Activation device for self-inflating gas bag and gas spacer

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of activation device and gas spacer of self-inflating gas bag, the gas tank filled with compressed gas is included in the gas bag, the device includes shell and trigger assembly;The shell has hollow structure, to slidably be set in the outside of the gas bag, and the shell has the attachment portion for being attached with halyard;One end of the trigger assembly is fixedly connected with shell, and the other end extends to the inside of shell;When the shell is set in the outside of the gas bag, the trigger assembly can indirectly contact with the opener of the gas tank.The scheme of the application can realize the accurate positioning of gas bag in various scenarios.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of engineering blasting technology, and in particular to an activation device and gas separator for a self-inflating gas bag. Background Technology

[0002] Gas bags are used in borehole blasting as a specialized technique known as air decking. A gas bag is a self-expanding blast hole plug used to block or seal a blast hole at any depth, preventing gas leakage during the explosion of the explosive within the hole, thus ensuring that the explosive energy is more effectively concentrated on the target rock. Depending on the inflation method, there are two types of gas bags: aerosol gas bags and chemical gas bags. This invention is an improvement on aerosol gas bags, enabling the gas bag to precisely expand and lock into place at the desired depth within the blast hole.

[0003] Gas bags have been used in borehole blasting for decades, with numerous manufacturers and suppliers on the market. Currently, the inflation process for aerosol gas bags is manual, requiring the user to press an aerosol activator inside the gas bag. The gas bag is housed in a secondary protective plastic bag with instructions on where to press to activate inflation. While not directly relevant to this application, it is worth mentioning that chemical gas bags are also inflated using the same manual process. Once activated, the gas bag begins to inflate, and the user has less than one minute to advance the gas bag to the desired position within the borehole before it is secured to the borehole wall by sufficient pressure and size. For vertically downward boreholes, completing gas bag inflation at the desired position is feasible because gravity helps the gas bag descend into the borehole, and there is sufficient time before the gas bag inflates and secures to the borehole wall.

[0004] However, this is not the case for blast holes that are vertically oriented, horizontally oriented, or where gravity cannot help position the gas bag in the desired location within the hole. Inaccurate placement of the gas bag within the blast hole can have serious negative consequences for the mine, as summarized below:

[0005] 1. Bridging formation and ore loss

[0006] Bridging: Gas bags are used to create an air cushion within the rupture hole, causing the upper part (resistance line) of the column to rupture before the lower part (cushion). Improper placement will disrupt this sequence.

[0007] Incomplete rupture: When the gas bag is placed too high, the resistance line may not rupture completely, leaving unbroken rock areas between the blasting sections—a phenomenon known as "bridging".

[0008] Ore loss: Bridging can trap ore and prevent it from being mined, resulting in the direct loss of valuable ore.

[0009] Insufficient product retention: Insufficient product retention may cause explosives to fall from adjacent blast holes before detonation, resulting in air gaps and partial misfires.

[0010] 2. Increased production costs

[0011] Re-drilling: Bridging may require re-drilling to break up the remaining rock, which will significantly increase time and resource consumption.

[0012] Secondary blasting (stripping): Further blasting attempts (secondary blasting) may be needed to break up the bridging, which will increase costs and may further lead to instability.

[0013] Equipment wear and tear: Re-drilling and secondary blasting will put additional pressure on the equipment, accelerating its wear and tear.

[0014] 3. Security risks:

[0015] Ground instability: Incomplete blasting can cause cracks and instability in the ground, increasing the risk of rockfalls and collapses.

[0016] Air shock wave: Improper blasting can cause unexpected air shock waves, which may result in personal injury, equipment damage, and disruption of ventilation systems.

[0017] Misfire: Improper placement of the gas bag increases the likelihood of a misfire—that is, the explosive fails to detonate, which poses a serious safety hazard.

[0018] Despite the best practices employed by the mine, including careful planning of drilling and blasting schedules and the use of experienced personnel, current methods of inflating gas bags offer only limited time to precisely position the gas bag before it is inflated to the required pressure and size to secure it within the blast hole.

[0019] Therefore, this utility model aims to solve the significant risks and problems caused by inaccurate placement of gas bags in non-vertically downward rupture holes. Utility Model Content

[0020] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide an external activation device and gas spacer for a self-inflating gas bag that can accurately position the gas bag in various scenarios.

