Improvements in or relating to Mine Blasting or Rending.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1893-Accepted, 17th June, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Mine Blasting or Rending.
I REGINALD HADDAN, of the firm of Herbert Haddan and Co., of 18,
Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C. London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad by Albert Kuehne,
of 801, North Third Street, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America,
Merchant and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates more especially to the blasting or rending part of mining
operations, the novelty of the present method, as distinguished from the older
blasting or rending operations in which explosives were employed, consists in the
application of the expansive force generated by heating a body of liquid in a
confined state so as to cause the same to expand; the intense thermal force
generated by such expansive action of the liquid being applied within the drill-
hole or bore to rend or separate the body of rock, etc., that is being acted upon.
To enable others skilled in the art to more fully understand and carry out my
present invention, I will now proceed to describe the same more in detail, referring
to the accompanying drawings in which I illustrate various forms of apparatus by
which my improved process of hydro-thermal blasting can be effected.
Figures 1 and 2 being longitudinal sections of hydro-thermal cartridges illus-
trating the simpler types of apparatus for carrying out my present invention; and,
Figure 3, a similar view of an apparatus more especially adapted for continuous
operation.
Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts in the several views.
Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the casing of the hydro-thermal
cartridge which may be of any usual form that will adapt itself to the usual mining
drill hole or bore, and admit of being tamped or packed in place in the usual
manner.
In carrying out my present hydro-thermal blasting process, the whole operation
may be carried out within the cartridge casing, or partly within the same and
partly within a separate chamber or generator arranged outside of the drill hole or
bore, that is suitably connected to the cartridge casing by tubular connections,
flexible or otherwise.
The first mentioned method can be very effectively carried out by the construction
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, in which the cartridge is shown as of a hollow closed
form, filled with water or other suitable liquid, and having a plug 2 closing an orifice
in one end of the casing as shown, to form a seal that will require some force to
rupture.
A thermal or resistance coil 3 of German silver, platinum, or other suitable metal
is arranged within the cartridge, and affords the means of communicating a sudden
and high temperature to the confined liquid by the passage of a suitable current of
electricity through the coil in the usual well-known manner; the terminals of such
coil being properly insulated where they pass out through the wall of the cartridge
casing, as clearly illustrated in the drawings.
In order to avoid a disruption of the coil by the rapid discharge of the cartridge,
I propose to enclose it within a suitable interior casing 4, filled with a body or
mass 5 of any suitable material that possesses the dual properties of a conductor of
heat and a non-conductor of electricity.
The second or continuous method above referred to, is best effected by an apparatus
substantially of the construction illustrated in Figure 3.
In this the thermal or resistance coil 3 is arranged within an auxiliary chamber
or generator 6 of the required size and strength, and which in the present con-
struction is adapted to contain the water or other liquid used, and has suitable pipe

page_text: connections 7, flexible or otherwise, with the hydro-thermal cartridge, which in this
special form of the apparatus is in the form of an open-ended shell 8, the sides of
which may be perforated or not, as desired.
9, is a valve in the connecting pipe 7, for controlling communication between the
auxiliary chamber or generator 6 and the hydro-thermal cartridge.
10, is a superimposed auxiliary feeding tank, connected to the generator 6 and
provided with valves 11 and 12, by the manipulation of which a supply of the water
or other liquid used, can be introduced into the interior of the generator in the
following manner :
By closing the valve 12, and opening the valve 11, the auxiliary chamber can be
filled by hand, and by closing the valve 11 and opening the valve 12, the contents
of the auxiliary chamber will flow by gravity down into the generator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The herein described improvement in mine blasting or rending, the same
consisting in confining a liquid body within a closed casing, inserting the filled
casing within the drill bore or hole, and heating the confined liquid body so that
its expansive force will be exerted within the drill bore or hole, substantially as
set forth.
2. The herein described improvement in mine blasting or rending, the same
consisting in confining a liquid body within a closed casing, inserting the filled
casing within the drill bore or hole, and heating, by means of an electric resistance
coil, the confined liquid body so that its expansive force will be exerted within the
drill bore or hole, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 16th day of May 1893.
R. HADDAN.
Herbert Haddan & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street; Strand, London.