A System for Increasing the Rock Fracturing Capability of a Ripping Tractor

A system has been developed which fragments rock by high-pressure gas discharges near the point of ripper penetration of a rock formation. From development tests, it was demonstrated that the system markedly extends the rock fracturing performance of a D7 Caterpillar tractor.

The paper is divided into three basic sections. First, a summary of the mathematical analyses and model testing of rock fracturing is presented. Next, the hardware design and development necessary to adapt the FARE principle to rock-ripping requirements is described. Finally, the results and evaluations of tests conducted at various limestone rock test sites are described.