Drone Avalanche Blasting with Cold Gas Charge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for blasting avalanches, such as explosive tubes and helicopters, face challenges like ineffective triggering due to ice formation, misfiring risks, and operational limitations in bad weather, particularly in areas without permanent installations, leading to potential infrastructure damage and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A drone-based system with a freely hanging explosive device and remote or automatic ignition mechanism, where the ignition is separated from the drone to prevent misfiring, allowing for flexible and safe triggering of avalanches in various locations, including during bad weather, using a cord with an explosive section and releasable clamp for quick device replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If blasting tubes are used to trigger avalanches, then the avalanche can be triggered effectively, but the hot gas stream melts the snow and creates a stable ice sheet that renders further blasting ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful thermal effect from the blasting process by using a cold gas charge instead of a hot gas charge. The explosive substance is designed to produce a cold expansion wave that triggers the avalanche without melting the snow, thereby eliminating the ice sheet formation problem while maintaining avalanche triggering effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the gas charge from hot to cold. By using a cold gas charge that expands rapidly without significant temperature increase, the system achieves avalanche triggering through pressure wave propagation rather than thermal melting, thus preventing ice sheet formation on the snow surface.
2Adaptability or versatility
If explosives are dropped from a helicopter, then flexible avalanche blasting can be performed at different locations, but the explosive device can slide and detonate in a completely different location if the snow cover is hard
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the drone position the explosive device at the exact desired location before detonation. The drone flies to the target coordinates, releases the explosive device precisely at the intended spot, and only then triggers detonation. This ensures the explosive device cannot slide to a different location, maintaining both flexibility in location selection and precision in detonation placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical dropping system from a helicopter with a controlled drone delivery system. The drone uses its flight control system to precisely position and release the explosive device at the target location, eliminating the uncontrolled sliding issue that occurs with helicopter drops on hard snow surfaces.
3Reliability
If permanently installed blasting equipment is used, then reliable avalanche triggering can be achieved, but it is impractical to equip all slopes with blasting equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal blasting system using a drone that can be deployed to any slope location without permanent installation. The drone serves multiple functions: transportation of the explosive device, precise positioning at the target location, and triggering of the detonation. This single mobile system replaces the need for multiple fixed installations across different slopes, achieving reliability while reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from static permanent installations to a dynamic mobile drone system. The drone can dynamically relocate to different slopes and positions as needed, providing the same reliable avalanche triggering capability as fixed equipment without requiring physical installation on each slope. This dynamic approach reduces the overall complexity of the equipment network.
4Ease of operation
If an explosive device is dropped from a helicopter, then avalanche blasting can be performed, but it is not possible to fly to a blasting site in bad weather
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a drone, which is a smaller, more maneuverable, and weather-resilient platform compared to a helicopter. The drone can operate in bad weather conditions where helicopters cannot fly, ensuring blasting operations can proceed when needed. The drone's smaller size and lower operational requirements make it adaptable to adverse weather while maintaining ease of operation for avalanche triggering.
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
Enables reliable and safe triggering of avalanches in different locations, regardless of weather conditions, with reduced risk of damage and increased operational efficiency, as the drone can reach specific targets with precision and the system allows for rapid rearming and operation in challenging environments.
Implementation Method 1
an explosive device 3, which is freely suspended from the drone 2 by means of a cord 4, and an ignition mechanism 5 for detonating the explosive device 3
Implementation Method 2
the pressure wave is significantly dampened by the snow cover
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device and to a method for avalanche blasting. The device comprises a drone, an explosive charge which is fastened by means of a cord in a freely suspended manner to the drone. An ignition mechanism is provided for igniting the explosive charge. The ignition mechanism can be triggered in a remote-controlled or automatic manner. Any desired destinations can be reached using this device in order to blast avalanches. The explosive charge can be positioned above the snow cover that is to be blasted.