Objective
The expected deliverables have been actually reached and six advanced prototypes have been designed and produced. Each splitter is composed by two steel shells with the seats for the actuators, the SMA cylinders, and the heating system for the activation. The shells have been designed for a homogeneous distribution of the forces produced by the actuators and for an optimal exploitation of the required displacements for rock fracture initiation. The updated configuration of the prototypes has been studied to make possible the positioning of two or more systems in series into a single borehole. The number and the optimal positioning of the splitters along the splitting line has been defined on the basis of the results of numerical simulations by using a numerical model.
Each splitter hosts a maximum number of nine actuators characterised by the development of high forces (which is the most critical parameters, rather than the displacement, as demonstrated by laboratory trials), and use reproducibility.
The industrial objective of this project is to develop a splitting system (SMAQ) to provide the SMEs of the quarrying sector with a cost-effective and efficient working tool for the extraction of stone blocks through stitch drilling. Increased performance levels are predicted to yield a 20 percent cost saving and up to 30 percent increase in production with respect to traditional systems. Stitch drilling is a method used in most quarries to extract a block of regular dimensions and shape. In stitch drilling, a series of holes are drilled along the splitting line. The stone is then dynamically split along this line by means of'"soft" explosives or by means of wedges driven into the holes with hammers. Alternative static solutions are the use of hydraulic systems or the use of liquid clays which expand in the holes as they dry. All the mentioned techniques have limitations towards current productivity and quality criteria. SMAQ is based on the technology of the Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs). Shape memory alloys are novel materials which have the ability to return to a predetermined shape when heated, generating large forces and displacements. SMA actuators consisting of small cylinders, electrically actuated through Joule heating by lightweight portable batteries and recovered to the original shape by means of springs, will be developed and integrated in a splitting system applicable all over Europe. SMAQ is designed to be a cost-effective system, enabling the reduction of extraction costs while improving the quality of the quarried materials when compared to traditional systems. The system will be re-usable and will have longer life than equivalent price hydraulic systems. No need to invest in adapting working procedures is envisaged. These features make the SMAQ system affordable by SMEs. SMAQ will also have positive social, safety and environmental impacts in drastically reducing the need for explosives and the amount of dust produced, contributing to create better job opportunities in the same field. The proposed project complies with the scientific and technological objectives of Industrial & Materials Technologies and in particular with Research Tasks l.l.l.S (adaptation and application of new technologies), 1.1.7.M (development of new and improved production systems able to provide increased speed and accuracy in cutting operations), 1.2.1.S (reduction and substitution of hazardous industrial and processing materials), 1.3.2.L (development of new environmentally sustainable mining and quarrying concepts).
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering thermodynamic engineering
- engineering and technology environmental engineering mining and mineral processing
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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Coordinator
28027 ORNAVASSO
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.