FINAL COMMENTS

Summarizing, some advantages of these techniques are:

-  The two techniques here presented are especially useful to break big blocks, and are an easy-to-use alternative to explosives and heavy machinery.

-   Contrary to explosives and heavy machinery (tilt-hammer and bulldozer) these techniques do not transmit shock vibration to the fossils, thus they are suitable for paleontological excavations.

-   Stone-splitters and expansive demolition agents are very easily portable devices.

-   In contrast to explosives, there is no need of special authorization, for either stone-splitters or expansive demolition agents.

-   Costs associated with these techniques are – relative to explosives or bulldozers – extremely low.

-   Low environmental costs – contrarily to explosives, for example.

And, some disadvantages are:

-  In low temperature circumstances the expansive demolition agent the expansion stresses are much lower.

-  The application process of expansive demolition agents require more time than explosives.

-   Stone-splitters and/or expansive agents can also be used on a small scale to make precise fractures where they are desired. In laboratory preparation where noise- and or dust-pollution can prevent hard hammering or sawing, these techniques are potentially useful.

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