Mining Publication: Engineering Factors in the Ventilation of Metal Mines

In the belief that the quickest and cheapest method of obtaining effective ventilation of metal mines with regard to air conditions that promote efficiency, health, and safety is through more general application of the engineering factors involved rather than by trial and error and that this method of attacking ventilation problems will be facilitated by a simple, concise statement of these factors and the methods of using them, an attempt is made in this bulletin to present the subject of metal-mine ventilation to mine operators in a practical way. Although the physiological factors of gases, dust, and heat in mine air determine both the necessity for ventilation and the results achieved by it these subjects are not considered within the scope of the present report; and no attempt is made to cover the subject of coal-mine ventilation, for although the general principles are the same as for metal-mine ventilation the particular applications of these principles differ to a considerable degree. An attempt has been made to present the material in as nontechnical a form as is possible without sacrificing necessary accuracy or completeness, for which reason it is thought that it should prove of value to all mine officials and students interested in mine ventilation.