Method and apparatus for ripping rock by sonically vibratory teeth

Claim 1

A SONICALLY VIBRATORY ROCK RIPPING MACHINE, COMPRISING: A POWER MOTIVATED VEHICLE HAVING A FORWARD THRUST, AN ELONGATED ELASTIC BAR MOUNTED ON SAID VEHICLE SO AS TO EXTEND GENERALLY VERTICALLY AND TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OF SAID FORWARD THRUST, AND SO AS TO HAVE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, SAID BAR BEING ELASTICALLY VIBRATORY AT A RESONANT FREQUENCY IN A WAVE PATTERN CHARACTERIZED BY A LATERAL MODE OF STANDING WAVE VIBRATION IN A VERTICAL PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID DIRECTION OF FORWARD THRUST, WITH AT LEAST ONE NODAL POINT BETWEEN ITS UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, AT LEAST ONE VELOCITY ANTINODE THEREALONG, AND WITH A VIBRATORY PORTION AT ITS LOWER END, A ROCK ENGAGEABLE ROCK RIPPER POINT ACOUSTICALLY COUPLED TO SAID LOWER END OF SAID FORWARD THRUST, GENERALLY IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID FORWARD THRUST, BAR SUPPORTING MEANS ON SAID VEHICLE INCLUDING A BAR MOUNTING AFFORDING SUPPORT FOR SAID BAR AND THROUGH WHICH THE FORWARD THRUST OF SAID VEHICLE IS APPLIED TO SAID BAR, AND A VIBRATION GENERATOR FOR VIBRATING SAID BAR AT SAID RESONANT FREQUENCY COUPLED TO SAID BAR IN A REGION OF SUBSTANTIAL VIBRATION AMPLITUDE THEREOF AND BEING ARRANGED FOR APPLICATION TO SAID BAR OF A CYCLIC FORCE WHICH HAS A SUBSTANTIAL COMPONENT LATERALLY OF SAID BAR.

Claim 3

THE METHOD OF RIPPING A ROCK LAYER IN SITU IN THE EARTH, THAT COMPRISES: ENGAGING A SONIC RADIATOR POINT AGAINST A SHOULDER OF THE ROCK, BELOW THE TOP SURFACE THEREOF EXERTING A STRONG FORWARD BIAS FORCE ON THE POINT WHILE IT IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ROCK, PRODUCING ELASTIC RESONANT STANDING WAVE VIBRATION IN AN ELASTICALLY VIBRATORY RESONATOR MEMBER WHICH IS ACOUSTICALLY COUPLED TO SAID POINT SO AS TO VIBRATE SAID POINT WITH A COMPONENT OF SONIC VIBRATION WHICH IS GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH THE TOP SURFACE OF THE ROCK, AND GENERATING SAID VIBRATIONS IN SAID RESONATOR MEMBER BY ACOUSTICALLY COUPLING THERETO A VIBRATION GENERATOR OPERABLE IN THE FREQUENCY RANGE OF THE RESONANT FREQUENCY OF SAID RESONATOR MEMBER, AND DRIVING SAID GENERATOR AT SAID RESONANT FREQUENCY.

Claim 4

THE METHOD OF RIPPING A ROCK LAYER IN SITU IN THE EARTH, THAT COMPRISES: ENGAGING A SONIC RADIATOR POINT AGAINST A SHOULDER OF THE ROCK, BELOW THE TOP SURFACE THEREOF EXERTING A STRONG FORWARD BIAS FORCE ON THE POINT WHILE IT IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ROCK, PRODUCING ELASTIC RESONANT STANDING WAVE VIBRATION IN AN ELASTICALLY VIBRATORY RESONATOR MEMBER WHICH IS ACOUSTICALLY COUPLED TO SAID POINT SO AS TO VIBRATE SAID POINT WITH A COMPONENT OF SONIC VIBRATION WHICH IS GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH THE TOP SURFACE OF THE ROCK, AND GENERATING SAID VIBRATIONS IN SAID RESONATOR MEMBER BY ACOUSTICALLY COUPLING THERETO A VIBRATION GENERATOR OPERABLE IN THE FREQUENCY RANGE OF THE RESONANT FREQUENCY OF SAID RESONATOR MEMBER, AND DRIVING SAID GENERATOR AT SAID RESONANT FREQUENCY.