A rock-breaking sampling device for asteroids and methods of use thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a rock-breaking sampling device for asteroids and its usage method. The rock-breaking sampling device includes a mobile platform, a rock collection component and a thermal stripping component installed at the front end of the mobile platform, and a solar panel installed at the rear end of the mobile platform. The thermal stripping component includes a microwave generator, a waveguide, and a microwave irradiation plate connected in sequence. The microwave irradiation plate thermally strips the rock fragments located at the front end of the mobile platform to form stripped rock fragments. The rock collection component includes a jet curtain pipe, a rock collection pipe, a rock collection box, an air pump, a second control valve, an air storage tank, a first control valve, and an air compressor arranged in sequence along the airflow direction. The exhaust port of the air compressor is connected to the front end of the jet curtain pipe through a pressure-resistant pipe to form a circulating airflow. This invention satisfies the requirements of continuous and effective crushing of asteroid rocks under conditions of equipment miniaturization and low power; and ensures long-term, high-volume continuous mining operations during a single spacecraft launch.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of aerospace and space mining technology, and particularly relates to a rock-breaking sampling device for asteroids and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] Asteroids are generally considered remnants from the early formation of the solar system and are widely distributed throughout the solar system, playing a crucial role in studying its origin and evolution. As of July 2020, astronomers had discovered over 15,000 near-Earth asteroids, and this number is increasing by several hundred per month. Based on their composition, asteroids can be classified as carbonaceous, rocky, and metallic. Metallic asteroids, in particular, often contain rare metals such as nickel, gold, and platinum, and their resources are abundant. For example, according to Planetary Resources, platinum group metals, one of the rarest and most valuable elements on Earth, are found in very high concentrations on asteroids; a platinum-rich asteroid with a diameter of approximately 500 meters contains more platinum group metals than any platinum group metal ever mined from Earth throughout human history.

[0003] To date, stellar mining related to asteroid mining has focused on the Moon and Mars. Common sampling techniques for lunar and stellar mining include drilling, robotic arm digging, grinding, and grasping. However, these methods are unsuitable for asteroids due to the large sampling reaction forces and long sampling times. Furthermore, asteroid surfaces may contain high-strength, giant rock structures, which poses significant challenges to breaking up intact ore deposits.

[0004] The early-stage technological concepts and practices of asteroid mining can be summarized into the following four categories:

[0005] 1. Contact method

[0006] After the sampler gets close to the surface of the asteroid, it uses high-pressure air to loosen the weathered layer on the surface before sending it into the collection device.

[0007] 2. Impact method

[0008] The asteroid's surface is either shot at or impacted by projectiles. Due to the asteroid's weak gravity, the resulting debris from the impact will be ejected along the inner wall of the sample collector into the sample container.

[0009] 3. Arrest Method

[0010] After arriving, the probe will capture and de-rotate the asteroid, transferring the probe and the asteroid together to Earth-Moon orbit. Subsequently, a manned spacecraft will be launched to complete the docking, and astronauts will exit the spacecraft to perform sampling operations.

[0011] 4. Drilling method

[0012] The process involves using a drill to break up and expose underground rocks, then using a transport and collection device to collect samples. In 2005, Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft conducted a sample collection experiment on an asteroid, employing a projectile impact followed by containment and recovery, but the sample size was extremely small.

[0013] Of course, besides the above, there are other non-mainstream conceptual methods such as vibration and ultrasound. Among them, contact and impact methods may only be suitable for small-scale sampling, while capture methods are only applicable to small celestial bodies and are technically challenging. Currently, the most mainstream method is drilling. Before drilling, the mining machine or sampling machine needs to be anchored to the asteroid surface. However, due to the microgravity environment of the asteroid surface, the structure of its rock cuttings or asteroid soil is relatively loose, which makes drilling more difficult than on the Earth's surface, especially since large, high-efficiency drilling equipment is almost impossible to use. Summary of the Invention

[0014] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a rock-breaking sampling device for asteroids with low reaction force, high effective fragmentation, and large sampling volume, as well as its usage method.

