US3826537A - Mining and tunneling process involving alternated application of thermal and mechanical energy - Google Patents

Abstract

A mining or tunneling apparatus is provided for continuous underground excavation through rock of relatively high to relatively low hardness. The apparatus comprises impactors and heaters having alternately operative and inoperative modes which are selected in reference to the condition of the excavation face. Functional relationships between the applied thermal and mechanical energy are given. Optional separation of ore and gangue at the mining face is outlined.

Description

United States Patent 1191' [11] 3,826,537 Boyd et al. July 30, 1974 [5 MINING AND TUNNELING PROCESS 1,284,398 11/1918 McKinlay 299/14 x INVOLVING ALTERNATED APPLICATION g oo 0F THERMAL AND MECHANICAL 3,700,169 10/1972 Naydan et al 239/102 X [75] Inventors: James Boyd, New York, N.Y.;

Lawrence A. Garfield, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Clifford Hanninen, Madison, Wis; Eugene Maki, White Pine, Mich.

[73] Assignee: Copper Range Company, White Pine, Mich.

[22] Filed: Feb. 15, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 332,551

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Scr. No. l()0,2l3, Dec. 21, 1970, Pat, No.

[52] US. Cl. 299/14 [5]] Int. Cl. E2lc 37/18 [58] Field of Search 299/14; 175/14-16 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 914.636 3/1909 Case 299/14 X ENERGY OTHER PUBLICATIONS Revolution In Tunneling Techniques, Mining Congress Journal, Jan, 1968, pages 46-49.

Primary Examiner-Ernest R. Purser Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Morse, Altman, Oates & Hello [57] ABSTRACT Functional relationships between the applied thermal and mechanical energy are given. Optional separation of ore and gangue at the mining face is outlined.

8 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures SHEET 1 [1F 4 BALLAST PATENTEDJUL30|9M 3.826.537

' sum a nr 4 FIG; 2A-

INCHES I FIG. 2B

PATENTEDJULEOIQH 3,325,537

sum u or 4 LONEIT' SANDSTONE VALUES-ONLY mums PIC-3.9

MINING AND TUNNELING PROCESS INVOLVING ALTERNATEI) APPLICATION OF THERMAL AND MECHANICAL ENERGY This is a division of application Ser. No. 100,213, filed Dec. 21, 1970, now US. Pat. No. 3,759,575.

BACKGROUND The present invention relates to underground excavation and, more particularly, to excavation in rock for the purposes of mining and tunneling. Various prior excavation techniques have included: drilling and blasting; mechanical cutting; and thermal spalling. In the case of the drilling and blasting, holes are drilled mechanically into the rock face, are filled with an explosive charge such as dynamite, and the region in the vicinity of the holes is fragmented by the explosive power of the charge. In the case of the mechanical cutting, pneumatically, hydraulically or electrically actuated percussion moils or rotary cutting tools are applied to the excavation face, by which fragmentation of the rock at the face is effected. In the case of thermal spalling, heat from an intense source is transferred to the rock face in such a way as to cause differential expansion of the region underlying the face and to cause tensile and/or shear strain separation of portions of the rock therefrom. Drilling and blasting, relatively inefficient from the standpoint of conversion of energy into loose rock and inadequately controllable in the amounts and sizes of loose rock produced, inherently is a tortuous and interrupted process that concomitantly may require costly and time consuming installation of supports in portions of the excavation region, which may be weakened by shock at considerable distances from the excavation face. Mechanical cutting, although capable of more or less uninterrupted prodedures, has been found to be undesirably slow, particularly at deep levels, because of the strength limitations inherent in steel percussion and cutting tools, no matter how sturdily designed. And thermal spalling has been used only occasionally because of the large amounts of thermal energy needed, the low efficiency of heat transfer generally achievable and the hazards and cost involved in removing the products when combustion heating is used. At present, excavation through rock having a compressive strength of 25,000 psi. (pounds per square inch) can be achieved at a rate of approximately 20 to 40 feet per day. In view of the increasing modern need for rapid excavation in hard rock, existing excavation rates have become inadequate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION and inoperative modes, which are selected on the basis of the detected hardness of any excavation face. The impacting assembly has an operative mode, in which it rips successively exposed excavation faces, and an inoperative mode, which is selected when the impacting assembly reaches an excavation face of a hardness that would subject elements of the impacting assembly to uneconomic wear if the operative mode were to continue uninterruptedly. The heating assembly has an operative mode, in which it forms a kerf in any excavation face of relatively high hardness, and an inoperative mode in which the impacting assembly can resume its ripping function with acceptable wear as a result of the presence of the kerf. It has been found that applying the heating assembly to any face having relatively high hardness in order to form a kerf and applying the impacting assembly at other times results in an overall minimization of consumed energy per ton of fragmented rock and an overall lengthening of the mean time between failure of equipment. The arrangement is well adapted to programmed automation of mining cycles, permitting closer supervisory control and reduced manpower requirements.

