Patent Publication Number: US-10760239-B2

Title: In-situ piling and anchor shaping using plasma blasting

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/279,914, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,577,767, “In-situ Piling and Anchor Shaping using Plasma Blasting”, issued on Mar. 3, 2020. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/279,914 is a non-provisional application of, and claims the benefit of the filing dates of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/632,833, “In-situ Piling and Anchor Shaping using Plasma Blasting”, filed on Feb. 20, 2018. The disclosures of this provisional patent application and the Ser. No. 16/279,914 patent application are incorporated herein by reference. 
     This provisional application draws from U.S. Pat. No. 8,628,146, filed by Martin Baltazar-Lopez and Steve Best, issued on Jan. 14, 2010, entitled “Method of and apparatus for plasma blasting”. The entire patent incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to the field of concrete piling construction. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of concrete piling construction using plasma blasting. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     In the building trades, a deep foundation is a type of foundation that transfers building loads to the earth farther down from the surface than a shallow foundation does to a subsurface layer or a range of depths. One method of deep foundation is a pile. A pile or piling is a vertical structural element of a deep foundation, driven or drilled deep into the ground at the building site. 
     There are many reasons that a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, such as for a skyscraper. Some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a poor soil at shallow depth, or site constraints like property lines. There are different terms used to describe different types of deep foundations including the pile (which is analogous to a pole), the pier (which is analogous to a column), drilled shafts, and caissons. Piles are generally driven into the ground in situ; other deep foundations are typically put in place using excavation and drilling. 
     When using Cast-in-Situ piles, a borehole is drilled into the ground, then concrete (and often some sort of reinforcing) is placed into the borehole to form the pile. Rotary boring techniques allow larger diameter piles than any other piling method and permit pile construction through particularly dense or hard strata. Construction methods depend on the geology of the site; in particular, whether boring is to be undertaken in ‘dry’ ground conditions or through water-saturated strata. Casing is often used when the sides of the borehole are likely to slough off before concrete is poured. 
     For end-bearing piles, drilling continues until the borehole has extended a sufficient depth (socketing) into a sufficiently strong layer. Depending on site geology, this can be a rock layer, or hardpan, or other dense, strong layers. Both the diameter of the pile and the depth of the pile are highly specific to the ground conditions, loading conditions, and nature of the project. Pile depths may vary substantially across a project if the bearing layer is not level. 
     However, piles must be sunk to a depth where a layer is found where the soil can support the load of the building. This can be quite expensive in locations where the bedrock is particularly deep. Methodologies for creating a base strong enough to support the building for a reasonable cost are needed in the industry. 
     Plasma blasting allows for the distribution of material at the bottom of a piling hole, and at different levels, spreading the load over a broader area, optimizing the shape of the piling, and allowing for increased weight on each piling. 
     The present invention eliminates the issues articulated above as well as other issues with the currently known products. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A method of creating a piling and/or anchor in soil, utilizing the steps of first creating a borehole in the soil, then filling the borehole with wet concrete (and in some cases, reinforcement steel rebar), and next inserting a plasma blasting probe into the borehole. The plasma blasting probe then creates a plasma explosion in the borehole, expanding the wet concrete into the surrounding soil. In some embodiments, rebar is also inserted. The plasma blasting probe is then removed from the borehole and additional concrete is added into the borehole to create the piling. For larger boreholes, the process can be repeated stepwise in increments from the bottom of the hole to approximately half way up the hole creating multiple wet concrete expansion areas. 
     In some embodiments, a plurality of boreholes are created in close proximity such that the concrete in at least two boreholes interconnects. This set of boreholes could form a lattice. The plasma explosion could be shaped to create a mushroom shape, and guy wire attachments could be inserted in the concrete. In some embodiments, the method also includes the step of calculating an amount of energy, a duration of energy and a gap between electrodes mounted in the plasma blasting probe to form a specific shape with the plasma explosion. This calculation could be performed by a special purpose microprocessor. This microprocessor could also calculate the depth of the plasma explosion. The microprocessor could electronically adjusting the amount of energy and the duration of energy. The plasma blasting probe could include a symmetrical cage, and could include a plurality of electrodes. The electrodes are connected to at least one capacitor. The electrodes are separated by a dielectric separator, and the dielectric separator and the electrodes constitute an adjustable probe tip with a maximum gap between the electrodes less than the gap between any of the electrodes and the cage enclosing the electrodes. The electrodes are on an axis with tips opposing each other. 
