Electron Beam Fracturing of Hard Rock

Résumé du livre

An experimental and analytical investigation has been conducted to determine if a moving pressure source can drive a fracture parallel to a free surface. The research was conducted to determine the technical feasibility of a hard-rock mining technique using a high-energy electron beam to create the moving pressure source. By controlling the electron beam sweep orientation and sweep velocity across a rock face, a minimum-energy rock-breaking procedure can be envisioned. The two-dimensional analytical technique used could not simulate fracture branching phenomena. However, the analysis of the dynamic stress field produced by a programmed straight fracture did indicate that branch fractures would occur in the region of the pressure source. (Author).