Surface compaction, material breaking and rubblization are processes utilized in countless industries. For instance, in the repair and reconstruction of streets and highways, it is typically necessary to remove the existing concrete and materials and prepare the underlying surface for new concrete. Additional uses of such processes include soil and foundation compaction, cracking and seating of concrete, landfill compaction, runway formation and ground preparation therefor, as well as many others. Many of the current processes utilized for these applications are extremely time and labor intensive, and, for some applications, relatively ineffective.
Prior art apparatuses for soil compaction and concrete breaking include large, high-density balls, vibratory impact rollers, and guillotine-type breaking devices. Other methods available for breaking concrete include the use of jack hammers and the like. Again, such apparatus and methods are typically very slow.
In response to these problems, the inventor herein created several new devices, which are the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,387, entitled “Concrete Breaking Apparatus,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,283, entitled “Compaction Roller Assembly and Grader,” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,485, entitled “Compaction Roller and Method for Rubblizing Concrete.” These inventions are very successful in compacting soil, and cracking and breaking the concrete of streets and roadways to permit removal of the surface material. However, the inventor has found the need for further additional devices and methods for surface compaction and material breaking and rubblizing.
Consequently, a method and apparatus for compaction, breaking and rubblization of several materials in a variety of settings is needed.