     A blast probe apparatus for forming shaped concrete pilings is also described herein. The blast probe apparatus includes a symmetrical cage and a plurality of electrodes. The electrodes are connected to at least one capacitor. The electrodes are separated by a dielectric separator, and the dielectric separator and the electrodes constitute an adjustable probe tip with a maximum gap between the electrodes less than the gap between any of the electrodes and the cage enclosing the electrodes. The electrodes are on an axis with tips opposing each other. The blast probe apparatus also includes at least one soil condition sensor attached to the symmetrical cage. The probe also includes a special purpose microprocessor in communication with the at least one soil condition sensor and the electrodes, wherein the special purpose microprocessor controls an amount of energy and a duration of energy sent through the electrodes. 
     The blast probe apparatus could also include wet concrete in the cage between the electrodes, and could include a motor attached to one of the electrodes and in communication with the special purpose microprocessor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  shows the plasma blasting system in accordance with some embodiments of the Present Application 
         FIG. 2A  shows a close up view of the blasting probe in accordance with some embodiments of the Present Application. 
         FIG. 2B  shows an axial view of the blasting probe in accordance with some embodiments of the Present Application. 
         FIG. 3  shows a close up view of the blasting probe comprising two dielectric separators for high energy blasting in accordance with some embodiments of the Present Application. 
         FIG. 4  shows a flow chart illustrating a method of using the plasma blasting system to break or fracture a solid in accordance with some embodiments of the Present Application. 
         FIG. 5  shows a drawing of the improved probe from the top to the blast tip. 
         FIG. 6  shows a detailed view into the improved blast tip. 
         FIG. 7 a    shows a piling hole with the plasma blasting probe in place to create the in-situ shaping before the first blast. 
         FIG. 7 b    shows a piling hole with the plasma blasting probe in place to create the in-situ shaping after the first blast and in position for the second blast. 
         FIG. 7 c    shows a piling hole with the plasma blasting probe in place to create the in-situ shaping after the second blast. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a plasma blasting system  100  for fracturing a solid  102  in accordance with some embodiments where electrical energy is deposited at a high rate (e.g. a few microseconds), into a blasting media  104  (e.g. water or wet concrete), wherein this fast discharge in the blasting media  104  creates plasma confined in a borehole  122  within the solid  102 . A pressure wave created by the discharge plasma emanates from the blast region thereby fracturing the solid  102 . In some embodiments, rather than fracturing a solid, this technique is used to pack soil at the bottom of a borehole and push wet concrete into the packed soil in order to shape the bottom of a borehole. 
     In some embodiments, the plasma blasting system  100  comprises a power supply  106 , an electrical storage unit  108 , a voltage protection device  110 , a high voltage switch  112 , transmission cable  114 , an inductor  116 , a blasting probe  118  and a blasting media  104 . In some embodiments, the plasma blasting system  100  comprises any number of blasting probes and corresponding blasting media. In some embodiments, the inductor  116  is replaced with the inductance of the transmission cable  114 . Alternatively, the inductor  116  is replaced with any suitable inductance means as is well known in the art. The power supply  106  comprises any electrical power supply capable of supplying a sufficient voltage to the electrical storage unit  108 . The electrical storage unit  108  comprises a capacitor bank or any other suitable electrical storage means. The voltage protection device  110  comprises a crowbar circuit with voltage-reversal protection means as is well known in the art. The high voltage switch  112  comprises a spark gap, an ignitron, a solid-state switch, or any other switch capable of handling high voltages and high currents. In some embodiments, the transmission cable  114  comprises a coaxial cable. Alternatively, the transmission cable  114  comprises any transmission cable capable of adequately transmitting the pulsed electrical power. 
     In some embodiments, the power supply  106  couples to the voltage protection device  110  and the electrical storage unit  108  via the transmission cable  114  such that the power supply  106  is able to supply power to the electrical storage unit  108  through the transmission cable  114  and the voltage protection device  110  is able to prevent voltage reversal from harming the system. In some embodiments, the power supply  106 , voltage protection device  110  and electric storage unit  108  also couple to the high voltage switch  112  via the transmission cable  114  such that the switch  112  is able to receive a specified voltage/current from the electric storage unit  108 . The switch  112  then couples to the inductor  116  which couples to the blasting probe  118  again via the transmission cable  114  such that the switch  112  is able to selectively allow the specified voltage/amperage received from the electric storage unit  108  to be transmitted through the inductor  116  to the blasting probe  118 . 