[0015] The rock-breaking and sampling device for asteroids provided by this invention includes a mobile platform with wheels at the bottom, a rock collection component and a thermal exfoliation component installed at the front end of the mobile platform, and a solar panel installed at the rear end of the mobile platform. The solar panel includes solar panels to absorb solar energy, store electricity, and provide power to the mobile platform, the thermal exfoliation component, and the rock fragment collection component. The thermal exfoliation component includes a microwave generator, a waveguide, and a microwave irradiation plate connected in sequence. The microwave irradiation plate is positioned towards the front end of the mobile platform. The microwave generator transmits microwaves to the microwave irradiation plate through the waveguide. The microwave irradiation plate thermally exfoliates the rock fragments located at the front end of the mobile platform, forming... The detached rock fragments are collected in a rock fragment collection assembly consisting of a jet curtain pipe, a rock fragment collection pipe, a rock fragment collection box, an air pump, a second control valve, a gas storage tank, a first control valve, and an air compressor arranged sequentially along the airflow direction. The exhaust port of the air compressor is connected to the front end of the jet curtain pipe through a pressure-resistant pipe to form a circulating airflow. The front end of the jet curtain pipe and the moving platform together form a square sampling port. The microwave irradiation plate is placed between the jet curtain pipe and the rock fragment collection pipe. The gas in the gas storage tank is compressed by the air compressor and sprayed into the jet curtain pipe to guide the detached rock fragments to move directionally to the rock fragment collection pipe. The air pump is activated to drive the detached rock fragments to be sucked into the rock fragment collection box.

[0016] The mobile platform includes an equipment platform with wheels at the bottom and a support plate rotatably mounted at the front end of the equipment platform. The jet curtain pipe, rock collection pipe, rock collection box, waveguide and microwave irradiation plate are mounted on the support plate, and the microwave generator, air pump, air storage tank and air compressor are mounted on the equipment platform.

[0017] The sampling port is formed by an air jet curtain pipe and a support plate, and the microwave irradiation plate is arranged coaxially and parallel to the sampling port plane.

[0018] A support column for fixing the microwave irradiation plate is provided on the support plate. The air jet curtain pipe and the rock collection pipe are symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the support column.

[0019] The microwave irradiation plate is square and is 1 / 4 the area of ​​the sampling port.

[0020] Both the first control valve and the second control valve are one-way throttle valves.

[0021] The rock collection box is equipped with an air filter port that is connected to the air pump.

[0022] A method of using the above-mentioned rock-breaking sampling equipment includes the following steps:

[0023] S1. Move the mobile platform to the rock block to be crushed, adjust the state of the wheels so that the sampling port is in perpendicular contact with the wall of the rock block, and fix the wheels of the mobile platform.

[0024] S2. Open the jet curtain pipe, the air pump, the second control valve, the first control valve and the air compressor, so that the airflow ejected from the jet curtain pipe passes through the rock collection pipe, the rock collection box, the air pump, the second control valve and the air storage tank to form a stable airflow channel;

[0025] S3. Turn on the microwave generator to generate microwaves that are transmitted to the microwave irradiation plate through the waveguide and irradiate the wall of the mineral rock block. The wall of the mineral rock block is subjected to surface heating load, which causes thermal spalling to form spalled rock blocks. The rock fragments are guided into the rock block collection pipe under the guidance of a stable airflow, and the rock blocks are continuously accumulated in the collection box under the suction of the air pump.

[0026] S4. When the rock collection box is full of rock blocks, turn off the microwave generator, the first control valve, the second control valve, the air compressor, the jet curtain pipe, and the air pump, replace the rock collection box, and complete one sampling.

[0027] S5. Repeat steps S1 to S3 to begin the next crushing and collection of ore.

