AU2016101311A4 - A chuck adapter, chuck adapter seal and drill string sealing system - Google Patents

Abstract

A CHUCK ADAPTER, CHUCK ADAPTER SEAL AND DRILL STRING SEALING A chuck adapter for operatively coupling a drill chuck to a drill string member, the chuck adapter including a main body, wherein the main body includes: one end for operatively coupling to the drill chuck, wherein operation of the drill chuck rotates the main body of the chuck adapter; an other end including a recess adapted to receive an end of the drill string member and configured to drive the outside surface of the drill string member upon rotation of the main body; and, a bore extending from the one end to the other end of the main body and providing a continuous passage through the chuck adapter. A chuck adapter seal for use with the chuck adapter and a sealing method for sealing drill string members is also described. mm coo Lfn

Description

A CHUCK ADAPTER, CHUCK ADAPTER SEAL AND DRILL STRING SEALING

SYSTEM

[001] The present invention relates to a chuck adapter for connecting a drill chuck to a driil string member. The invention further relates to a chuck adapter sea! for use with the chuck adapter and a sealing method for sealing driil string members to one another,

BACKGROUND

[002] The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

[003] Underground mining in many areas currently requires using rock bolts or cable bolts for roof support. This is a common practice in so-called "soft rock" areas, where the ground is largely composed of sedimentary rock which is generally not as hard as the types of rock found in other areas. Coal mines are some of the most common soft rock mines. Installing cable bolts involves drilling long holes, often 4 to 11m in length, in the ceiling or walls of tunnels. Cable bolts are inserted into the holes and are anchored and tensioned to provide support to the roof or wall.

[004] Drilling the holes for cable bolts can be challenging as the length of the holes is usually far longer than the height of the tunnel. To overcome this problem drill strings are used, which are formed from numerous small drill string members that can be progressively attached during drilling to extend the drill string and then disassembled to remove the drill string from the hole once drilled.

[005] Drilling cable bolt holes in soft rock mines is generally accomplished with non-percussive drilling methods. Non-percussive drilling typically uses right hand threads on components, and therefore clockwise rotation during drilling. Percussive drilling uses left hand threads, thereby preventing inadvertent use of percussive drilling components in non-percussive drilling, or vice versa. Rope threads are commonly used to join two or more drill string members due to their advantageous wear properties.

[006] A chuck adapter is commonly used to connect the drill string to the chuck of a drill for drive purposes so that they can be easily detached to allow another drill string member to be inserted. The chuck adapter is typicaliy arranged such that it can drive the last drill string member in the drill string. Rather than connecting using the right hand rope thread as used to connect drill string members to one another, the chuck adapter must use a different mechanism that can apply torque in both directions to the last drill string member, as reverse torque is required to separate drill string members during removal.

[007] The drill string usually includes a central passage to carry water from the drill chuck or some other supply system to the cutting tip located on the first drill string member. The water is used to remove the particulate matter formed in the drilling process and prevent dust from forming and heat that may cause ignition. While a perfect seal between the drill string members is not essential, it is desirable for the comfort of the drill operators, as significant water leakage is common.

[008] Chuck adapters currently in use typically include a main body composed of at least two pieces held together by a number of screws. The join between the two parts requires the chuck adapter to be quite wide to accommodate the fasteners. The two piece chuck adapter has been found to create a serious safety issue. The two parts are held together by a number of screws which can become loose and fali out due to vibrations during use. This can result in failure and potentially serious injury to the operator.

[009] The chuck adaptor seals typically used with current chuck adapters are generally made from polyurethane or some other similar material. This material and design generally provides an adequate seal, however they regularly become worn out and must be replaced. The chuck adapter seals have been found to become damaged and as a result can be very difficult to remove.

[010] The current invention aims to address some of the problems mentioned through the use of alternative designs and materials. The invention provides improved safety, reduced maintenance requirements, improved functionality through smaller chuck adapter size and improved operator comfort through lower water leakage.

SUMMARY

[Oil] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a chuck adapter for operatively coupling a drill chuck to a drill string member, the chuck adapter including a main body, wherein the main body includes: one end for operatively coupling to the drill chuck, wherein operation of the drill chuck rotates the main body of the chuck adapter; another end including a recess adapted to receive an end of the drill string member and configured to drive an outside surface of the drill string member upon rotation of the main body; a bore extending from one end to the other end of the main body and providing a continuous passage through the chuck adapter; and a male sealing member extending from the base of the recess toward the opening of the recess and including a hollow such that the continuous passage is maintained through the male sealing member; wherein the maie sealing member has a male threaded portion which engages with a corresponding female threaded portion formed in the recess.

