mine, Lead, SD, has demonstrated the usefulness of the finite-clement method for the evaluation of shaft pillar mining plans and shaft stability. This report, one of three in a series describing the Ross shaft pillar case study, focuses on the premining stability analysis. The two-dimensional computer program UTAH2 was used in advance of pillar mining; results suggested that the shaft would remain stable. Subsequent reports describe parts 2 and 3 of the study. In part 2, borehole extensometers and other instruments were installed to provide data for model verification and shaft monitoring. Results of the recalibrated two-dimensional model confirmed the premining stability evaluation. However, after mining began, great concern developed because of the appearance of cracks and other signs of ground movement over considerable distances from the area of active pillar miping. In part 3, an intense three-dimensional modeling effort using UTAH3 was initiated. The results again showed that the shaft would remain safe. Three-dimensional analyses of alternative pillar mining scenarios indicated that more of the shaft pillar ore reserve could be recovered than previously thought.

Jan 1, 2010

This publication summarizes, for all interested parties, the research, development, and demonstration in-house projets programed by the Bureau of Mines for fiscal year 1980 (October 1, 1979 - September 30, 1980) under its Minerals Health and Safety Research program. The objective of these projects is to provide an ordered and sequenced series of advances toward the Bureau's overall goal of providing the system technology required to create a healthier and safer working environment for the Nation's mining and minerals processing workers.

Jan 1, 1980