       FIG. 2A  shows one embodiment for a blasting probe.  FIGS. 5 and 6  show another embodiment. As seen in  FIG. 2A , the blasting probe  118  comprises an adjustment unit  120 , one or more ground electrodes  124 , one or more high voltage electrodes  126  and a dielectric separator  128 , wherein the end of the high voltage electrode  126  and the dielectric separator  128  constitute an adjustable blasting probe tip  130 . The adjustable blasting probe tip  130  is reusable. Specifically, the adjustable blasting probe tip  130  comprises a material and is configured in a geometry such that the force from the blasts will not deform or otherwise harm the tip  130 . Alternatively, any number of dielectric separators comprising any number and amount of different dielectric materials are able to be utilized to separate the ground electrode  124  from the high voltage electrode  126 . In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 2B , the high voltage electrode  126  is encircled by the hollow ground electrode  124 . Furthermore, in those embodiments the dielectric separator  128  also encircles the high voltage electrode  126  and is used as a buffer between the hollow ground electrode  124  and the high voltage electrode  126  such that the three  124 ,  126 ,  128  share an axis and there is no empty space between the high voltage and ground electrodes  124 ,  126 . Alternatively, any other configuration of one or more ground electrodes  124 , high voltage electrodes  126  and dielectric separators  128  are able to be used wherein the dielectric separator  128  is positioned between the one or more ground electrodes  124  and the high voltage electrode  126 . For example, the configuration shown in  FIG. 2B  could be switched such that the ground electrode was encircled by the high voltage electrode with the dielectric separator again sandwiched in between, wherein the end of the ground electrode and the dielectric separator would then comprise the adjustable probe tip. 
     The adjustment unit  120  comprises any suitable probe tip adjustment means as are well known in the art. Further, the adjustment unit  120  couples to the adjustable tip  130  such that the adjustment unit  120  is able to selectively adjust/move the adjustable tip  130  axially away from or towards the end of the ground electrode  124 , thereby adjusting the electrode gap  132 . In some embodiments, the adjustment unit  120  adjusts/moves the adjustable tip  130  automatically. The term “electrode gap” is defined as the distance between the high voltage and ground electrode  126 ,  124  through the blasting media  104 . Thus, by moving the adjustable tip  130  axially in or out in relation to the end of the ground electrode  124 , the adjustment unit  120  is able to adjust the resistance and/or power of the blasting probe  118 . Specifically, in an electrical circuit, the power is directly proportional to the resistance. Therefore, if the resistance is increased or decreased, the power is correspondingly varied. As a result, because a change in the distance separating the electrodes  124 ,  126  in the blasting probe  118  determines the resistance of the blasting probe  118  through the blasting media  104  when the plasma blasting system  100  is fired, this adjustment of the electrode gap  132  is able to be used to vary the electrical power deposited into the solid  102  to be broken or fractured (or into the wet concrete to push the concrete into the borehole wall. Accordingly, by allowing more refined control over the electrode gap  132  via the adjustable tip  130 , better control over the blasting and breakage yield is able to be obtained (or for shaping the borehole). 