[01 la] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a chuck adapter for operatively coupling a drill chuck to a drill string member, the chuck adapter including a main body, wherein the main body includes: one end for operatively coupling to the drill chuck, wherein operation of the drill chuck rotates the main body of the chuck adapter; another end including a recess adapted to receive an end of the drill string member and configured to drive an outside surface of the drill string member upon rotation of the main body; a bore extending from one end to the other end of the main body and providing a continuous passage through the chuck adapter; and a male sealing member extending from the base of the recess toward the opening of the recess and including a hollow such that the continuous passage is maintained through the male sealing member; wherein the male sealing member is integrally formed with the main body.

[011b] Preferably, a leading end of the male sealing member, which extends away from the end for operatively coupling to the drili chuck, is adapted to be inserted into a receptacle formed in a drill string female connector which is secured to the drill string member. A gasket is located in the receptacle for sealing between the male sealing member and the female connector to provide a first seal.

[011c] Preferably, the male sealing member includes a flange adapted to be seated against a shoulder formed in the main body, the shoulder being defined by the intersection of the recess and the bore.

[Olid] Preferably, a portion of the flange, which is closest to an opening of the recess, is chamfered and adapted to abut against an internal surface of the drill string female connector, thereby providing a second seal.

[012] In another form, a male sealing member extends from the base of the recess towards the opening of the recess and includes a hollow such that the continuous passage is maintained through the chuck adapter and the male sealing member.

[013] In another form, the main body is constructed from metal or metal alloy.

[014] In another form, the main body is constructed from steel or metal alloy with similar properties to steel.

[015] In another form, the male sealing member is removable.

[016] In another form, the male sealing member is constructed from a material the same or similar to that of the chuck adapter.

[017] In another form, the main body of the chuck adapter includes a male sealing member recess located at the base of the drill string member recess; wherein the male sealing member recess is adapted to receive the male sealing member and includes an interna! thread; and, the male sealing member has a complementary external thread to engage with the maie sealing member recess.

[018] In another form, the driil string member includes a female portion for receiving the maie sealing member.

[019] In another form, the male sealing member further includes an external flange protruding from an outside surface, wherein the external flange is adapted to match a corresponding inside surface of the drill string member within the female portion, [020] In another form, the external flange of the male sealing member includes a chamfer on the side opposite the thread, [021] In another form, the male sealing member includes a section with a plurality of fiat external surfaces, such as a hexagonal externa! shape, to assist installing or removing the male sealing member into or from the main body.

[022] In another form, the threads connecting the male sealing member to the main body are further fixed or sealed by the use of a bonding or sealing agent, [023] In another form, an organic solvent is used to clean one or both of the internal or externa! threads prior to being fixed.

[024] In another form, the male sealing member includes a smooth section between the external thread and the external flange to allow use of additional sealing in the form of a washer, [025] In another form, the main body is a unitary member.

[026] In a further broad form, the present invention provides a chuck adapter seal for use with a chuck adapter to provide fluid sealing between the chuck adapter and a drill string member, wherein the chuck adapter seal is of substantially elongate and annular shape, and includes: an external thread toward one end of the chuck adapter seal adapted to fit into a seal recess of the chuck adapter with a complementary internal thread; and, a longitudinal hole providing fluid communication between the chuck adapter and the drill string member; wherein the chuck adapter seal is made from metal or a metal alloy.

[027] In another form, the chuck adapter seal is made from steel or a metal alloy with properties similar to steel, [028] In another form, the chuck adapter sea! further includes an external flange protruding from an outside surface of the chuck adapter seal, wherein the external flange is adapted to match an inside surface of the drill string member; [029] In another form, the external flange of the chuck adapter sea! includes a chamfer on the side opposite the thread.

[030] In another form, the chuck adapter seal further includes a section with a plurality of fiat external surfaces, such as a hexagonal externa! shape, to assist installing or removing the chuck adapter sea! into or from the chuck adapter.

[031] In another form, the chuck adapter sea! further includes a smooth section between the external thread and the external flange to allow use of additional sealing components, such as a washer made from neoprene or other similar material.