Other objects of the present invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the processes and devices, together with their steps and elements, which are exemplified in the following detailed description, the scope of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is an exaggerated perspective illustrating a mine face undergoing a process of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a vertical section, intersecting the mine face, illustrating the kerf formation step in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1C is a vertical section, analogous to that of FIG. 1B, illustrating the ripping step in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1D is a horizontal section corresponding to that of FIG. 1C.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate certain principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a thermo-mechanical mining apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an infrared heating subassembly, constituting a component of the device of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the subassembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a detail view of an infrared heating lamp, constituting an element of the subassembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the infrared heating lamp of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is an electrical schematic diagram part of the control circuit of the device of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a mining site typically mined in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Rock Formation Toward Which Present Invention is Directed Generally, each of the processes of the present invention described below involves the rapid excavation of a hard rock mass, ranging in compressive strength from 5,000 to 80,000 psi. (pounds per square inch). Typically, the hard rock mass is one of the common sedi- 3 mentary,'igneous or metamorphic types. The specific examples below relate to rock formations from which copper ore is extracted. In one such rock formation to be mined is a 6 foot thick shale that lies, at a depth ranging downwardly to 3,400 feet, between upper and lower layers of sandstone. The shale includes interleaved strata of copper rich ore and barren rock. Various mining techniques previously have been employed. One technique, called room-and-pillar mining, involves excavating and transporting ore in such a way as to retain spaced pillars of rock, which continue to support the roof above the floor. Another technique, called longwall mining, involves removing ore without retaining pillars of rock, while the roof is adequately but temporarily supported by a system of steel posts or props, which are alternately advanced toward the receding excavation face in such a way as to permit caving into the already excavated region. In either case, the ore is loaded into trucks or conveyors for transport. Thermo-mechanical Excavation In accordance With FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and ID V The thermo-mechanical apparatus and process of FIG. 1A is intended for longwall excavation of an opening, particularly a mine opening, having a floor 32, a roof 34 and an excavation face 35. Typically the excavation face in several hundred feet wide and approximately feet high. In the illustrated embodiment, the heating assembly (FIG. 18) includes a plurality of heating elements 38 enclosed in a plurality of mounts, one of which is shown .at 39. These mounts are disposed along excavation face 35, each being individually constrained for reciprocal motion between an operative position contiguous with the face and an inoperative position remote from the face. The impacting assembly (FIGS. 1C and 1D) includes a plurality of impacting elements 41 on a single mount 40 that passes between the face and the heater mounts when the latter are in their inoperative positions. In the operative mode of the impacting assembly, a single pass of the impacting mount causes impacting elements 41 to contact the entire excavation face so as to rip out an underlying solid increment of rock, i.e., to remove the underlying rock to a predetermined depth, for transfer by a loader 42 to a conveyor. In this operative mode of the heating assembly, heating mounts 39 are juxtaposed, either in serial or in parallel, along a hozizontal line 36 between the roof and the floor, in order to cause kerf spallingand zone conditioning, as will be explained in detail below. As shown in FIG. 1A, a control 20 transmits synchronizing signals to mechanical and electrical power units 21, 22 via links 23, 24 and receives feedback signals from sensors, for example microseismic sensors, which are in contact with the rock, via links 26, 28.

In a first form of the impacting assembly the impacting elements are fixed to their mount so that an'eccentric vibratory motion imparted to the mount is transmitted to the impacting elements. In one specific example of this first form of impact or, the assembly weights about 22,000 pounds and vibrates 25 times per second over about a 0.2 inch travel. In a second form of the impacting assembly, the impacting elements are reciprocable along their axes withrespect to their mount as it traverses the face linearly. The second form is illustrated as including a plurality of tool steel impact moils 41 which are reciprocable, with respect to their mount 40, in a plurality of cylinders 43, actuated by a power source 45, for example, an electric hydraulic percus- =sion device. As in FIG. 1D, the direction 44. of reciprocation of impact moils 41 is oblique with respect to the excavation face and the direction 47 of traversal of mount 40 is parallel with respect to the excavation face. In one specific example of this second impacting assembly each moil delivers 1,000 foot pounds per blow at a frequency of one to ten blows per second.