     Another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 3 , is substantially similar to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2A  except for the differences described herein. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the blasting probe  118  comprises an adjustment unit (not shown), a ground electrode  324 , a high voltage electrode  326 , and two different types of dielectric separators, a first dielectric separator  328 A and a second dielectric separator  328 B. Further, in this embodiment, the adjustable blasting probe tip  330  comprises the end portion of the high voltage electrode  326  and the second dielectric separator  328 B. The adjustment unit (not shown) is coupled to the high voltage electrode  326  and the second dielectric separator  328 B (via the first dielectric separator  328 A), and adjusts/moves the adjustable probe tip  330  axially away from or towards the end of the ground electrode  324 , thereby adjusting the electrode gap  332 . In some embodiments, the second dielectric separator  328 B is a tougher material than the first dielectric separator  328 A such that the second dielectric separator  328 B better resists structural deformation and is therefore able to better support the adjustable probe tip  330 . Similar to the embodiment in  FIG. 2A , the first dielectric  328 A is encircled by the ground electrode  324  and encircles the high voltage electrode  326  such that all three share a common axis. However, unlike  FIG. 2A , towards the end of the high voltage electrode  326 , the first dielectric separator  328 A is supplanted by a wider second dielectric separator  328 B which surrounds the high voltage electrode  326  and forms a conic or parabolic support configuration as illustrated in the  FIG. 3 . The conic or parabolic support configuration is designed to add further support to the adjustable probe tip  330 . Alternatively, any other support configuration could be used to support the adjustable probe tip. Alternatively, the adjustable probe tip  330  is configured to be resistant to deformation. In some embodiments, the second dielectric separator comprises a polycarbonate tip. Alternatively, any other dielectric material is able to be used. In some embodiments, only one dielectric separator is able to be used wherein the single dielectric separator both surrounds the high voltage electrode throughout the blast probe and forms the conic or parabolic support configuration around the adjustable probe tip. In particular, the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3  is well suited for higher power blasting, wherein the adjustable blast tip tends to bend and ultimately break. Thus, due to the configuration shown in  FIG. 3 , the adjustable probe tip  330  is able to be reinforced with the second dielectric material  328 B in that the second dielectric material  328 B is positioned in a conic or parabolic geometry around the adjustable tip such that the adjustable probe tip  330  is protected from bending due to the blast. 
     In one embodiment, water is used as the blasting media  104 . The water could be poured down the bore hole  122  before or after the probe  118  is inserted in the borehole  122 . In some embodiments, such as horizontal boreholes  122  or boreholes  122  that extend upward, the blasting media  104  could be contained in a balloon or could be forced under pressure into the hole with the probe  118 . In another embodiment, wet concrete is used as the blasting media  104 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the blasting media  104  is positioned within the borehole  122  of the solid  102 , with the adjustable tip  130  and at least a portion of the ground electrode  124  suspended within the blasting media  104  within the solid  102 . Correspondingly, the blasting media  104  is also in contact with the inner wall of the borehole  122  of the solid  102 . The amount of blasting media  104  to be used is dependent on the size of the solid and the size of the blast desired and its calculation is well known in the art. 
     The method and operation  400  of the plasma blasting system  100  will now be discussed in conjunction with a flow chart illustrated in  FIG. 4 . In operation, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the adjustable tip  130  is axially extended or retracted by the adjustment unit  120  thereby adjusting the electrode gap  132  based on the size of the solid  102  to be broken and/or the blast energy desired at the step  402 . The blast probe  118  is then inserted into the borehole  122  of the solid such that at least a portion of the ground and high voltage electrodes  124 ,  126  of the plasma blasting probe  118  are submerged or put in contact with the blasting media  104  which is in direct contact with the solid  102  to be fractured or broken at the step  404 . Alternatively, the electrode gap  132  is able to be adjusted after insertion of the blasting probe  118  into the borehole  122 . The electrical storage unit  108  is then charged by the power supply  106  at a relatively low rate (e.g., a few seconds) at the step  406 . The switch  112  is then activated causing the energy stored in the electrical storage unit  108  to discharge at a very high rate (e.g. tens of microseconds) forming a pulse of electrical energy (e.g. tens of thousands of Amperes) that is transmitted via the transmission cable  114  to the plasma blasting probe  118  to the ground and high voltage electrodes  124 ,  126  causing a plasma stream to form across the electrode gap  132  through the blast media  104  between the high voltage electrode  126  and the ground electrode  124  at the step  408 . 
     During the first microseconds of the electrical breakdown, the blasting media  104  is subjected to a sudden increase in temperature (e.g. about 5000 to 10,000° C.) due to a plasma channel formed between the electrodes  124 ,  126 , which is confined in the borehole  122  and not able to dissipate. The heat generated vaporizes or reacts with part of the blasting media  104 , depending on if the blasting media  104  comprises a liquid or a solid respectively, creating a steep pressure rise confined in the borehole  122 . Because the discharge is very brief, and the rate of temperature increase very quick, a plasma ball on the size of a ping pong ball forms, starting a shock wave with high pressures greater than the material strengths of the solid (on the order of 2.5 GPa) forcing the uncured concrete into the neighboring soils and compacting such soil. The plasma blasting system  100  described herein is able to provide pressures well above the tensile strengths of common rocks (e.g. granite=10-20 MPa, tuff=1-4 and concrete=7 MPa). Thus, the major cause of the fracturing or breaking of the solid  102  is the impact of this shock wave front which is comparable to one resulting from a chemical explosive (e.g., dynamite) without forming any gases, which prevent wet concrete from filling the space. 
