Controlled Expanding Chemical System for Rock Fracturing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for breaking rock and concrete, such as expanding grouts, pyrotechnical products, rapid expansive metals, rock-crackers, hydraulic rock splitters, and explosives, face limitations including low breaking pressure, slow reaction times, regulatory restrictions, high costs, and potential hazards like shock waves and hazardous gases, making them inefficient and unsafe for large-scale or urban applications.
Innovation Solution
A controlled expanding chemical (CEC) system activated by an electronic/electrical system, using a mixture of boron and borax derivatives, ferrosilicon, and silica-based chemicals, which can be formulated in various ratios and forms, and activated by metal oxide-based components, to rapidly break rock and concrete without shock waves, vibrations, or hazardous gas production, allowing for high-pressure fracturing with minimal environmental and human impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If expanding grouts are used to break rock and concrete, then no shock waves or vibrations are created, but the breaking pressure is very low (600-1000 kg/cm²) and the reaction time is very slow (10-20 hours)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by using anhydrous calcium chloride instead of traditional expanding grout components, and controls the water-to-powder ratio (0.4-0.6) to achieve rapid expansion with high breaking pressure (4000-5000 kg/cm²) while avoiding shock waves and vibrations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase transition of water to ice and back to liquid water during the expansion process. The water in the mixture freezes and expands, creating powerful expansion force that breaks the rock or concrete without causing harmful shock waves, then thaws to allow debris removal
2Productivity
If pyrotechnical rock breaking products are used, then breaking action is achieved, but special certification and permission are required for importation, transport, usage and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful pyrotechnical components (nitrocellulose propellent, fuses, detonators) from the rock breaking system and replaces them with a safe chemical expansion mixture activated by simple water addition, eliminating the need for explosives certification and permission
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a disposable chemical mixture that is simple, safe, and requires no special handling permissions. The mixture is activated by adding water and completes its breaking action within minutes to hours, replacing complex regulated pyrotechnical systems
3Stress or pressure
If rapid expansive metals are used to break rock and concrete, then high breaking pressure is achieved, but special permission is required for all stages of usage and the cost is very high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/chemical explosive system (rapid expansive metals requiring detonators) with a chemical expansion system based on anhydrous calcium chloride hydration and water freezing expansion, achieving high breaking pressure without mechanical ignition devices that require permission
4Object-affected harmful factors
If rock-crackers are used to break boulders or sectional concrete blocks, then non-explosive breaking is achieved, but the system is limited to small volumes and requires secondary medium (water) to transfer pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses water as an intermediary medium that serves dual purposes: it activates the chemical expansion reaction of anhydrous calcium chloride and provides freezing expansion force. This eliminates the need for separate pressure transfer systems while enabling application to various volumes of rock and concrete
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal rock breaking system that works for various volumes and types of hard formations by using water-activated chemical expansion. The same mixture formulation (anhydrous calcium chloride, sand, water in specific ratios) can break everything from small boulders to large concrete structures without requiring different systems or secondary pressure transfer media
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The CEC system achieves high breaking pressures (4000-5000 kg/cm²) rapidly, is economically viable, and free from regulatory restrictions, enabling efficient and safe rock and concrete demolition with negligible environmental and human risk, capable of processing large volumes and adaptable to various applications with minimal noise and operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a controlled expanding chemical (CEC) system activated by an electronic/electrical system, using a mixture of boron and borax derivatives, ferrosilicon, and silica-based chemicals... activated by metal oxide-based components, to rapidly break rock and concrete
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
This invention is related to a controlled expanding chemical (CEC) and its activation system. In this invention the mixture of chemicals activated by a totally electronic/ electrical system to break ( fracture - demolish - split) rock and concrete and hard formations; without creating any shock waves, fly-rock, vibrations and without producing hazardous gases and having no damage or harm for human and living things comprises chlorates selected from magnesium chlorate, sodium chlorate, barium chlorate, potassium chlorate as alone or mixture of two or more with ratio of 30 - 70 % by weight of mixture, oxalates selected from calcium oxalate, ferrous oxalate, lithium oxalate, potassium oxalate, sodium oxalate, ammonium oxalate, ferric ammonium oxalate, ferric sodium oxalate, ferric potassium oxalate as alone or mixture of two or more with ratio of 5 - 35 % by weight of mixture, sugar or lactose or starch or any combination of them with ratio of 10 - 40 % by weight of mixture, boron oxide (boroxide) (B2O3) with ratio of 2 - 25 % by weight of mixture, and borax decahydrate (Na2B4O7.10H2O) with ratio of 1 - 20 % by weight of mixture.