Patent ID: 6102483
Filing Date: 2000-08-15
Classification: B28D,E21C

Abstract:
Process for preparing the exposed surface of a rock formation to permit the extraction of parallelepiped shaped blocks of rock ready for final processing, comprising the steps of:a) cutting into the surface of the rock formation a slot having a depth substantially equal to a width dimension of said blocks;b) drilling into said surface of the rock formation a first series of parallel aligned perforations orthogonal to said slot, said perforations terminating along the bottom of said slot and defining a first cutting surface orthogonal to the plane of said slot;c) drilling into said surface of the rock formation a plurality of parallel second series of parallel aligned perforations, said perforations of each of said second series defining a second cutting surface orthogonal to the plane of said slot and to said first cutting surface;d) separating by the use of plugs applied in the perforations of said first and second series, the blocks defined by steps a) to c); ande) carrying out steps a) to d) repeatedly so that the slot of step a) is cut from the exposed surface of the rock formation, beginning along a line defined by the outer ends of the perforations of said first series of perforations, whereby the exposed surface of the rock formation, after extraction of the various blocks in steps d), acquires a stepped profile.