[0028] This invention is based on the mechanism of rock thermal exfoliation. It utilizes microwaves to instantaneously heat the surface of the rock block, causing the heated surface and the thin layer beneath it to instantly peel off under compressive stress and eject in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the rock block. After one layer of rock is peeled off, the newly formed surface undergoes the same process, causing the peeling depression to continuously extend into the interior of the rock block. This effectively overcomes the technical difficulties of large reaction forces, high difficulty in effective crushing, and small sampling volume in traditional asteroid rock crushing practices under low gravity environments. It meets the requirements for continuous and effective crushing of asteroid rocks under conditions of miniaturized equipment and low power, alleviating the difficulty of space launch. The equipment is characterized by miniaturization, simple composition, mature technology, high reliability, and continuous operation of a single space launch kit.

[0029] This invention integrates the design of asteroid ore crushing and collection, and the recycling of gas in the gas storage tank and the stable operation of the solar panels ensure long-term, high-volume continuous mining operations during a single launch of an aerospace component. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the rock-breaking sampling device for asteroids in this invention.

[0031] The markings shown in the diagram and their corresponding component names are as follows:

[0032] 1. Mobile platform; 11. Wheels; 12. Equipment platform; 13. Support plate; 14. Support column;

[0033] 2. Rock collection assembly; 21. Air curtain pipe; 22. Rock collection pipe; 23. Rock collection box; 24. Air pump; 25. Second control valve; 26. Air storage tank; 27. First control valve; 28. Air compressor; 29. ​​Sampling port; 231. Air filter port; 281. Pressure-resistant pipeline;

[0034] 3. Thermal stripping assembly; 31. Microwave generator; 32. Waveguide; 33. Microwave irradiation plate;

[0035] 4. Solar panels;

[0036] 5. Mineral rocks and rock blocks;

[0037] 6. Peeled rock fragments. Detailed Implementation

[0038] from Figure 1 As can be seen, this invention, a rock-breaking sampling device for asteroids, includes a mobile platform 1, a rock collection assembly 2, a thermal exfoliation assembly 3, and a solar energy assembly, wherein...

[0039] The mobile platform 1 includes an equipment platform 12 with wheels 11 mounted on the bottom and a support plate 13 rotatably mounted on the front end of the equipment platform 12. A protruding support column 14 is provided on the support plate 13.

[0040] The rock collection assembly 2 includes an air jet curtain pipe 21, a rock collection pipe 22, a rock collection box 23, an air pump 24, a second control valve 25, an air storage tank 26, a first control valve 27, and an air compressor 28. The air jet curtain pipe 21 and the rock collection pipe 22 are symmetrically installed on the support plates 13 on the front and rear sides of the support column 14. The front end of the air jet curtain pipe 21 and the support plate 14 form a square sampling port 29. The rear end of the air jet curtain pipe 21 is connected to the front end of the rock collection pipe 22. The rock collection box 23 is installed on the support plate 13 behind the rock collection pipe 22 and is connected to the rock collection pipe 23. The rear end is connected and arranged. The air pump 24, air tank 26 and air compressor 28 are installed on the front end of the equipment platform 12. The rock collection box 23 is provided with an air filter port 231 for exhaust. The air filter port 231 is connected to the air intake port of the air pump 24 through a pressure-resistant hose. The air outlet of the air pump 24 is connected to the air inlet of the air tank 26 through a second control valve 25. The air outlet of the air tank 26 is connected to the air inlet of the air compressor 28 through a first control valve 27. The exhaust port of the air compressor 28 is connected to the front end of the jet curtain pipe 21 through a pressure-resistant pipe 281 to form a circulating airflow.

[0041] The thermal stripping assembly 3 includes a microwave generator 31, a waveguide 32, and a microwave irradiation plate 33, which are electrically connected in sequence. The microwave irradiation plate 33 is fixed on the support column 14 and its microwave emitting surface is arranged facing the front end of the support plate 13. The waveguide 32 is installed on the support plate 13 behind the microwave irradiation plate 33. The microwave generator 31 is installed on the equipment platform 12. The microwave generator 31 transmits microwaves to the microwave irradiation plate 33 through the waveguide 32. The microwave irradiation plate 33 thermally strips the rock block 5 located at the end of the support plate 13 to form stripped rock block 6. The gas in the gas storage tank 26 is compressed by the air compressor 28 and sprayed into the jet curtain pipe 21 to guide the stripped rock block 6 to move in a directional direction to the rock block collection pipe 22. The air pump 24 is started to drive the stripped rock block 6 to be sucked into the rock block collection box 23.