[032] In a further broad form, the present invention provides a drill string member for use in a drilling operation, the drill string member including: a female attachment at a first end with an interna! right hand rope thread; a male attachment at the other end with an externa! right hand rope thread to complement that of the first end; a bore through the length of the drill string member providing fluid communication from the first end to the other end; and, a gasket located in an upper portion of the female attachment.

[033] In another form, the gasket is seated in a gasket retaining groove that is cut into the wall in an upper portion of the female attachment.

[034] In another form, the gasket is manufactured from neoprene or some other similar material.

[035] In another form, a plurality of drill string members may be connected in series to create a drill string, providing fluid communication through the length of the drill string and the gasket limiting fluid leaking from the connections between drill string members.

[036] In a further broad form, the present invention provides a method for attaching a chuck adapter seal as hereinbefore described to a chuck adapter main body as hereinbefore described, wherein the method includes the steps of: applying a bonding agent to one or both of the threads; coupling the chuck adapter sea! to the chuck adapter seal recess; and, allowing the bonding or sealing agent to cure.

[037] In another form, the method further includes the step of cleaning one or more threads with an organic solvent prior to applying the sealing or bonding agent.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[038] The present invention will become more fully understood from the following detailed description of preferred but non limiting embodiments thereof, described in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: [039] Figure 1 shows a side view cross section of an assembled chuck adapter and drill string member with a separate illustration showing the end view and the plane through which the cross section was taken; [040] Figure 2 shows an exploded side view of a driil string member female connector, gasket, seal and chuck adapter. The same cross section plane is used for the drill string member connector and chuck adapter as in Figure 1; [041] Figure 3 shows a side view cross section of a chuck adapter with a seal installed. A separate illustration shows the end view and the plane through which the cross section was taken; and, [042] Figure 4 shows an end view and a side view of a chuck adapter seal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[043] Throughout the drawings, like numerals will be used to identify similar features, except where expressly otherwise indicated.

[044] In a preferred, but not limiting embodiment, the present invention relates to a chuck adapter for operatively coupling a drill chuck to a drill string member. The invention allows the chuck adaptor to be made from a single piece of material, thereby reducing size and weight while also dramatically improving safety, [045] The invention further relates to a male sealing member, or chuck adapter seal, that may be made from a resilient material such as steel, rather than the traditional polyurethane or neoprene, The chuck adapter seal could potentially be manufactured along with the chuck adaptor as a single piece, or as in the current embodiment as a separate component that removably attaches to the chuck adapter.

[046] The invention further relates to a sealing system for coupling drill string members with right hand rope thread male and female connecting portions to one another in a drill string. The system includes the use of a gasket that may be composed of neoprene or another suitable material and which may be reusable and/or replaceable. This neoprene gasket has the additional benefit of further aiding sealing between the chuck adapter and the drill string members, [047] Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the chuck adapter 1. The main body of the chuck adapter 1 includes an end 10 for coupling to a drill chuck. The other end 11 includes a recess 12 into which the drill string member female connector 3 is received. Operation of the drill chuck rotates the main body of the chuck adapter 1, causing the inside surface of the recess 12 to drive the outside surface 49 of the drili string female connector 3. The chuck adapter 1 includes a bore 20, which has an opening 30 at the very end of the main body 1 and extends through the length of the drili chuck connecting end 10 to an opening at the base of the chuck adapter sea! recess 13.

[048] Figure 1 shows a chuck adapter 1 with a chuck adapter seal 2 installed. The chuck adapter sea! 2 has a threaded end 18 that fits in and engages with the chuck adapter seal recess 13. When installed, the other end 17 of the chuck adapter seal 2 becomes a male sealing member that extends from the base of the chuck adapter recess 12 towards the opening of the recess 12. When the chuck adapter 1 is connected to a driil string female connector 3, the male seaiing member 17 sits inside the dri!l string female connector 3, forming a sea! and providing fluid communication.

[049] The main body of the chuck adapter 1 would typically be manufactured from steel, however may be any suitable material including but not limited to other metals, alloys or composites. In the preferred embodiment, the main body 1 is machined from a single piece of steel, with the chuck adapter seal 2 machined from a separate piece of steel.