Preferably the heating units are combustion free, for example, are characterized by an electromagnetic source of infrared or coherent radiation or a charged particle source of electrons or ions. In one such heating unit, as shown in FIG. 1B, heating elements 38 are in the form of infrared emitting lamps which are backed by associated reflectors 45 that concentrate the infrared energy at the kerf now to be described. Preferably the temperature at the surface of the kerf ranges between 1,000 and l,400 F and the distance between the heating lamps, specifically the tungsten filaments,

and the excavation face is less than 12 inches, preferably about 4 inches.

- In order to facilitate comprehension of the process of the present invention, the following definitions are presented.

l. Kerf Space is defined as the empty space of a groove formed by any means in a rock face.

2. Kerf Rock is defined as the region of rock immediately adjacent to and so profiling thekerf space. 3. Heat Affected Zone is defined as the region of rock whose resistance to mechanical ripping has been reduced by heating, which generates solid state discontinuities at which applied mechanical energy tends to concentrate. Under this definition, rock in a heat affected zone exhibits lower resistance to mechanical ripping than rock in a zone that is not heat affected, i.e., in a zone that has been unaffected by applied heat or that has not been subjected to applied heat.

4. Thermal Response Class refers to the tendency or lack of tendency of an in situ rock mass to become heat affected when subjected to heat treatment. It has been found that, in general, the greater the homogeneity of an in situ rock mass, the greater its tendency to become heat affected when subjected to heat treatment. It is useful to categorize in situ rock mass into 'the following three classes, it'being understood that the boundaries between the classes are only approximate: a. Class I Rock is defined as the strongest and soundest, most homogeneous rock, with major discontinuities or joints on the average at least 2 feet apart.

b. Class II Rock is defined as intermediately strong and sound, intermediately homogeneous rock, with occasional specimens as strong as Class I specimens, but with major discontinuities or joints on the average less than 2 feet apart and more than 6 inches apart.

c. Class III Rock is defined as heavily faulted, bedded, and/or jointed, inhomogeneous rock, with discontinuities on the average less than,6 inches apart.

5. Solid state discontinuities fall into two classes:

' a. Natural discontinuities of the type referred to above in connection with definition 4, above; and

b. Synthetic discontinuities of the type referred to above in connection with definition 3.

In the case of all three classes of rock, it is believed that the efficiency of heat transfer into the mining face is improved by operation of the impacting assembly which interacts with the heating assembly by removing fractured rock that would tend to insulate, from the heating assembly, the rock underlying the excavation face.

It is further believed that the efficiency of forward penetration of the inpacting assembly into the excavation face is maximized by the heating assembly in the following manner.

EXAMPLE I In reference to FIG. 1B, typically in the case of Class I rock, 4,000 F. tungsten filament electric lamps, 4 inches away from the excavation face, heat a 14 inch wide band along the longitudinal center of the excavation face for 12 minutes to produce an initial kerf space 46 that is l to 3 inches deep and a heat affected zone, extending approximately to limit 49A in the kerf rock, that is l to 3 inches deep. The heat affected zone then is ripped mechanically to produce a total kerf space that is 29 to 6 inches deep. It then is feasible mechanically to rip the heat non-affected overkerf rock 48 and underkerf rock 50 to about the limit 498 to establish again a flat excavation face andto repeat the heating and ripping cycle.

There are interrelated reasons why overkerf and underkerf rock not affected by heat can be mechanically ripped economically in the presence of kerf space but not in the absence of kerf space. First, the kerf space relieves the compressive overburden stresses which hold even heavily jointed rock together. Second, stresses applied to the overkerf and underkerf rock build up fracturing tensile strenses much more quickly than in the absence of the kerf. After the overkerf and underkerf rock have been ripped off, it again is not feasible economically to rip the resulting flat Class I rock face only mechanically. Preferably, during each thermo-mechanical cycle, the thermal spalling at the kerf removes from 3 to 30 percent of the rock totally separated during this thermo-mechanical cycle.

