Methods of Working Coal and Metal Mines, Volume 3 discusses the extraction of mineral deposits, which involves the driving of development openings, from the surface or a central shaft, to the “block out portions of the deposit. This book is divided into three parts. Part A describes the coal mining methods, which include pillar mining systems and long-wall mining. Economics of coal face mechanization is also discussed. In Part B, the classification of stoping systems, which is comprised of pillar-supported stopes, timber and fill supported stopes, and slicing or caving systems, is elaborated. This part also emphasizes the mining bedded metalliferous ores, as well as the costs and other factors affecting the choice of mining systems. Part C deliberates the surface mining methods, which consist of strip mining of coal, open-pit mining, and stability of pit slopes. This publication is intended for mining engineers, but is also useful to students and researchers conducting work on the application of extracting and processing minerals.

Coal will continue to provide a major portion of energy requirements in the United States for at least the next several decades. It is imperative that accurate information describing the amount, location, and quality of the coal resources and reserves be available to fulfill energy needs. It is also important that the United States extract its coal resources efficiently, safely, and in an environmentally responsible manner. A renewed focus on federal support for coal-related research, coordinated across agencies and with the active participation of the states and industrial sector, is a critical element for each of these requirements. Coal focuses on the research and development needs and priorities in the areas of coal resource and reserve assessments, coal mining and processing, transportation of coal and coal products, and coal utilization.

The Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) of the U. S. Department of Energy commissioned the National Research Council (NRC) to undertake a study on required technologies for the Mining Industries of the Future Program to complement information provided to the program by the National Mining Association. Subsequently, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health also became a sponsor of this study, and the Statement of Task was expanded to include health and safety. The overall objectives of this study are: (a) to review available information on the U.S. mining industry; (b) to identify critical research and development needs related to the exploration, mining, and processing of coal, minerals, and metals; and (c) to examine the federal contribution to research and development in mining processes.

This comprehensive text explores the technologies and developments in excavations for any type of surface or underground excavation. The first several chapters cover unit operations, including drilling, explosives and blasting, mucking, haulage, hoisting, and supports and reinforcement. The book then describes excavation techniques for various operations, such as tunneling, raising, sinking, drifting, stoping, quarrying and surface mining, underground mining, pillar blasting, and liquidation. It also examines the design, planning, and analysis of excavations as well as the construction of surface and subsurface excavations, such as caverns. Case studies focus on heavy underground blasting during pillar recoveries.