[050] In Figure 1 the chuck adapter 1 with the installed chuck adapter seal 2 are attached to a drill string member female connector 3, which in turn is part of the drill string main body member 5. The main body member 5 also includes a drill string member male connector 8. The drill string member female connector 3, main body member 5 and drill string member male connector 8 together form a dril! string member 9. The components are all shown by the cross section taken along the plane 50 as shown in the separate end view drawing at the left of Figure 1. The drill string member may also be formed as a unitary member including integral male and female connectors.

[051] The complete system 80 shown in Figure i allows water to enter the chuck adapter 1 at an opening 30 and flow the entire length of the system 80 to exit at an opening 31 in the drill string member male connector 8. This continuous passage includes a hollow centre, or bore 20, of the chuck adapter 1 which connects to a corresponding longitudinal bore or hollow 21 of the chuck adapter seai 2, which in turn connects to a longitudinal bore or hollow 22 of the drill string member female connector 3. In this embodiment the connection between the chuck adapter seal 2 and the drili string member female connector 3 is aided by a neoprene gasket 4. While water is the most common fluid used in this application, any other suitabie fiuid may be used with this invention, including gases such as steam.

[052] Sealing the connection between the chuck adapter seal 2 and the drill string member female connector 3 is aided by the flange 40 on the chuck adapter seal 2 as illustrated in Figure 2. This flange 40 is chamfered such that it fits an internal surface 41 of the drill string member female connector 3. In the current embodiment this chamfer is at an angle of 45°, however may be at any other suitable angle to match the driil string member female connector opening 41.

[053] In a preferred embodiment, the chuck adapter seal 2 is machined from steel with a very low tolerance such that the flange 40 creates a somewhat waterproof seai with the surface 41 without the need for any further gaskets. The flange is also located with low tolerance to ensure accurate positioning of the adapter relative to the drill string member female connector 3. This ensures the end of the adapter seal correctly abuts with the neoprene gasket 4, providing a second seai. Typically the flange 40 would be located such that when the chuck adapter 1 is connected to the drill string member female connector 3 the neoprene gasket 4 is compressed 42 by 0.75mm, within a tolerance of ±0.25mm. Together, the two seals are aimed at limiting the water leaking from the fluid passage, however due to vibrations and other forces during use a completely waterproof seal is generally not possible.

[054] The hollow centre 22 of the drill string member female connector 3 is connected to the hollow centre 23 of the drill string member main body 5, which in turn is connected to the hollow centre 24 of the drill string member male connector 8. A steel ball 7 is used to prevent reverse flow of water when the chuck adapter 1 is disconnected from the drill string member female connector 3. When the water flow is stopped the steel ball 7 blocks the opening 32 of the drill string member female connector 3. During normal operation the steel ball 7 is prevented from blocking the opening 33 of the drill string member male connector 8 by a retainer pin 6, which crosses the hollow centre 23, stopping the steel ball 7 while still allowing the flow of water.

[055] The system is designed such that any number of drill string members can be used in series. Each drill string member male connector 8 has an external right hand rope thread 45 that matches the internal rope thread 46 of the drill string member female connector. As the drill penetrates to a depth where the chuck adapter 1 reaches the rock surface, the chuck adapter 1 is disconnected from the last driil string member female connector 3 and another driil string member is connected using a drili string member male connector 8. The neoprene gasket 4 in the upper part of the drili string female connector 3 improves the seal and limits fiuid ieaking from the connection between consecutive drill string members 9 by butting against the end of the driil string male connector 8 when connected.

[056] The continuous fiuid communication from the opening 30 to the opening 31 allows water to be supplied from the driil chuck to the drill string and eventually to the cutting tip at the end of the first driil string member, where it aids in removal of particulate matter created by the driiling process and prevents formation of dust and keeps the drili operation cool.

[057] The design of the chuck adapter 1 and chuck adapter seal 2 is such that it can quickly attach and detach from the female connector 3 without the use of a thread. A thread is not appropriate in this situation as applying a torque in the reverse direction is required when separating the driil string members during removal once the drili hole is completed. Rather, the chuck adapter 1 drives the outside surface 49 of the drili string member female connector 3, which is shaped in the form of a square or hexagonal cross section.