In certain cases, the cracking is aided by chemical agents, which are present naturally or may be provided artificially. A natural chemical agent is present in mine rock in the form of considerable amounts of free water, i.e. water which can be removed at temperatures of above 200 to 225 F. This is situ water is induced by the applied heat to diffuse through the network of cracks formed as above. The effect of this moisture transfer may be to reduce the strength of the-rock by lowering the specific surface energy of the material. An artificial chemical agent can be applied, for example, in the form of a surfactant such as an aqueous detergent sprayed on the excavation face. The effect of this surfactant is considered, from one viewpoint at least, to reduce the strength of the surface region of the rock at and near the mining face.

The additional natural discontinuities in Class II rock and, particularly, in Class III rock profoundly affect their characteristics relative to those of Class I rock. Specifically, the high concentration of natural discontipresence of discontinuities (for example, by'microseismic sensors); and (3) reduced heat transmissivity, by reason of which thermal spallation may be partially or wholly precluded. One one hand, the above described heating assembly (I) spalls Class l rock" effectively and (2) spalls Class II rock to a limited extent but (3) does not spall Class III rock. On the other hand, the impacting assembly (I) may not routinely rip Class I rock that is unaffected by heat, (2) can rip Class I] rock that is unaffected by heat but preferably is not applied to Class I] rock that is unaffected by heat, and (3 can rip Class III rock routinely. Thus, the modes of the impacting and heating assemblies are interrelated in such a way as to remove rock from an excavation face efficiently no matter what its thermal response class.

The production of kerf space 36 and heat affected zone 49A, as in FIG. 1B, involves two phenomena: (1) spallation and (2) thermal cracking.

Spallation Analysis Spallation occurs when a conchoidal fragment of rock spontaneously bursts free from the surface of a rock mass that has been subjected to thermal shock. Spallation also is considered to occur when a fragment loosens but does not burst free of the surface. The present understanding of the mechanism of spallation is as follows:

FIG. 2A shows an intense heat flux (BTU/hr/ft 51 impinging on a rock surface 53. As the surface is subjected-to thermal shock, a thermal gradient 55 along an x axis 57 is developed in the rock mass. The shape of the gradient, depth x versus temperature I is a function of heat flux intensity, i.e., rate of heat transfer. The induced thermal stress is a direct function of the thermal gradient. The stress most important to spallation is the tensile stress 0', parallel to the x axis and the compressive stress 0', perpendicular to the x axis. These stresses are illustrated at 59 and 61. Rock, being a brittle material, tends to break in tension. Therefore, if a discontinuity of critical size and orientation exists in the region of maximum 0,, as shown in FIG. 2A, a crack will initiate as at 63 and will propagate in the direction indicated by the arrows. In a real situation, the crack propagation path will depend on the shape of the heat flux nuities in Classes II and III, in comparison with Class I,

distribution and on the compressive stress state 0 The tensile stresses initiate fracture but the stored strain, due primarily to compressive stress 0' provides the kinetic energy to extend the crack and to cause the fragment to spall. It is believed that, in Class I and more often in Class II rock, even a negligible compressive stress 0'. often propagates a tensile crack with the result that a flat plate-shaped fragment loosens from the rock mass but lacks the strain energy to burst free. Thermal Cracking Analysis In connection with thermal cracking, a thin layer of rock, I to 5 inches deep, which is to become or has become kerf rock, is heated to a temperature ranging upwardly to approximately 500 F.

Stresses developed by the thermal gradient are approximated by:

Where:

0' confined thermal stress E modulusof elasticity v Poissons ratio AT (r t t, final temperature t initial temperature It can be shown that stresses can be developed within the rock mass, of the magnitude of the rocks tensile strength, by a temperature increase of 70 F above t with E= X a=5 X 10 v=0.3, and t 80 F. Laboratory tests have shown that the tensile strength as a function of temperature, for so-called Red Massive Rock, is a minimum of 1,000 pounds per square inch in the range of 200 400 F. Below 200 F to room temperature the strength continually increases. These data indicate that cracks can be initiated at very low temperature gradients and that a crack, once started, propagates with ease, even through cold rock is permitted by boundary displacements. Such cracks are suggested at 67 in FIG. 2B.