[0021] According to a first aspect of the present invention, an activation device for a self-inflating gas bag is provided, wherein the gas bag includes a gas tank filled with compressed gas, and the activation device includes a housing and a triggering component.

[0022] The housing has a hollow structure to be fitted over the outside of the gas tank and gas bag, and the housing has an attachment portion for attachment with a tethering cable.

[0023] One end of the triggering component is fixedly connected to the housing, and the other end extends into the housing;

[0024] When the housing is fitted over the outside of the gas tank and gas bag, the triggering component can indirectly contact the gas tank's opener.

[0025] Optionally, the housing has a shape that matches the gas tank so as to be slidably fitted onto the outside of the gas tank.

[0026] Optionally, the shell is part of a cylinder with an incomplete circular cross-section.

[0027] Optionally, the housing has openings at both ends, and the triggering component is located at one of the openings.

[0028] Optionally, the housing and the trigger assembly are integrally formed.

[0029] Optionally, the triggering component is a flange.

[0030] Optionally, the housing has a plurality of notches along its axial direction at an opening at at least one end, serving as the attachment portion through which the tether is attached to the housing.

[0031] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a gas spacer is also provided, comprising a flexible, self-inflating gas bag, the gas bag including a gas tank filled with compressed gas, and an activation device as described in the first aspect.

[0032] This utility model has the following advantages:

[0033] The activation device of this invention has a hollow shell structure that can be fitted over a gas cylinder or gas bag. A trigger component fixedly connected to the shell can indirectly contact the gas cylinder's opener through the gas bag. One end of a tether is fixed to the shell; when the other end of the tether is pulled, it causes the trigger component on the shell to apply pressure or tension to the opener, thereby opening the gas cylinder. Thus, the gas bag can be first pushed into the desired position within the rupture hole, and then the filling can be initiated by pulling the tether. This allows for precise positioning and effective opening of the gas bag in rupture holes of any orientation. Furthermore, the structure of this activation device is easy to manufacture and has a low cost. Attached Figure Description

[0034] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the activation device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the usage of the activation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The activation device of this invention is used for a self-inflating gas bag, which includes a gas canister filled with compressed gas. The activation device includes a housing and a trigger assembly. The housing has a hollow structure to fit over the gas canister and the gas bag, and the housing has an attachment portion for attaching to a tether. One end of the trigger assembly is fixedly connected to the housing, and the other end extends into the housing. When the housing is fitted over the gas canister and the gas bag, the trigger assembly can indirectly contact the gas canister's opener with the gas bag as a gap. One end of the tether is connected to the housing through the attachment portion. By pulling the other end of the tether, the housing can be moved, and the trigger assembly can apply a force, such as a lifting or pressing force, to the gas canister's opener, thereby activating the gas canister. Optionally, the housing has a shape that matches the gas canister so that it can be slidably fitted over the gas canister. Optionally, the housing is a portion of a cylinder with an incomplete circular cross-section.

[0038] As a concrete example, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the activation device 11 of this invention may include a hollow and incomplete cylindrical shell with openings at both ends, fitted over the outside of a gas canister 20, such as an aerosol can, but importantly, it is located outside of a gas bag 30. The gas bag 30 wraps around the cylindrical profile of the gas canister 20, allowing the device 11 to slide on the gas canister 20 while remaining outside the gas bag 30. At least one end of the shell of the device 11 has a flange 112 as a triggering component, one end of which is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the shell, and the other end extends a distance into the shell, so that when the device 11 is fitted over the gas canister 20, the flange 112 can be located directly above the opener of the gas canister 20, separated only by the gas bag 30. The housing also has an attachment portion 111 to which tethers 13 are attached. After the gas bag is placed in a preset position in the rupture hole, pulling these tethers 13 upwards will cause the flange 112 on the device 11 to press the opener of the gas tank 20, thereby initiating the inflation process of the gas bag 30. Figure 2 As shown.

