Mining or in situ disintegration of hard material – Processes – Forming blocks
Patent
1992-03-23
1994-07-26
Bagnell, David J.
Mining or in situ disintegration of hard material
Processes
Forming blocks
239101, 299 17, E21C 2560, E21C 4710
Patent
active
053322932
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to apparatus for cutting erosive materials such as stone and the like by high-pressure water means and to quarrying or rock excavation, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for the winning of complete blocks from a quarry by the use of a new, or at least much-improved, high-pressure water lance cutting head.
BACKGROUND ART
It has been recognized that a jet of liquid emitted though a nozzle, particularly a nozzle having a small orifice, will cut or, more properly erode, hard substances such as stone if the velocity is high enough.
A typical example of prior art is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,490, to D. J. LIESVELD, which discloses, inter alia, apparatus for the channel cutting of hard materials using high-velocity fluid jets. U.S. Pat. No 4,111,490 teaches the use of a water lance having a nozzle which, "preferably is held fixed for each channel cut pass but can be oscillated in a direction normal to the material surface while being moved along a line spaced from but parallel to the surface of material to be cut." The entire apparatus moves along rails which are laid on the surface of the work surface and, after a channel cut has been completed, the nozzle assembly is lowered and a deeper channel cut line is eroded until the required or desired cutting depth has been attained. The lance itself is unsupported, however and thus may well be "whippy" although the specification is silent on this point. With such a whippy, unsupported lance the depth of cut possible is limited since the lance becomes unstable. Moreover, more oscillation of the cutting head cannot provide optimal conditions for the winning of blocks of stone from, say, a natural outcrop of the material to be won.
Other, and perhaps less relevant, examples of prior art apparatus are to be found in:
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above and other disadvantages of the prior art by the provision of, in a first aspect thereof, apparatus for cutting erosive materials, comprising a rigid, high-velocity, high-pressure water lance; a cutting head mounted at the lower end of the said water lance; means for advancing or lowering said water lance and associated cutting head towards the surface of the material to be cut; means for moving the said water lance and associated cutting head along the surface to be cut; and means for rotating the water lance and cutting head mounted thereon about the longitudinal axis of the said water lance.
Pressurized water may be supplied to the water lance through a hydraulic pipeline via a rotatable coupling or union which ideally includes a water inlet port, a plenum chamber, and a tubular spigot or nipple which is connectable to, and rotatable with, the water lance.
The water lance may be further supported by a truss, which truss is ideally able to be swung into any one of three positions relative to the water lance.
The cutting head may be provided with one or more outlet orifices adapted to emit high-pressure, high velocity water jets angled at predetermined angles to the vertical (e.g. about 20.degree. to about 90.degree.); alternatively, the cutting head may have a single outlet orifice disposed normal to the longitudinal axis of the water lance. In a further embodiment, the cutting head or part thereof may be constituted by a length of hardened steel rod having a concentric bore therethrough which is progressively flared at the outlet end, for example by progressively compressing the rod at one end so as to flatten the bore to thereby enable a fan-shaped, high-pressure, high-velocity water jet to be emitted therefrom.
In a second aspect, the present invention may consist in a method for the winning of blocks of stone or the like material from an outcrop thereof, comprising making horizontal and vertical cuts therein by the use of a rigid, high-velocity, high-pressue water lance, this water lance having a cutting head, as above described, mounted at the lower end thereof, and there being means pr
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Derwent Abstract Accession No. N1429E/40, SU, A, 883451 (As Kaza Mining Inst) Nov. 28, 1981.
Derwent Abstract Accession No. 89-355333/48, SU, A, 1483043 (UKR Undergrd Hydrau) May 30, 1989.
Burgess Stanley R.
Higgins Christopher L.
Australian Stone Technology Pty. Ltd.
Bagnell David J.
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