As indicated previously, in situ rock often naturally contains from- 1/2 to 2 gallons of free water. It is believed that this water is forced into motion by pressure due to any thermal gradient, by vacuum generated at any crack apex, and by wetting (spreading) of dry rock surfaces, e.g., a new crack surface. The water then reacts with the rock surface to reduce its specific surface energy. The strength of brittle materials is given as:

a applied stress E modulus of elasticity y specific surface energy C inherent crack length The above relationship indicates that as y is reduced, rock strength is reduced, and that as crack length increases, rock strength is reduced; Further weakening occurs as a result of steam formation and condensation.

EXAMPLE II 228,000 BTU/ton X 200 ton/hr X l/O.47 97 X 10 BTU/hr (for 200 tons/hr) Thermomechanical:

Thermal Energy 50 tons/hr X 228,000/0.47 BTU/ton 24.3 x10 BTU/hr (for 50 tons) MechanicalEnergy analysis resulted:

300 hp 2,544 BTU/hr 0.764 X 10 BTU/hr (for I50 tons) Total 25.06 X 10 BTU/hr. (for 200 tons) Ratio 25/ 97 0.258 25.8 percent EXAMPLE III It was found that spallation rates, in grams per minute, at a depth of 1,1 10 feet underground and at a depth of 375 feet underground, were in the ratio of approximately two to one. This observation illustrates that the final stress state is a superposition of 'various stresses which are induced by tectonic forces, excavation configuration, heat distribution etc. Thus, stresses in rock due to natural causes can be used advantageously, in combination with stresses due to artificially applied energy, for fragmenting rock. Specifically, the deeper the excavation the greater the natural stress state and the greater the spallation effect for a given amount of applied heat flux;

The Thermo-mechanical Longwall Mining System of FIG. 3

In longwall copper ore mining, typically, two parallel service tunnels are driven from 200 to 800 feet apart and are connected by a third tunnel or gallery. Ore then is separated from the retreating wall (mining face) of this gallery while the roof of this gallery is supported above steel caps that are carried by props. These props and caps are designed to support the weight of the overlying rock, with an ample factor of safety. As each incremental depth of slice of oreis mined, the props together with the caps, in a sequence of steps, are released, moved forward toward the mining face and reinstalled. In the newly unsupported regions remote from themining face caving occurs into the underlying excavated region.

FIG. 3 illustrates a longwall face 50 of a gallery 52 that extends acrossand beyond a pair of service tunnels at 54 and 56. A plurality of props 58 extend from the mine floor 60 upwardly to a plurality of caps 62, on which the roof of the gallery is supported. Adjacent to the longwall face isa series of infrared heaters 64, each of which is constrained for reciprocal motion at right angles to the longwall face by a drive linkage 66 and a pair of parallel rails 67. Adjacent to the longwall face also is a mechanical ripping and plowing unit 68, which is movable along the longwall face under the control of a chain 69 on suitable wear and back plates that are parallel to and adjacent to the longwall face. Mechanical ripping and plowing unit 68 includes a plow 71 (details not shown) and two series impact moils 73a, 73b at opposite vertical edges of the plow. When unit 68 is moving in one direction, impactors 73a are oriented obliquely in mechanical contact with the longwall and when. unit 68 is moving in the other direction, impactors 73b are oriented obliquely in mechanical contact with the longwall, the arrangement being such that ripping of the longwall occurs with each pass of unit 68 in either direction. Plow 71 includes an upwardly and outwardly directed inner face by which rock is scooped from the vicinity of the longwall and channeled onto a panzer conveyor 75. Unit 68 and conveyor 75 are controlled by drive motor 77 and gearing 79, 81. The arrangement is such that heaters 64 focus infrared radiation along a zone between the floor and thereof, sequentially producing a region of weakness having greater than the original discontinuity density. As unit 68 is moved along the longwall, each of heaters 64 in sequence is retracted to permit unit 68 to pass between it and the longwall face and is returned to proximity with the Iongwall face after unit 68 has cleared. This reciprocal movement of each heater is under the control of the position of unit 68, which automatically initiates dimming in order to maximize equipment life and to economize electrical power consumption. The heater, ripper and plow device and the conveyor are advanced as a unit toward the longwall face, as the mining process continues, by the action of hydraulic cylinders anchored at one end to the roof support props and at the other end to the panzer conveyor. Props 58 which normally are pressured between the floor and the roof of the mine, are advanced by: (1) sequentially releasing the caps 62 on one set of props, (2) retracting the horizontal cylinder attached between the props and the panzer conveyor, and (3) repressurizing the freed caps 62 against the roof in a new advanced position. The process is repeated for adjacent props, down the length of the longwall until all have been repressurized at advanced positions.

