High-Power Laser Tunneling for Precise 3D Material Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current mining, tunneling, and infrastructure repair techniques rely on dangerous, noisy, and imprecise equipment that often require explosives or large mechanical cutting machines, leading to inefficiencies and environmental disruptions.
Innovation Solution
The development of high power laser systems capable of delivering precise, directed energy over long distances to penetrate and remove material in a predetermined three-dimensional pattern, reducing the need for mechanical force and minimizing environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high power laser systems are used to deliver precise directed energy over long distances, then manufacturing precision and measurement precision are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The laser system is divided into separate functional modules: laser source unit, beam delivery system with optics, material removal mechanism, and control system. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system precision for three-dimensional pattern material removal.
Solution Approach 2:
Optical components serve as intermediaries to transmit and focus the laser beam from the source to the target material at extended distances. The beam delivery system acts as a mediator that maintains beam precision over long distances, enabling precise material removal without requiring the laser source to be in direct contact with the material.
2Productivity
If high power laser systems are used for material removal, then productivity is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The laser beam energy is concentrated precisely at the target location where material removal is needed, rather than heating or affecting surrounding areas. This localized energy application maximizes material removal efficiency at the focal point while minimizing overall energy consumption, enabling high productivity with controlled energy use.
Solution Approach 2:
The high power laser induces phase transitions in the target material (melting, vaporization, or ablation) to achieve rapid material removal. By concentrating energy to trigger these phase changes, the system achieves high productivity through efficient energy-to-material conversion at the interaction zone.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If traditional mechanical cutting machines are replaced with laser systems, then object-generated harmful factors are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical cutting system is replaced with an optical-based laser system that removes material through energy interaction rather than mechanical force. This substitution eliminates the noise and vibration associated with mechanical cutters, drills, and blasting operations, while the laser system's complexity is managed through modular design and beam delivery optimization.
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 controlled and precise removal of material, reducing noise and vibration, allowing for more efficient and environmentally friendly operations in mining, tunneling, and infrastructure repair, with the potential for remote and hostile location applications.
Implementation Method 1
delivering high power laser beams over a distance to a work surface to perform a laser operation or a laser mechanical operation on the work surface, such as treating, fracturing, tunneling, weakening, welding, annealing, cutting, removing, drilling, penetrating
Implementation Method 2
applying high power directed energy having a power sufficient to penetrate the material in a predetermined three dimensional pattern
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided high power laser and laser mechanical earth removing equipment, and operations using laser cutting tools having stand off distances. These equipment provide high power laser beams, greater than 1 kW to cut and volumetrically remove targeted materials and to remove laser affected material with gravity assistance, mechanical cutters, fluid jets, scrapers and wheels. There is also provided a method of using this equipment in mining, road resurfacing and other earth removing or working activities.