[0042] The solar module includes solar panel 4, which absorbs solar energy to store electricity and provide power to the mobile platform, thermal stripping module and rock cuttings collection module; solar panel 4 is installed at the rear of the equipment platform 12 to maintain the overall balance of the equipment during operation.

[0043] In this invention, the microwave irradiation plate 33 and the sampling port 29 are arranged coaxially and parallel to each other.

[0044] In this invention, the jet curtain pipe 21 integrates the control module.

[0045] In this invention, the walking wheel 11 can achieve full-angle steering and locking, and is connected to the equipment platform 12 as a transmission connection.

[0046] In this invention, the rock collection pipe 22 and the rock collection box 23 are detachable mechanically connected for fixing and disassembling.

[0047] In this invention, the microwave irradiation plate 33 is square and is 1 / 4 the area of ​​the sampling port 29.

[0048] In this invention, both the first control valve 27 and the second control valve 25 are one-way throttle valves.

[0049] The method of using this asteroid rock-breaking sampling device of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0050] S1. Move the mobile platform 1 to the rock block 5 to be crushed, adjust the state of the walking wheels 11 and the support plate 3 so that the sampling port 29 is in perpendicular contact with the wall of the rock block 5, maintain the state of the support plate 3 and fix the walking wheels 11 of the mobile platform 1.

[0051] S2. Open the jet curtain pipe 21, the air pump 24, the second control valve 25, the first control valve 27 and the air compressor 28, so that the high-pressure airflow ejected from the jet curtain pipe 21 is stored in the gas storage tank 26 through the rock collection pipe 22, the rock collection box 23, the air pump 24 and the second control valve 25. The gas in the gas storage tank 26 is pressurized by the first control valve 27 and the air compressor 28 and then ejected from the front end of the jet curtain pipe 21, thereby forming a stable airflow channel.

[0052] S3. Turn on the microwave generator 31 to generate microwaves that are transmitted to the microwave irradiation plate 33 via the waveguide 32, irradiating the wall surface of the mineral rock block 5. After the wall surface of the mineral rock block 5 is subjected to surface heating load, it will form disc-shaped detached rock blocks 6 of different sizes and thicknesses due to thermal spalling. The rock fragments will enter the rock block collection pipe 22 under the guidance of a stable airflow at the moment of ejection, and will continuously accumulate in the rock block collection box 23 under the action of the air pump 24 and the air filter port 231. As the working time of the microwave irradiation plate increases, the rock blocks will continue to accumulate in the rock block collection box 23.

[0053] S4. When the rock collection box 23 is full of rock blocks, turn off the microwave generator 31, the first control valve 27, the second control valve 25, the air compressor 28, the jet curtain pipe 21, and the air pump 24, replace the rock collection box 23, and complete one sampling.

[0054] S5. Repeat steps S1 to S3 to begin the next crushing and collection of ore and rock, realizing the task of reusing limited equipment and sampling a large number of samples.

[0055] The theory of thermal spalling or thermal fracturing of rocks has been a hot topic in the field of rock breaking since the 1830s. Rock breaking technologies based on this theory include laser irradiation, microwave irradiation, flame jetting, and superheated steam injection. It is currently believed that the rock fragments produced by rock spalling are approximately disk-shaped, and the maximum thickness is controlled by the temperature level.

[0056] This invention can better provide technical support for my country's aerospace and space mining, and ensure the mineral security needed for national development.