The Infrared Heating Unit of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, each heating unit comprises a housing 80 within which the operating components are mounted and enclosed. Within the housing, infrared radiation isgenerated by a bank 82 of six groups of six electrically energized lamps, which are arranged to present a perpendicular face emitting infrared radiation. Behind each lamp is positioned a reflector 84, by which infrared radiation from the lamps is focused on the mining face for the purpose of producing a zone of discontinuities. Mounted at the front face of housing 80 in order to protect the lamps from fragmented rock are a coarse outer screen 88 and optionally a fine inner screen 90. Between the screens and the lamps is a quartz plate 91 which shields the lamps drom dust while passing infrared radiation. A blower 92 blows cooling air through the housing, via a filter 94 at the rear, past the lamps and through openings at the front.

Details of one of the lamps are shown at 96 in FIGS. 6 and 7, which is one example of a suitable lamp. This lamp includes a U-shaped quartz envelope having a bight 98 and a pair of legs 100, 102. Within bight 98 is a tungsten filament 104, the opposed ends of which are integral with tungsten leads 106, 108 to metal terminals 110, 112 (FIG, 6.). Thus the glass to metal seals at the free extremities of legs 100, 102 are spaced from the heat emitting bight in order to reduce seal temperature and to increase lamp life. Also the glass to metal seals, when the lamp is in operation, are located behind reflectors 84 so as to be air cooled efficiently. In one case lamp has a inch radiating length of filament consuming 2,000 wattsof electricity at a tungsten filament temperature of 4,000 F and 86 percent of the total electrical input or 1,720 watts of infrared radiation is emitted from the lamp in the wavelength range of 0.6 microns (yellow) to 4 microns (infrared). Non radiating space between the lamps is about 1% inches.

The function of reflectors 84 is to collect and redirect onto the minewall face as great as possible a fraction of the backwardly directed energy. Preferably the reflector is composed of material, having a high coefficient of reflectivity'for the band of wavelengths emitted by the infrared lamps and yet being mechanically strong and capable of operation at elevated skin temperatures with minimum cooling. The energy that is absorbed by the reflector causes a surface layer several microns thick to become hot and to re-radiate. Examples of materials which are suitable for reflector construction are magnesium oxide, magnesium carbonate and aluminum oxide. These compounds can be molded and fired into hard briquettes having high reflecting pure white surfaces. They are self-cleaning and can operate at high surface temperature without damage.

In one case, blower 92 has a capacity of 400 to 1,000 c.f.m. to provide cooling air for the lamp leads, the quartz lamp body and the reflector surfaces. A large portion of the air is directed to pass between the lamps and the reflectors so as to lower the surface temperature of quartz lamps to about l,600 F. In addition, the thermal energy absorbed by the outgoing air is directed through the front of the lamp enclosure toward the minewall, whereby additional preheating of the wall is effected.

Operation of the Thermo-mechanical Longwall System of FIG. 3 In Reference To FIG. 8

Each of heaters 64 of the device of FIG. 3 contains a control circuit of the type shown in FIG. 8. This circuit, which incorporates six lamps, is energized by a transformer 120. A master switch 122, when closed, applies the output of the secondary of transformer across six parallel paths, each of which includes a power relay 124 (for an associated lamp), a current relay 126 and a power level toggle switch 128. The arrangement is such as to establish across the lamps, a normal current which is the maximum current maintained across the lamps when the device of FIG. 3 is in operation with all switches 122, 126, 128 closed. When any heater 64 is retracted to its position remote from the excavation face, its associated switch 128 opens to economize power consumption while preventing undue lamp cooling, which might give rise to thermal shock. When any heater 64 is extended to its position adjacent to the excavation face, switch 122 closes.

