Acoustic source fragmentation system for breaking ground material

A system for fragmenting material, comprising:

• an energy source;
• a first acoustic transmitter coupled to the energy source and including a first unit acoustic source configured to emit a first acoustic wave through a volume of ground material;
• a second acoustic transmitter including a second unit acoustic source configured to emit a second acoustic wave through the volume of ground material, wherein the first acoustic transmitter and the second acoustic transmitter are arranged in a specified pattern;
• a controller coupled to the first acoustic transmitter and the second acoustic transmitter, wherein the controller is configured to engage the first unit acoustic source and the second unit acoustic source such that the first acoustic wave and the second acoustic wave additively fracture the volume of ground material at a target location;
• and
• an acoustic receiver, wherein the acoustic receiver is positioned at the target location.

A system for fragmenting material, comprising:

• an energy source;
• a first acoustic transmitter coupled to the energy source and including a first unit acoustic source configured to emit an acoustic wave through a volume of ground material;
• a second acoustic transmitter including a second unit acoustic source configured to emit a test signal through the volume of ground material;
• an acoustic receiver separated from the second acoustic transmitter by the volume of ground material, wherein the acoustic receiver is configured to detect the test signal and provide an output signal;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• evaluate the test signal and the output signal to determine a characteristic of the volume of ground material by comparing a characteristic of the test signal with a characteristic of the output signal;
• determine a propagation characteristic based on a feature of the test signal and the output signal, wherein the propagation characteristic includes at least one of the homogeneity, the sound propagation speed, the presence of defects, and the location of defects within the volume of ground material;
• and
• engage the first unit acoustic source based on the characteristic of the volume of ground material such that the acoustic wave fractures the volume of ground material at a target location.