Abstract: A mechanical oscillator which employs unbalanced rotors is coupled to the top end of a drill string which has become stuck in a bore hole. The rotors are driven at a rotation speed such as to generate high level energy at a sonic frequency, this energy being coupled to the drill string. A low impedance load for the oscillator and the top of the drill string is created by supporting the oscillator from the support structure, which may comprise a derrick or the like, by means of a highly elastic support which may include elastomeric stretch bands, springs or other elastomeric support having a linear constant spring rate. In addition, hydraulic cylinders which may be servo driven are used to keep the drive motors for the oscillators in one place as the oscillator structure vibrates. The oscillators are driven at a high energy level to effect high displacement of the top of the drill string which presents a low impedance load to this energy in view of the highly elastic support provided.

Abstract: A pair of spaced walls which may be formed from corrugated metal sheets are joined together with a bottom plate being attached to the edges of the walls to form a box-like structure. A drive shoe formed by a pair of plates may be attached to the bottom of the structure. A sonic oscillator is attached to the top edges of the structure and sonic energy, preferably at a frequency which causes resonant standing wave vibration of the box-like structure, is applied to such structure so as to drive it into the ground. Successive sections of similar box-like structures are driven into the ground in end to end overlapping relationship to form an elongated box structure installed in the soil. This structure is employed to provide a barrier against the migration of soil pollutants. Further, soil samples can be taken from the area contained by the box-like structure to evaluate the effectiveness of the barrier provided by the first wall.

Abstract: A Moyno type oscillator having a screw shaped rotor and stator is lowered down by means of a cable within a section of drill pile which has become stuck in a bore hole. The rotor of the oscillator is rotatably driven by means of a liquid stream at a speed such as to generate vibrational energy in the oscillator housing at a sonic frequency. The cable from which the oscillator is suspended has swivel bearings installed therein to permit the oscillator housing to rotate from the cable. The vibrational energy generated in the oscillator housing causes the housing to rotate precessionally around the inside wall of the stuck section of drill pipe to thus generate amplified lateral quadrature vibrational energy in the drill pipe to shake it loose from the bore hole.

Abstract: An elastic bar member is coupled to an orbiting mass oscillator and the entire assembly is suspended from a cable or the like such that the bar member has freedom of lateral motion and is nakedly immersed in a slurry having particulate material contained therein such as a mineral ore reject from which metal has been extracted. The rotor of the orbiting mass oscillator is driven at a speed such as to generate cycloidal sonic energy in the bar preferably at a frequency such as to set up resonant standing wave vibration of the bar in a cycloidal quadrature pattern. The cycloidal vibrational energy tends to set the surrounding fluid material into a whirling rotation or rotary traveling wave which facilitates the agglomeration or coagulation of the particles in the material and enhances the settling operation to make for more complete separation of the particles from the liquid.

Abstract: An elastic bar member is clamped to an orbiting mass oscillator and the entire assembly is suspended from a cable or the like such that the bar member has freedom of lateral motion and is nakedly immersed in a leachant having a material contained therein such as a mineral ore from which metal is to be extracted. The rotor of the orbiting mass oscillator is driven at a speed such as to generate cycloidal sonic energy in the bar preferably at a frequency such as to set up resonant standing wave vibration of the bar in a cycloidal nutating pattern. The cycloidal vibrational energy tends to set the surrounding fluid material into a whirling rotation or rotary traveling wave which facilitates the mixing of the ore and leachant and enhances the leaching operation to make for more complete separation of the mineral from the ore.

Abstract: A compliant foam is introduced into the bottom of a pile casing being resonantly sonically driven into the ground. The foam mixes with earthen material which has entered the interior of the casing and is presenting impedance to the sonic driving of the pile. This foam material effectively makes the earthen material more compliant and thus effectively lowers the impedance presented by such material, thereby increasing the accoustical "Q" of the resonantly vibrating pile member.

Abstract: A sonic boring tool which employs sonic energy in implementing its boring action is lowered down a well to a region thereof where the flow of effluent is restricted by clogging and contamination. A curved bend is provided in the string above the tool such that the tool is oriented for drilling into the formation laterally from the well. The drill string employed is flexible so that it can follow the curved path of the tool. The tool may comprise a drill bit, sonically driven by means of an orbiting mass oscillator coupled to the drill string or may comprise a hydraulic drilling tool in which hydraulic pulsating jets are generated in response to sonic energy developed in an orbiting mass oscillator and coupled to the tool through a resonantly driven drill string. In one embodiment a rotary table is provided to enable the rotation of the tool in one direction or the other or alternatively in opposite directions to obtain a variety of drilling patterns.