     As the reaction continues, the blast wave begins propagating outward toward regions with lower atmospheric pressure. As the wave propagates, the pressure of the blast wave front falls with increasing distance. This finally leads to cooling of the plasma and the wet concrete from the upper part of the borehole fills the space created by the blast. 
     To illustrate the level of generated pressure during testing, the blast probe of the blasting system described herein was inserted into solids comprising either concrete or granite with cast or drilled boreholes having a one inch diameter. A capacitor bank system was used for the electrical storage unit and was charged at a low current and then discharged at a high current via the high voltage switch  112 . Peak power achieved was measured in the megawatts. Pulse rise times were around 10-20 μsec and pulse lengths were on the order of 50-100 μsec. The system was able to produce pressures of up to 2.5 GPa and break concrete and granite blocks with masses of more than 850 kg. 
       FIG. 5  shows an alternative probe  500  embodiment. Probe coupler  501  electrically connects to wires  114  for receiving power from the capacitors  108  and mechanically connects to tethers (could be the wires  114  or other mechanical devices to prevent the probe  500  from departing the bore hole  122  after the blast). The probe coupler  501  may incorporate a high voltage coaxial BNC-type high voltage and high current connector to compensate lateral Lorentz&#39; forces on the central electrode and to allow for easy connection of the probe  500  to the wires  114 . The mechanical connection may include an eye hook to allow carabiners or wire rope clip to connect to the probe  500 . Other mechanical connections could also be used. The probe connection  501  could be made of plastic or metal. The probe connector  501  could be circular in shape and 2 inches in diameter for applications where the probe is inserted in a bore hole  122  that is the same depth as the probe  500 . In other embodiments, the probe  500  may be inserted in a deep hole, in which case the probe connector  501  must be smaller than the bore hole  122 . 
     The probe connector  501  is mechanically connected to the shaft connector  502  with screws, welds, or other mechanical connections. The shaft connector  502  is connected to the probe shaft  503 . The connection to the probe shaft  503  could be through male threads on the top of the probe shaft  503  and female threads on the shaft connector  502 . Alternately, the shaft connector  502  could include a set screw on through the side to keep the shaft  503  connected to the shaft connector  502 . The shaft connector  502  could be a donut shape and made of stainless steel, copper, aluminum, or another conductive material. Electrically, the shaft connector  502  is connected to the ground side of the wires  114 . An insulated wire from the probe connector  501  to the high voltage electrode  602  passes through the center of the shaft connector  502 . For a 2 inch borehole  122 , the shaft connector could be about 1.75 inches in diameter. 
     The shaft  503  is a hollow shaft that may be threaded  507  at one (or both) ends. The shaft  503  made of stainless steel, copper, aluminum, or another conductive material. Electrically, the shaft  503  is connected to the ground side of the wires  114  through the shaft connector  502 . An insulated wire from the probe connector  501  to the high voltage electrode  602  passes through the center of the shaft  503 . Mechanically, the shaft  503  is connected to the shaft connector  502  as described above. At the other end, the shaft  503  is connected to the cage  506  through the threaded bolt  508  into the shafts threads  507 , or through another mechanical connection (welding, set screws, etc). The shaft  503  may be circular and 1.5 inches in diameter in a 2 inch borehole  122  application. The shaft may be 40 inches long, in one embodiment. At several intervals in the shaft, blast force inhibitors  504   a ,  504   b ,  504   c  may be placed to inhibit the escape of blast wave and the blasting media  104  during the blast. The blast force inhibitors  504   a ,  504   b ,  504   c  may be made of the same material as the shaft  503  and may be welded to the shaft, machined into the shaft, slip fitted onto the shaft or connected with set screws. The inhibitors  504   a ,  504   b ,  504   c  could be shaped as a donut. 
