Appeal No. 2000-0119
Application 08/785,711
mentioned above, we note that this patent also specifically
discloses a process for fragmentation of “construction materials,
e.g., concrete, wall board, timber and other materials which are
porous” (col. 3, lines 28-31). In this process the porous
construction materials are impregnated with a fluid (e.g., water)
such that the pores of the material are at least partially
occupied by the fluid, and subjected to a heating step in a
pressure vessel whereby a suitable temperature and pressure are
achieved such that the moisture or liquid carried in the pores
will rapidly turn to steam or vapor when the pressure in the
vessel is rapidly reduced by quickly opening an unloading means
at the bottom of the pressure vessel. The sudden release of
pressure causes the moisture in the pores of the construction
material to change to steam and a certain portion of the liquid
in the material to flash to vapor in accordance with thermo-
dynamic laws, thereby resulting in a rapid expansion within
the porous material that will rupture the material into tiny
fragments. Grube notes (col. 6, lines 12-14) that by fragmenting
the more porous elements, the resulting comminuted construction
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