Optional Separation of Ore and Gangue at the Mining Face In Reference To FIG. 9

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a geological formation in which the system of the present invention typically is employed. This cross-section specifically depicts a geological formation in the copper mine of the White Pine Copper Company, White Pine, Michigan. The broad designation of parting shale" and upper shale" ore strata actually are composed of alternating substrata of rich and lean copper bearing material as shown at 132 for copper-rich and at 134 for copperlean strata. In one form, impactor 40 of FIG. 1C is designed so that on one pass it gouges out lean strata 134, separating and discarding the fragments of such strata from the rich strata 132, which latter is the only material that is further processed through the crushing, grinding, milling and flotation circuits. Ripping of the entire parting shale is known as values-only mining because, in contrast to room-and-pillar mining, essentially none of the barren upper and lower sandstone is mined with the copper bearing shale. The foregoing technique of optional separation of ore and gangue at the mining face might be called truly values only" since it not only avoids dilution of the shale ore with barren sandstone, but it also minimizes further processing of barren strata of the parting shale itself. FIG. 9 also illustrates longwall mining and caving with the use of movable posts 136.

CONC LUSION The above described embodiment of the present invention involves the synergistic combination of thermal energy and mechanical energy for efficiently fragmenting hard rock from a mining or tunneling face. In its broadest sense, the heating assembly is the preferred one of many types of thermal, hydraulic, abrasive and laser units that can act to cut kerfs in an excavation face. Since certain changes may be made in the above disclosure without departing from the scope of the present invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawing be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is: I

1. A mining process of continuous excavation of successively exposed mine wall faces in a. hard rock mass rangingin compressive strength from 5,000 to 80,000 pounds per square inch, said hard rock mass being selected from sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic types having solid state discontinuities, said mining process comprising: wetting said successively exposed mine wall faces with a surfactant in order to precondition said mine wall, said surfactant being an aqueous detergent; heating in parallel a plurality of incrementsof said mine wall faces in order to condition said mine wall, said heating being effected by infrared radiation at a temperature of said rock ranging between l,000 and l,400 F; and fragmenting in serial said plurality of increments of said mine wall in order to achieve said continuous excavation, said fragmenting involving imparting mechanical energy.

2. The process of claim .1 wherein said heating involves formation of a kerf in said mine wall.

3.'The process of claim 1 wherein said rock is shale disposited between upper and lower layers of sandstone. I

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said heating is effected by infrared emitting lamp means, the distance between said infrared emitting lamp means and said successive faces being less than 12 inches.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein said infrared emitting lamp means produces a thermal gradient approximated by:

(r EaA T/l-w where:

0' confined thermal stress E modulus of elasticity v Poissons ratio AT r 0) t final temperature t intitial temperature such that 0' is a minimum of 1,000 pounds per square in the range of from 200 to 400 F.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said imparting of said mechanical energy is effected by a plurality of impactors.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said impactors vibrate approximately 25 times per second over approximately 0.2 inch travel.

8. The process of claim 6 wherein said impactors each delivers approximately 1,000 foot pounds per blow at a frequency of one to 10 blows per second.

Claims (8)

1. A mining process of continuous excavation of successively exposed mine wall faces in a hard rock mass ranging in compressive strength from 5,000 to 80,000 pounds per square inch, said hard rock mass being selected from sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic types having solid state discontinuities, said mining process comprising: wetting said successively exposed mine wall faces with a surfactant in order to precondition said mine wall, said surfactant being an aqueous detergent; heating in parallel a plurality of increments of said mine wall faces in order to condition said mine wall, said heating being effected by infrared radiation at a temperature of said rock ranging between 1,000* and 1,400* F; and fragmenting in serial said plurality of increments of said mine wall in order to achieve said continuous excavation, said fragmenting involving imparting mechanical energy.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said heating involves formation of a kerf in said mine wall.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein said rock is shale disposited between upper and lower layers of sandstone.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said heating is effected by infrared emitting lamp means, the distance between said infrared emitting lamp means and said successive faces being less than 12 inches.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein said infrared emitting lamp means produces a thermal gradient approximated by: sigma E Alpha Delta T/1- Nu where: sigma confined thermal stress E modulus of elasticity Nu Poisson''s ratio Delta T (t1 - t0) t1 final temperature t0 intitial temperature such that sigma is a minimum of 1,000 pounds per square in the range of from 200* to 400* F.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said imparting of said mechanical energy is effected by a plurality of impactors.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said impactors vibrate approximately 25 times per second over approximately 0.2 inch travel.

8. The process of claim 6 wherein said impactors each delivers approximately 1,000 foot pounds per blow at a frequency of one to 10 blows per second.

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