Means for applying wedging forces to minerals and other bodies

Abstract

Abstract SUSTAINED AND RAPIDLY AUGMENTED WEDGING FORCES ARE APPLIED TO A DRILLED STONE BODY BY MEANS OF A FLUID POWERACTUATED RECIPROCATING WEDGE APPARATUS TO CARRY OUT A CONTROLLED AND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE SPLITTING ACTION. THE RECIPROCATING WEDGE APPARATUS INCLUDES A SPRING-LOADED WEDGE DEVICE, A WEDGE RETAINING STRUCTURE AND A DRIVER MECHANISM FOR TRANSMITTING DRIVING FORCES TO THE WEDGE DEVICE. THE WEDGE DEVICE IS OF THE PLUG AND FEATHER CLASS IN WHICH A PAIR OF WEDGE FEATHERS AND A CENTRALLY DISPOSED WEDGE PLUG ARE DESIGNED TO BE LOCATED IN A DRILLED HOLE WITH THE WEDGE RETAINING STRUCTURE AND DRIVER MECHANISM BEING SUPPORTED EXTERNALLY OF THE DRILLED HOLE IN SOME CONVENIENT MANNER. THE WEDGE RETAINING STRUCTURE RESILIENTLY CONTAINS THE WEDGE FEATHERS IN A NORMALLY CONTRACTED POSITION AGAINST THE WEDGE PLUG. A FLUID POWER-ACTUATED PISTON, ARRANGED WITHIN THE DRIVER MECHANISM IS CONNECTED TO THE WEDGE PLUG AND OPERATES TO FORCE THE WEDGE PLUG INTO AND OUT OF A WEDGING POSITION BETWEEN THE PAIR OF RESILIENTLY CONTAINED WEDGE FEATHERS. THE WEDGE FEATHERS RETURN TO A NORMALLY CONTRACTED POSITION WHEN THE WEDGE PLUG IS RETRACTED AND ALL PARTS ARE REMOVABLE FROM THE DRILLED HOLE AS A COMPACT UNIT WHICH CAN BE EMPLOYED IN SUCCESSIVE WEDGING OPERATIONS.

Inventors

• 👤 Ralph A Fletcher
• 👤 Joseph R Oliver

Bibliographic Details