     The shaft  503  connects to the cage  506  through a threaded bolt  508  that threads into the shaft&#39;s threads  507 . This allows adjustment of the positioning of the cage  506  and the blast. Other methods of connecting the cage  503  to the shaft  506  could be used without deviating from the invention (for example, a set screw or welding). The cage  506  may be circular and may be 1.75 inches in diameter. The cage  506  may be 4-6 inches long, and may include 4-8 holes  604  in the side to allow the blast to impact the side of the blast hole  122 . These holes  604  may be 2-4 inches high and may be 0.5-1 inch wide, with 0.2-0.4 inch pillars in the cage  506  attaching the bottom of the cage  506  to the top. The cage  506  could be made of high strength steel, carbon steel, copper, titanium, tungsten, aluminum, cast iron, or similar materials of sufficient strength to withstand the blast. Electrically, the cage  506  is part of the ground circuit from the shaft  503  to the ground electrode  601 . 
     In an alternative embodiment, a single blast cage could be made of weaker materials, such as plastic, with a wire connected from the shaft to the ground electrode  601  at the bottom of the cage  506 . 
     The details of the cage  506  can be viewed in  FIG. 6 . A ground electrode  601  is located at the bottom of the cage  506 . The ground electrode  601  is made of a conductive material such as steel, aluminum, copper or similar. The ground electrode  601  could be a bolt screwed in female threads at the bottom of the cage  506 . Or a nut could be inserted into the bottom of the cage for threading the bolt  601  and securing it to the cage  506 . The bolt  601  can be adjusted with washers or nuts on both sides of the cage  506  to allow regulate the gap between the ground electrode bolt  601  and the high voltage electrode  602 , depending upon the type of solid  102 . 
     The wire that runs down the shaft  503 , as connected to the wires  114  at the probe connector  501 , is electrically connected to the high voltage electrode  602 . A dielectric separator  603  keeps the electricity from coming in contact with the cage  506 . Instead, when the power is applied, a spark is formed between the high voltage electrode  602  and the ground electrode  601 . In order to prevent the spark from forming between the high voltage electrode  602  and the cage  506 , the distance between the high voltage electrode  602  and the ground electrode  601  must be less than the distance from the high voltage electrode  602  and the cage  506  walls. The two electrodes  601 ,  602  are on the same axis with the tips opposing each other. If the cage is 1.75 inches in diameter, the cage  506  walls will be about 0.8 inches from the high voltage electrode  602 , so the distance between the high voltage electrode  602  and the ground electrode  601  should be less than 0.7 inches. In another embodiment, an insulator could be added inside the cage to prevent sparks between the electrode  602  and the cage when the distance between the high voltage electrode  602  and the ground electrode  601  is larger. 
     This cage  506  design creates a mostly cylindrical shock wave with the force applied to the sides of the bore hole  122 . In another embodiment, additional metal or plastic cone-shaped elements may be inserted around lower  601  and upper electrodes  602  to direct a shock wave outside the probe and to reduce axial forces inside the cage. 
     The method of and apparatus for plasma blasting described herein has numerous advantages. Specifically, by adjusting the blasting probe&#39;s tip and thereby the electrode gap, the plasma blasting system is able to provide better control over the power deposited into the specimen to be broken. Consequently, the power used is able to be adjusted according to the parameters of the soil and of the wet concrete instead of using the same amount of power regardless of the soil and material conditions. As a result, the plasma blasting system is more efficient in terms of energy, safer in terms of its inert qualities, and requires smaller components thereby dramatically decreasing the cost of operation. 
     While one embodiment of the plasma blasting probe was used to fracture rock or concrete, this new probe design can also be used “down hole” in an uncured (“wet”) concrete piling during construction. 
     The purpose of this plasma blast in this application is to push the portion of the concrete outward. In a soft silty environment this process compacts the soil and shapes the bottom of the concrete into a more anchor like shape. This process can be repeated multiple times by adding more concrete and repeating the blast further “up hole”. 
     Looking to  FIG. 7 a   , there is a borehole  122  drilled into soil  703 . The borehole  122  is filled with wet concrete, and before the concrete cures, a probe  500  is inserted into the concrete. In one embodiment, the probe  500  is sent to the bottom of the borehole  122 . The probe  500  then creates a plasma blast. 
       FIG. 7 b    shows the borehole  122  after the plasma blast. The bottom of the borehole  122  has been expanded into a shaped cavity  701 . The concrete is pushed into the soil, and the soil is compacted, creating a base that will take more weight than a typical piling. Additional concrete is then added to the borehole  122  to replace the concrete that has been driven into the soil. 