Abstract: A well casing of an elastic metal material is placed in concentric relationship with a casing of an inert material such as a suitable plastic. A penetrating cap piece is placed on the bottom end of the metallic casing. The two concentric casings are then driven into the earth in an area to be monitored for contamination, such driving action being achieved by a sonic oscillator which is attached to the top end of the metallic casing. Preferably, the sonic energy is provided at a frequency such as to effect resonant standing wave vibration of the metallic casing. Further, water may be injected down the casing so as to lubricate the earthen structure immediately below the cap to accelerate the penetration of the casing. When the casings have been driven to the desired depth, the metallic casing is withdrawn by lifting up thereon while continuing to apply sonic energy, leaving the casing of inert material in place such that earth samples can be periodically withdrawn from the well thus formed.

Abstract: A liquid carrier having mineral ore in the form of free particles or a salt dissolved therein is contained within a suitable container. A box member which has walls which are pervious to the liquid by virtue of apertures formed therein or the porous nature of such walls is filled with a collection material such as carbon which may be in the form of filaments or particles. This box member is suspended in the liquid carrier. An elastic member which may be a plate of steel has an orbitting mass oscillator attached to the top end thereof. This elastic member is suspended in the liquid in opposing relationship to the box member. The rotor of the oscillator is rotatably driven so as to generate sonic energy in the elastic member. The carbon particles provide an electrode of an electrolytic system such that the mineral in the carrier, e.g. gold migrates to the carbon particles and deposits thereon.

Abstract: A screw shaped rotor is freely mounted for rolling rotation in a mating screw shaped stator which is mounted in a housing. The rotor is rotatably driven by means of a fluid stream to generate sonic energy in the housing with a lateral mode of vibration at a frequency which is the function of the rate of fluid flow. The oscillator housing is coupled to the load which it drives uniformly along the entire length of the oscillator. The drive fluid for the oscillator is coupled thereto through a flexible coupling such as a section of rubber hose so that this coupled end of the oscillator is not substantially constrained against lateral vibration and is free to vibrate laterally along with the rest of the housing. The oscillator housing may be coupled along its entire length to the load to be vibrationally driven or can be suspended in a liquid which is to be vibrationally energized.

Abstract: A close fitting piston of a material such as rubber is attached to the end of a rod string such as a sucker rod which is suspended inside a tubing string installed in an oil well. An orbiting mass oscillator is attached to the upper end of the rod string and is operated at a frequency such as to cause resonant standing wave vibration of the rod string. The piston member attached to the bottom end of the rod string is driven by the vibrational energy to in effect form an acoustical piston which is driven by the vibrational energy. This energy is coupled to the surrounding liquid and thence to the surrounding formation to effectively unclog the well and the casing string of contaminants which may be impeding the flow of effluent from the well. The piston means is made long enough so that it operates as an acoustic monopole with both ends of the piston being vibrationally in phase with the vibrational energy traveling in the surrounding liquid medium.

Abstract: A cylindrical rotor is mounted for rotation in a raceway formed in the inside wall of a housing, the outside diameter of the rotor being only slightly less than the inside diameter of the raceway so that the rotor substantially fills the housing. One or more relatively high mass cylindrical rollers is each contained in a cavity or pocket formed in the outer wall of the rotor, each such roller being free to roll within its pocket and to move radially outwardly by virtue of the centrifugal force generated and to roll around in the raceway with the rotor and roller or rollers filling the housing and riding somewhat closely against the housing wall. This effectively fills all of the space in the housing and prevents the formation of a fluid filled "traveling" space in the housing thereby minimizing roller drag due to fluid turbulence.

Abstract: The piston of an internal combustion engine has an odd number of sockets formed in the top surface thereof. With the piston in its top dead center position, a thin slit is formed between the cylinder head and the top of the piston. The sockets form acoustical chambers for detonation waves which may be generated in the cylinder such that with the piston in its top dead center position, these detonation waves travel in random fashion between the acoustical chambers formed by the sockets thereby attenuating such waves and minimizing the effects of detonation.

