SBIR Phase I: Controlled-Foam Injection for the Fracturing of Rock and Concrete

* 9761109杨 这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目的目的是研究和评估一种新的非爆炸性岩石挖掘和混凝土拆除方法。 该过程涉及在高压下将泡沫注入岩石或混凝土中的预钻孔中，通过一个包含新的孔底密封方法的桶进行破碎。 泡沫的高粘度（与气体相比）与其储能特性（与液体相比）相结合导致非常受控的破裂。 破碎岩石或混凝土的压力明显小于基于使用小型炸药或推进剂装药的方法所需的压力。 因此，气流和飞石减少到非常良性的水平，允许该方法以连续的方式应用，并用于城市和其他敏感环境。 该方法的增量破坏与所需硬件的移动性和简单性相结合，使该方法具有相当大的高度自动化潜力。 第一阶段项目将量化岩石和混凝土中可能实现的破碎，研究有效破碎所需的泡沫粘度和压力，并确定具有自动化潜力的过程的各个方面。 用于岩石破碎的受控泡沫喷射方法可用于在现有街道和建筑物下开发公用事业隧道，为现有地铁系统提供通道隧道或竖井，修改或扩大用隧道掘进机进行的挖掘，或挖掘或扩大建筑物的地下空间。 在混凝土破碎和剥离领域，当排除爆炸方法或需要抢救和回收建筑物或结构部件时，该方法可用于拆除混凝土结构。 ***

*** 9761109 Young This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is directed towards the study and evaluation of a new non-explosive rock excavation and concrete demolition method. The process involves injecting foam at high pressure into pre-drilled holes in the rock or concrete to be broken through a barrel incorporating a new hole bottom sealing method. The high viscosity of the foam (as compared to a gas) combined with its stored energy characteristics (as compared to a liquid) result in very controlled breakage. The pressures to break the rock or concrete are significantly less than required in methods based upon the use of small explosive or propellant charges. Consequently, airblast and flyrock are reduced to very benign levels allowing the method to be applied in a continuous manner and to be used in urban and other sensitive environments. The incremental breakage of the method combined with the mobility and simplicity of the requisite hardware give the method considerable potential to be highly automated. The Phase I project will quantify the breakage that might be achieved in rock and concrete, investigate the foam viscosities and pressures required for efficient breakage and identify aspects of the process with a potential for automation. The controlled foam injection method for rock breakage could be used to develop utility tunnels under existing streets and buildings, to provide access tunnels or shafts to existing subway systems, to modify or enlarge excavation carried out with tunnel boring machines or to excavate or enlarge underground space for buildings. In the area of concrete breakage and stripping the method would be useful for demolishing concrete structures when explosive methods were precluded or where salvage and recycling of building or structure components was desirable. ***