[0039] The incomplete cylindrical shell facilitates the sliding of the device 11 outside the gas tank 20 to adjust the position of the flange 112 to align with the opener of the gas tank 20, and to facilitate disengagement from the gas tank 20 when the gas bag 30 is inflated. The cross-section of the shell is an incomplete circle with a central angle, for example, greater than 180 degrees and less than 300 degrees.

[0040] In this embodiment, the housing of device 11 has multiple notches along its axial direction at the open end with flange 112. As the attachment part 111, the tether 13 is attached to the housing through these notches. For example, the tether 13 is wrapped around the multiple notches, thereby applying pressure to the opener of the gas canister 20 by pulling the tether 13. Optionally, multiple notches are provided at both open ends of device 11, allowing the direction of force application to be selected as needed. For example, if the opener of the gas canister 20 is a pull-open mechanism, device 11 can be similarly fitted over the gas canister 20, the position of flange 112 adjusted to be below the opener, the tether 13 bypassing the notch at the open end away from the flange, and pulling the tether 13 causes flange 112 to apply tension to the opener, thus initiating the inflation process of the gas bag 30. In this embodiment, the tether 13 can be removed from device 11 when not in use for easy storage, and the notch can be selected according to needs during use, making it adaptable to different scenarios. The tether 13 can also be connected to the device 11 in other ways, such as by being fixedly fastened to a certain position on the housing (i.e., attachment 111). Multiple tethers 13 can also be used.

[0041] The flange 112 can have any shape, as long as it can apply force to the opener of the gas canister 20. Optionally, the flange 112 is partially annular to match the inner surface of the cylindrical shell and provide a more secure fit. Optionally, there can be multiple flanges 112.

[0042] The housing and flange 112 of the activation device 11 are optionally made of plastic and are integrally manufactured using an injection mold. An injection mold is a custom-designed tool containing cavities and channels through which molten plastic is injected under high pressure, and after cooling, the device is obtained.

[0043] The device 11, gas tank 20, air bag 30 and tether 13 are surrounded by an outer protective bag 14.

[0044] In borehole blasting, explosives are delivered via a flexible hose pushed into the blast hole. After the explosives are loaded into the blast hole, the hose is withdrawn. Then, the same hose is used to push a gas bag to a predetermined, precise position within the blast hole. When the gas bag is in place, a tether attached to the device is pulled to activate inflation. Once the gas bag is inflated and secured within the blast hole, the hose is withdrawn. Subsequent blast holes are prepared for blasting in the same manner: first, explosives are loaded, then the gas bag is precisely positioned and inflated. This invention ensures that the gas bag is accurately placed within the mine blast hole before inflation begins.

[0045] This invention does not increase the complexity for the end user responsible for deploying the gas bags into the borehole. It effectively eliminates the anxiety and stress faced by the end user because there is no longer a pressing need to attempt to position the gas bags in the desired location within the blast hole before they are inflated and locked in place. Once the desired position of the gas bags within the blast hole is confirmed, the end user can choose to activate inflation by pulling a tether in a controlled manner. This reassures the end user that each gas bag will be deployed in the desired location, reducing operational risk and optimizing blast results.

Claims

1. An activation device for a self-inflating gas bag, wherein the gas bag includes a gas cylinder filled with compressed gas, characterized in that, The activation device includes a housing and a triggering component; The housing has a hollow structure to be fitted over the outside of the gas tank and gas bag, and the housing has an attachment portion for attachment with a tethering cable. One end of the triggering component is fixedly connected to the housing, and the other end extends into the housing; When the housing is fitted over the outside of the gas tank and gas bag, the triggering component can indirectly contact the gas tank's opener.

2. The activation transpose according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing has a shape that matches the gas tank so that it can be slidably fitted onto the outside of the gas tank.

3. The activation device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The shell is in the shape of an incomplete cylinder with an incomplete circular cross-section.

4. The activation device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The housing has openings at both ends, and the triggering component is located at one of the openings.

5. The activation device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The housing and triggering component are integrally molded.

6. The activation device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The triggering component is a flange.

7. The activation device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The housing has a plurality of notches along its axial direction at an opening at at least one end, serving as the attachment portion through which the tether is attached to the housing.

8. A gas spacer comprising a flexible, self-inflating gas bag, said gas bag including a gas tank filled with compressed gas, characterized in that, It also includes the activation device as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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