Abstract: An elastic bar member is clamped to an orbiting mass oscillator and the entire assembly is suspended from a cable or the like such that the bar member has freedom of lateral motion and is nakedly immersed in a leachant having a material contained therein such as a mineral ore from which metal is to be extracted. The rotor of the orbiting mass oscillator is driven at a speed such as to generate cycloidal sonic energy in the bar preferably at a frequency such as to set up resonant standing wave vibration of the bar in a cycloidal nutating pattern. The cycloidal vibrational energy tends to set the surrounding fluid material into a whirling rotation or rotary traveling wave which facilitates the mixing of the ore and leachant and enhances the leaching operation to make for more complete separation of the mineral from the ore.

Abstract: Three or more (preferably an even number) of hollow vibration bars are joined together at one end thereof with the bars spaced from each other and with their longitudinal axes in substantially parallel relationship. Each of the bars has an unbalanced rotor mounted therein which when rotatably driven will generate vibrational energy in the associated bar. The similar rotors of the bars are phased with relationship to each other to generate a combined vibrational force pattern in a liquid in which the bars are immersed which affords optimum agitation of the liquid in an omnidirectional manner. The vibration at the juncture between the multiple bars is kept at a minimum by virtue of the cancellation of the force vectors generated by the bar members at this point.

Abstract: A pipe string is suspended from the surface within a well casing installed in a well. The pipe string is centered within the casing and free from connection therewith except at a down hole point in the casing near the bottom thereof whereat the pipe is attached to the casing. Cement is flowed down the pipe string and out the bottom end thereof from where it flows up along the outer wall of the casing to form a cement annulus therearound. While the cement is being flowed, sonic energy is fed to the pipe string from a sonic oscillator attached thereto. The sonic energy travels down the pipe string and is fed to the bottom of the casing and operates to assure that the cement fills the area around the casing in a uniform manner, at the same time effecting the release of gas bubbles, dirt, rust, scale and other particles from the casing surface to facilitate the formation of a good bond between the cement and the casing wall.

Abstract: A pressurized liquid column is fed down the tubing string of a well and out of the well to the earthen formation at the bottom of the string. Mounted within the tubing string is an elastic rod string and the tubing plus the rod may comprise an elastic column. A vibration generator which may comprise an orbiting mass oscillator is mounted on the top of the rod string or both rod and tubing, the oscillator being operated at a sonic frequency which will effect resonant standing wave vibration of the rod string. A plurality of sonic impeller elements are fixedly mounted on the rod string at spaced intervals therealong, the spacing between such impeller elements being les than 1/10th of the wave length of the standing waves. The impeller elements are designed and oriented so as to effect downward pumping action of the liquid column in response to the sonic energy.

Abstract: A pair of resonant combustion chambers are interconnected by means of a narrow channel. Magnetic pole pieces are positioned in opposing relationship on opposite sides of the channel to establish a magnetic flux across said channel. Fuel is fed to the combustion chambers and ignited alternately by resonant detonation, first in one chamber and then the other to generate combustion gases to develop an ionized body of gas or plasma in the chambers. Shock waves are formed in the chambers with lumped constant resonant acoustic vibration of the plasma being established in each of the chambers. With the detonation in each chamber, the shock wave developed causes a cohesive mass or "slug" of gas to be propelled from the fired chamber through the interconnecting narrow channel surrounded by the pole pieces into the non-fired chamber.

Abstract: A screw type "moyno" sonic oscillator which employs an elongated screw shaped rotor rotatably mounted in a double pitched screw shaped stator is lowered down an oil well casing to a region thereof where effluent is being drawn into the well from a surrounding earthen formation. A pressurized stream of liquid such as water is fed down a pipe string connected to the oscillator assembly so as to rotatably drive the oscillator rotor at a frequency such as to generate sonic energy in a quadrature gyratory mode of oscillation. The pressurized liquid fed to the oscillator exits from the bottom end of the oscillator assembly and rapidly fills the space between the well casing and the oscillator thereby forming a hydrostatic head in this region. A good hydrostatic head is thus rapidly built up in the annulus between the well casing and the oscillator assuring good coupling of sonic energy to the liquid annulus.

Abstract: Within a tubing string forming a conduit for a well is a rod string having sonically responsive impeller pump elements mounted thereon. The impeller pumps employ an elongated cylindrical structure which is spaced from the inner wall of the conduit to form an elongated annular liquid filled gap between the impeller and the conduit. The rod is sonically driven so that it vibrates resonantly. Valves are formed in the impeller, which in one embodiment may comprise a series of ball elements, in another, may comprise flexible reeds, these valve elements being opened and closed in response to the sonic energy to implement the pumping action, and in a third embodiment may comprise arcuate segments that are free to expand and contract radially in response to the sonic energy.