Mechanical Continuous Mining Device with Microwave Pre-Fracturing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional mechanical excavation methods for hard rock mining face issues of high tool wear and low tunnelling speed due to the high compressive strength and abrasiveness of rocks, necessitating improved rock pretreatment methods to enhance the applicability of mechanical tools.

Innovation Solution

A mechanical ore sample testing device integrating microwaves and cutter heads, where microwaves are used to pre-fracture rocks, followed by lateral cutting with cutter heads, altering the rock breaking principle from extrusion to tension, and employing a combination of driven and fixed cutter heads with soft microwave coaxial lines for localized fracturing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If mechanical excavation uses forward extrusion to break rock, then the excavation process is simple, but tool wear is severe and tunnelling speed is low

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveexcavation process simplicityVSAvoidtunnelling speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The microwave generator irradiates the rock mass before mechanical excavation to pre-induce cracks and reduce rock strength. This preliminary action weakens the rock structure, making subsequent mechanical cutting more efficient and reducing tool wear, thereby increasing tunnelling speed without complicating the overall process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of manufacture

If mechanical excavation uses forward extrusion to break rock, then the excavation process is simple, but tool wear is severe

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveexcavation process simplicityVSAvoidtool wear

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Microwave irradiation is applied before mechanical excavation to pre-fracture the rock mass. This reduces the strength and hardness of the rock, thereby significantly reducing tool wear during the subsequent mechanical cutting process while maintaining process simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Loss of substance

If microwave rock breaking is used to reduce rock strength, then tool wear is reduced, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetool wearVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The microwave generator and cutter head are integrated into a single mining device, combining microwave pretreatment and mechanical excavation functions. This merging reduces the need for separate equipment and operations, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving reduced tool wear through microwave pretreatment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Productivity

If conventional blasting method is used, then excavation speed is high, but safety and environmental protection requirements are not met

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveexcavation speedVSAvoidsafety and environmental impact

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention replaces the chemical blasting system with a physical microwave field system. Microwaves induce internal cracks in the rock through dielectric heating, achieving rock fragmentation without explosives. This substitution eliminates safety hazards and environmental pollution associated with blasting while maintaining efficient excavation speed through the combined microwave- mechanical process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 method significantly increases cutting speed and reduces rock breaking costs by reducing tool wear and extending the service life of mechanical tools through synchronized microwave fracturing and lateral cutting, effectively addressing the challenges of hard rock mining.

Implementation Method 1

microwave rock breaking... Studies have shown that reduction of the strength and abrasiveness of the rock can lead to direct reduction in a wear rate of the tool. Thus, many rock pretreatment methods were developed in recent decades, and comprise water jet rock breaking, laser rock breaking and microwave rock breaking.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMicrowave heating: Dielectric Heating

Implementation Method 2

All the methods lead to cracks in the rock mass to reduce strength of the rock mass before mechanical excavation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal stress fracturing: Thermal Shock

Data Source

PatentUS12460544B2Mechanical continuous mining device integrating microwaves and cutter heads, and use method

Publication Date: 2025.11.04 NORTHEASTERN UNIV CHINA

AI summary

A mechanical ore sample testing device integrating microwaves and cutter heads, and a use method are provided. The mechanical ore sample testing device comprises an equipment platform, a cutter head cutting system, a microwave fracturing system, a loading device and a cantilever crane. The microwave fracturing system and the cutter head cutting system are fixed to the equipment platform, and the loading device and the cantilever crane are mounted at a front end of the equipment platform. A microwave mechanical longwall mining method for a metallic ore is provided. Microwaves move in sync with machines to break a rock, microwave fracturing methods comprise high-power microwave integral fracturing and local rapid fracturing of soft microwave coaxial lines in the cutter heads; and a lateral cutting method of an ore body by a cutter head technology is applied, a mechanical rock breaking principle is changed from previous extrusion breaking to tension breaking.