Claims

1. A rock-breaking sampling apparatus for asteroids, characterized by: The application relates to a rock breaking device, which comprises a moving platform (1) provided with walking wheels (11) at the bottom, a rock collecting assembly (2) and a thermal stripping assembly (3) arranged at the front end of the moving platform, a solar assembly arranged at the rear end of the moving platform, The solar assembly comprises solar panels (4) for absorbing solar energy to store electric energy and provide electric energy for the moving platform, the thermal stripping assembly and the rock collecting assembly. The thermal stripping assembly comprises a microwave generator (31), a waveguide (32) and a microwave irradiation plate (33) connected in sequence, the microwave irradiation plate is arranged towards the front end of the moving platform, the microwave generator transmits microwaves to the microwave irradiation plate through the waveguide, and the microwave irradiation plate performs thermal stripping on the mineral rock (5) located at the front end of the moving platform to form stripped rock (6). The rock collecting assembly comprises a jet air curtain pipe (21), a rock collecting pipe (22), a rock collecting box (23), an air suction pump (24), a second control valve (25), a gas storage tank (26), a first control valve (27) and an air compressor (28) arranged in sequence and communicated along the air flow direction, the air outlet of the air compressor is connected with the front end of the jet air curtain pipe through a pressure-resistant pipeline (281) to form a circulating air flow, the front end of the jet air curtain pipe is combined with the moving platform to form a square sampling port (29), the microwave irradiation plate is arranged between the jet air curtain pipe and the rock collecting pipe, the gas in the gas storage tank is compressed by the air compressor and then sprayed into the jet air curtain pipe to guide the stripped rock to move to the rock collecting pipe in a directional manner, and the air suction pump is started to drive the stripped rock to be sucked into the rock collecting box.

2. The rock-breaking sampling apparatus for asteroids according to claim 1, characterized in that: The moving platform comprises a device platform (12) provided with walking wheels at the bottom and a support plate (13) rotatably arranged at the front end of the device platform, the jet air curtain pipe, the rock collecting pipe, the rock collecting box, the waveguide and the microwave irradiation plate are arranged on the support plate, and the microwave generator, the air suction pump, the gas storage tank and the air compressor are arranged on the device platform.

3. The rock-breaking sampling apparatus for asteroids according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sampling port is formed by the jet air curtain pipe and the support plate, and the microwave irradiation plate is arranged in parallel with the plane of the sampling port.

4. A rock-breaking sampling apparatus for asteroids as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: A support column (14) for fixing the microwave irradiation plate is arranged on the support plate, and the jet air curtain pipe and the rock collecting pipe are symmetrically arranged on the front and back sides of the support column.

5. The rock-breaking sampling apparatus for asteroids according to claim 4, characterized in that: The microwave irradiation plate is square and has an area of 1 / 4 of the sampling port.

6. The rock-breaking sampling apparatus for asteroids according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first control valve and the second control valve are both one-way throttling valves.

7. The rock-breaking sampling apparatus for asteroids according to claim 1, characterized in that: A filter air port (231) is arranged on the rock collecting box and communicated with the air suction pump.

8. A method of using the rock breaking sampling device of any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method comprises the following steps: S1, moving the moving platform (1) to the mineral rock (5) to be broken, adjusting the state of the walking wheels (11) to make the sampling port (29) vertically contact the wall surface of the mineral rock, and fixing the walking wheels of the moving platform; S2, starting the jet air curtain pipe (21), the air suction pump (24), the second control valve (25), the first control valve (27) and the air compressor (28), so that the air flow sprayed from the jet air curtain pipe is stored into the gas storage tank (26) through the rock collecting pipe (22), the rock collecting box (23), the air suction pump and the second control valve, the gas in the gas storage tank is compressed by the first control valve and the air compressor to form high pressure, and then sprayed from the front end of the jet air curtain pipe to form a stable air flow channel; S3, turn on the microwave generator (31), excite the microwave to pass through the waveguide (32) to the microwave irradiation plate (33), irradiate the wall surface of the ore rock block; the wall surface of the ore rock block is subjected to surface heating load, thermal spalling occurs to form spalling rock block (6), the rock debris is guided into the rock block collecting pipe under the stable airflow, and the rock block is continuously gathered in the collecting box under the suction of the air suction pump; S4, when the rock block collecting box is full of rock blocks, turn off the microwave generator, the first control valve, the second control valve, the air compressor, the air jet air curtain pipe and the air suction pump, replace the rock block collecting box, and complete one sampling; S5, repeat steps S1 to S3, that is, start the next crushing and collection of ore rock.

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