AN IMPROVEMENT IN OR RELATING TO USE OF CORPUSCULAR BEAM IN MINING AND EXCAVATION

摘要

There is disclosed a method and apparatus for mining and excavating through rocky terrain without a mechanical tool or machine which must be made rugged enough to withstand the forces and impacts necessary to break rocks. The excavation is carried out with an electron beam which is projected against the rock. The beam is conducted from a generator through a long tube, which may be 20 feet long or more, and is emitted at the end of the tube. The generator and tube may be mounted on the turret of a vehicle so that the tube can swing in an arc of large angle in the plane of a rocky seam or at any angle transverse to this plane. The beam bores an opening in which the vehicle moves which may be in the direction of and/or at an angle to the beam.