Explosive displacing bore hole tube
OwnerWayne G. Turnerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An explosive displacing bore hole tube is formed by an elongated tubular member having opposite ends thereof closed, as by caps, to enclose a nonexplosive material within the tube. The nonexplosive material is preferably nonpressurized air; bore hole cuttings or other material may be added for ballast. Alternatively, the tube may be completely filled with such cuttings. The explosive displacing tube is positioned within a bore hole along with a bulk flowable explosive to reduce the volume of explosive at a selected location or locations along the bore hole to thereby reduce the blast intensity at such a location or locations when the explosive is detonated. A tube filling apparatus is provided for simultaneously placing ballast in a plurality of the tubes.
Claims21
An explosive displacing structure for use in combination with an explosive in a bore hole and comprising:
- (a) an elongated tubular member having a selected length, a selected outer diameter, a selected wall thickness, and opposite ends;
- (b) an end closure member secured to and closing each of said opposite ends of said tubular member;
- and
- (c) an inert material filling said tubular member;
- and
- (d) wherein said tubular member is configured to operably and selectively diminish the intensity of a blast from the explosive spaced alongside said tubular member.
An explosive displacing structure for use in combination with an explosive in a bore hole and comprising:
- (a) an elongated tubular member having a selected length, a selected outer diameter of approximately one half of a diameter of a bore hole in which said tubular member is to be used, a selected wall thickness, and opposite ends;
- (b) an end closure member secured to and closing each of said opposite ends of said tubular member;
- and
- (c) an inert material filling said tubular member.
A method of blasting a rock structure comprising the steps of:
- (a) boring an elongated bore hole of a selected depth and a selected diameter into the rock structure;
- (b) filling said bore hole with a flowable explosive to a selected height within said bore hole;
- (c) displacing a portion of said explosive at a selected position along said bore hole by placing an explosive displacing structure at said selected position such that said explosive extends alongside said explosive displacing structure;
- (d) plugging a top end of said bore hole;
- and
- (e) detonating said explosive.
A multiple funnel arrangement for simultaneously filling a plurality of elongated tubular members with a granular material and comprising:
- (a) a tube support assembly including:
- (1) a self-standing pail having a lower wall and a peripheral side wall;
- (2) a plurality of sleeves connected to said lower wall in a selected pattern and in substantially upstanding parallel relation to receive a plurality of said tubular members sleeved respectively therein in substantially upstanding parallel relation;
- (b) a funnel assembly including:
- (1) a peripheral outer wall open on an upper side and a lower side;
- (2) a transverse wall engaging an inner surface of said outer wall and having a plurality of funnel apertures formed therethrough in said selected pattern to enable alignment with said sleeves of said tube support assembly;
- and
- (3) a plurality of frustoconical funnel members secured respectively in said apertures with lower ends of said funnel members extending below said transverse wall;
- and
- (c) said funnel assembly being positioned on upper ends of a plurality of said tubular members positioned within said sleeves of said tube support assembly with said lower ends of said funnel members positioned within said upper ends of said tubular members to thereby direct granular material placed into said funnel assembly above said transverse wall into said tubular members.
A method of blasting a rock structure comprising the steps of:
- (a) boring an elongated bore hole of a selected depth and a selected diameter into the rock structure;
- (b) filling said bore hole with a flowable explosive to a selected height within said bore hole;
- (c) displacing a portion of said explosive at a selected position along said bore hole by placing an explosive displacing structure at said selected position;
- (d) forming said explosive displacing structure as an elongated tubular member having a selected length, a selected wall thickness, opposite ends, and a selected outer diameter wherein said outer diameter is approximately one-half said selected diameter of said bore hole;
- (e) closing opposite ends of said tubular member to enclose a nonexplosive material within said tubular member;
- (f) plugging a top end of said bore hole;
- and
- (g) detonating said explosive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.