Method for driving a shaft with shaped charges
OwnerRobert E. Eckelsinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of driving a shaft, or tunnel into competent hard rock with shaped charges. An array of shaped charges to nearly conform with the bottom of the shaft, or face of the tunnel, is carried upon a framework which places the charges a proper distance from the bottom or face surface. Detonation causes the shaped charge jets to penetrate and break several feet into the rock to advance the shaft or tunnel. The loose rock may then be mucked out of the shaft, or tunnel, and the operation repeated. A shaft may be driven downwardly or upwardly by these operations.
Claims12
A method for forming a shaft of a large cross-section of a variable predetermined shaped at any depth through earth material by incremental explosions, comprising the steps:
- a. placing an array of a plurality of individual, and separate from each other, shaped charges at a desired stand-off adjacent to and spaced from the surface of the to-be extended end of the shaft, said charges being positioned and variably spaced apart in a predetermined spaced array, so as to effect a predetermined size of breakage of the material essentially in the predetermined shaped cross-section, for depth of each explosion,
- b. essentially simultaneously detonating said spaced shaped charges,
- c. placing mucking equipment in position to muck the broken material,
- d. mucking the broken material to expose the surface of the end of the shaft, and
- e. repeating the steps until the desired depth of shaft is attained.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.