     This procedure can be repeated, as seen in  FIG. 7 c   , to create a bigger shaped concrete cavity  702 . In this example, the probe  500  in  FIG. 7 b    is used to create a second plasma blast higher in the borehole  122 . The resulting shape  702  is seen in  FIG. 7 c   . The procedure can be repeated again until the desired shape is achieved. 
     It is envisioned that through shaped plasma blasting to force wet concrete into boreholes could create various underground structures for supporting buildings. In one embodiment, the holes could be shaped such that adjacent pilings could be connected underground by expanding the bottom of the boreholes until they interconnect. By connecting the pilings above ground, the pilings will then be connected above ground and below ground, preventing the pilings from tipping over. 
     In another embodiment, and lattice could be created underground connecting a grid of boreholes. Each of these structures allow for building weight to be distributed across a broad area of soil that would not normally support the weight of the building. In another embodiment, concrete guy wire anchors could be created in a mushroom shape underground structure to prevent the weight of a radio tower from pulling the guy wires out of the ground. 
     This embodiment allows four new features to be added to customized shaping of the piling anchor. 
     The first feature is a mechanism that adjusts the spark gap remotely and electronically. In  FIG. 6 , the electrodes  601 ,  602  are shown with an adjustable gap between the electrodes. In one embodiment, a small motor is mounted to the top of the cage  506  that will allow the cage  506  to be spun relative to the shaft  503 , thus causing the high voltage electrode  602  to move, either increasing or decreasing the gap between the electrodes  601 ,  602 . In another embodiment, the ground electrode  601  could be moved to adjust the gap between the electrodes  601 , 602 . In some embodiments the motor is a stepper motor. In other embodiments, pneumatic or hydraulic pressure could be used to adjust the gap between the electrodes  601 , 602  by turning either the cage  506  or the ground electrode  601 , In another embodiment, the pneumatic or hydraulic pressure could be asserted against a spring holding the high voltage electrode  602  (or the ground electrode  601 ) in place, causing the spring to expand or compact, thus adjudicating the gap between the electrodes  601 , 602 . 
     The second feature is to arrange the electrodes in a groups of three 120 degrees apart or four 90 degrees apart or any number with an equal number of opposing electrodes on the same axis on the other side of the probe. In this embodiment, multiple sets of electrodes  601 , 602  are mounted in the cage  506 , and fired either synchronously or asynchronously in order to shape the blast wave. In another embodiment, the cage  506  could be designed with holes  604  only in certain directions to push the force of the blast in the director of the openings  604 . 
     The third feature is an in situ recognition and sensing of soil conditions surrounding the probe. With this embodiment, sensors could be mounted in the cage  506  or in the shaft  503  to sense the characteristics of the soil surrounding the borehole  112 . These sensors could report the soil conditions back to an operator to allow the operator to determine the energy used in the blast, the distance between the electrodes  601 , 602 B, and the direction of the blast. 
     The fourth feature is a smart algorithm which analyzes and synthesizes the soil information and desired shape and adjusts the spark gap and determines which electrodes will fire. The smart algorithm also can adjust the amount of energy (electricity) used in the blast. This embodiment would require a special purpose microprocessor designed to interface with the capacitor bank  108  and the high voltage, high speed switch  112 . The special purpose microprocessor may also take input from the soil sensors and operate the mechanism to adjust the gap between the electrodes  601 , 602 . The algorithm takes the desired shape of the resulting hole  702  and the soil conditions from the sensors in the probe  500 , and calculates the direction and power of the blast waves required to create the desired shape. The special purpose microprocessor then automatically adjusts the gap between the electrodes  601 , 602 , and the direction of the blast through which electrodes fire and with what power. The special purpose microprocessor then determines how deep in the borehole  122  that the probe  500  should be inserted. The special purpose microprocessor then determines the amount of electrical energy and the time of discharge. 
     The result is a customizable in-situ shaping of the concrete piling which can be asymmetric in shape to match the varying soil conditions as a function of depth. 
     The present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments incorporating details to facilitate the understanding of principles of construction and operation of the invention. Such reference herein to specific embodiments and details thereof is not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. It will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that other various modifications may be made in the embodiment chosen for illustration without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. 
     The foregoing devices and operations, including their implementation, will be familiar to, and understood by, those having ordinary skill in the art. 
     The above description of the embodiments, alternative embodiments, and specific examples, are given by way of illustration and should not be viewed as limiting. Further, many changes and modifications within the scope of the present embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes such changes and modifications.