Mining or in situ disintegration of hard material – Processes – Directly applying heat or vibration
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-07
2001-09-04
Bagnell, David (Department: 3673)
Mining or in situ disintegration of hard material
Processes
Directly applying heat or vibration
C175S016000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283555
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electric discharge breaking system and a discharge breaking method using energy produced by electric discharge.
BACKGROUND ART
There is conventionally known a discharge breaking system which is used for breaking concrete buildings and rocks with energy produced by electric discharge.
This discharge breaking system comprises a breaking container which is to be fitted into a charging hole formed in an object to be ruptured and a pair of electrodes which have ends submerged in a breaking substance. for transmitting a pressure filled in the breaking container.
Water, for example, is used as the breaking substance and the electrodes are shaped, for example, in a rod-like or sheet-like form.
A discharge breaking method using this discharge breaking system comprises steps: to form a charging hole in an object to be ruptured, to fit the breaking container into this charging hole, to charge or accumulate electric energy in a capacitor connected between the other ends of the electrodes and to supply or discharge the electric energy between the electrodes in a short time for abruptly vaporizing the breaking substance, thereby breaking the object to be ruptured with an expansion force produced by the vaporization.
Since the discharge breaking system described above is configured to allow electric discharge to take place between a pair of electrodes, it requires a delicate setting of a distance between the electrodes for locating the electric discharge and a delicate setting of a quantity of electric energy to be charged or accumulated in the capacitor.
Further, the discharge breaking system has a defect that it requires a high manufacturing cost since a pair of particular electrodes must be prepared for manufacturing the destruction system.
Another example of discharge breaking system will be described below. This discharge breaking system has a structure wherein a thin metal wire is welded or soldered across ends of a pair of electrodes for electrically connecting the electrodes to each other, the electrodes are inserted into a breaking container for submerging the thin metal wire into a breaking substance filled in the breaking container, the electrodes pass through a sealing stopper to be fitted into an aperture of the breaking container and a capacitor is connected between the other ends of the electrodes.
A discharge breaking method using this discharge breaking system comprises steps to supply electric energy charged or accumulated in the capacitor to the thin metal wire in a short time for abrupt fusing-vaporization of the thin metal wire and vaporization of the breaking substance, thereby breaking an object to be ruptured with an expansion force generated by the vaporization.
The discharge breaking system mentioned as the latter example requires tedious procedures and a high cost for manufacturing since it is necessary for manufacturing this destruction system to prepare a pair of electrodes and weld a thin metal wire across ends of these electrodes. Further, this discharge breaking system has another defect that it has a complicated structure as a whole.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a discharge breaking system which is free from the defects described above.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A first discharge breaking system according to the present invention is configured to abruptly vaporize a breaking substance for transmitting a pressure by supplying or discharging electric energy charged or accumulated in a capacitor between electrodes in a short time and break an object to be ruptured with an expansion force generated by the vaporization; and has a structure wherein ends of a plurality of metal cores are exposed by cutting off an end portion of a sheath member of a cable which is composed of the metal cores disposed in parallel with each other and covered with the sheath member, submerged in the breaking substance and used as electrodes.
Further, a second discharge breaking system according to the present invention is configured to abruptly vaporize a breaking substance for transmitting a pressure by supplying or discharging electric energy charged or accumulated in a capacitor between electrodes in a short time and break an object to be ruptured with an expansion force generated by the vaporization; and has a structure wherein ends of an inner metal core and an outer metal core are exposed by cutting off an end portion of a sheath member of a coaxial cable composed of the inner core and the outer core which are coaxially disposed and covered with the sheath member, submerged into the breaking substance and used as electrodes.
The discharge breaking method according to the present invention which is to be used for breaking an object to be ruptured with the discharge breaking system described above is configured for setting relationship of a distance L (mm) between the electrodes submerged in the breaking substance versus a voltage Vp to be applied between the electrodes so as to satisfy the following equation:
Vp≧1000L
Owing to the fact that the ends of the inner metal core and the outer metal core are exposed by cutting off the end portion of the sheath member of the cable composed of the plurality of metal cores, submerged in the breaking substance and used as the electrodes, the first discharge breaking system, the second discharge breaking system and the discharge breaking method described above make it unnecessary to adjust a distance between electrodes and facilitate to manufacture the discharge breaking system.
Further, the first and the second discharge breaking systems require no preparation of particular electrodes for manufacturing the discharge breaking system, thereby making it possible to manufacture the discharge breaking system at a low cost. In addition, the voltage level to be applied to electrodes can easily be determined as the distance between the metal cores, that is, the distance between the electrodes is fixed.
Further, a third discharge breaking system according to the present invention has a structure wherein ends of electrodes are connected to each other through a thin metal wire, a capacitor is connected between the other ends of the electrodes and the thin metal wire is submerged in a breaking substance for transmitting a pressure; and is configured to discharge or supply electric energy preliminarily charged or accumulated in the capacitor to the thin metal wire in a short time through the electrodes for fusing-vaporization of the thin metal wire and abrupt vaporization of the breaking substance, thereby breaking an object to be ruptured with an expansion force generating by the vaporization. In this discharge breaking system, an inner metal core and an outer metal core are coaxially disposed and covered with a sheath member to compose a coaxial cable, the inner core and the outer core are used as the electrodes, an end portion of the sheath member is cut off to expose ends of the inner core and the outer core, the exposed ends of the inner core and the outer core are submerged in the breaking substance, and the end of the inner core is wound around the end of the outer core submerged in the breaking substance. The exposed end of the inner core can be provided with one or more notches to make the exposed end like the thin metal wire described above.
Furthermore, a fourth discharge breaking system according to the present invention has a structure wherein the end of the inner core used in the third discharge breaking system is soldered to the end of the outer core submerged in the breaking substance. The exposed end of the inner core could be notched as described above.
The third and fourth discharge breaking systems can be manufactured at low costs owing to the fact that the inner metal core and the outer metal core of the coaxial cable are used as the electrodes, and the end of the inner core which is exposed by cutting off an end portion of a sheath member of a coaxial cable and submerged in a breaking substance is used as a thin metal wire for ele
Arai Hiroaki
Maehata Hidehiko
Bagnell David
Hitachi Zosen Corporation
Hochberg D. Peter
Holt William H.
Kreck John
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