[058] The drill string member female connector 3 is designed to house the neoprene gasket 4 such that an effective watertight connection is formed with either the chuck adapter 1 or a drill string member male connector 8. The female connector 3 has a gasket recess 48 to house and retain the gasket 4 as various parts are repeatedly connected and removed. The gasket 4 is flexible enough to be installed simply by pushing into the end of the drill string member female connector 3, but also has sufficient structure to stay oriented in position during normal use. If the gasket 4 becomes damaged and needs to be replaced, it can be cut and removed in smaller pieces if removing as a single piece becomes too difficult.

[059] Figure 3 shows the chuck adapter seal 2 connected to the chuck adapter 1 by an external thread 65 on the chuck adapter seal 2 and an internal thread 66 in the chuck adapter seal recess 13. Priming agents including but not limited to Loctite 7471 Primer and bonding agents including but not limited to Loctite 271 or 641 can be applied to one or both of the threads 65, 66 to secure the chuck adapter seal 2 and ensure it does not become loose during use. Such bonding agents can also be used to waterproof the connection, however they are not permanent and stil! allow removal of the chuck adapter seal 2 if it becomes worn and needs replacing.

[060] To install the chuck adapter seal 2 into the chuck adapter 1 the bonding or sealing agent is applied to one or both of the external thread 65 of the chuck adapter seal 2 and/or the internal thread of the chuck adapter seal recess 66. The chuck adapter seal 2 is then rotated into the chuck adapter seal recess 66 so that the threads engage until the flange 40 is butted against the shoulder of the chuck adapter seal recess 66. The bonding or sealing agent is then allowed to cure before the chuck adapter 1 is put into service. The threads may also be treated or cleaned using an organic solvent or similar prior to applying the bonding or sealing agents to further improve the connection.

[061] An alternative embodiment could be manufactured that combines the chuck adapter I and the chuck adapter seal 2 into a single piece of material. This would be similar to the assembled setup as shown in Figure 3; however the threaded connection 65 would not be required. Such a component could be milled from a single piece of material, or with improvements in technology in the future constructed using an additive printing process. Such a component would remove any waterproofing concerns with the thread connection 65. It would also remove the ability to replace the chuck adapter seal, however the chuck adapter seal would be made from a long lasting material like steel, and therefore not require replacing as is the case with some current designs in which the chuck adapter seal is manufactured from softer materials.

[062] Figure 4 shows the chuck adapter seal 2. The thread 65 is illustrated in more detail and the hexagonal end 60 is also shown in detail. The external hexagonal section 60 allows the chuck adapter seal 2 to be easily changed, typically using a standard 15mm socket 61. In other embodiments this section may be changed to allow use of a different size socket, or may be a different shape for use with a different tool. Another embodiment may also alter the shape of the hollow centre 21, such as having a hexagonal internal section so that a standard hex key can be used.

[063] Figure 4 also shows a step or smooth section 42 which could be used to house a gasket or washer behind the flange 40. Such a gasket would most likely be a standard washer or o-ring that would aid in waterproofing the join between the chuck adapter seal 2 and the chuck adapter 1.

[064] Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (5)

1. The claims defining the invention are as follows:

   1. A chuck adapter for operatively coupling a drill chuck to a drill string member, the chuck adapter including a main body, wherein the main body includes: one end for operatively coupling to the drill chuck, wherein operation of the drill chuck rotates the main body of the chuck adapter; another end including a recess adapted to receive an end of the drill string member and configured to drive an outside surface of the drill string member upon rotation of the main body; a bore extending from one end to the other end of the main body and providing a continuous passage through the chuck adapter; and a male sealing member extending from the base of the recess toward the opening of the recess and including a hollow such that the continuous passage is maintained through the male sealing member; wherein the male sealing member has a male threaded portion which engages with a corresponding female threaded portion formed in the recess.
2. 2. A chuck adapter for operatively coupling a drill chuck to a drill string member, the chuck adapter including a main body, wherein the main body includes: one end for operatively coupling to the drill chuck, wherein operation of the drill chuck rotates the main body of the chuck adapter; another end including a recess adapted to receive an end of the drill string member and configured to drive an outside surface of the drill string member upon rotation of the main body; a bore extending from one end to the other end of the main body and providing a continuous passage through the chuck adapter; and a male sealing member extending from the base of the recess toward the opening of the recess and including a hollow such that the continuous passage is maintained through the male sealing member; wherein the male sealing member is integrally formed with the main body.
3. 3. The chuck adapter of claim 1 or 2, wherein a leading end of the male sealing member, which extends away from the end for operatively coupling to the drill chuck, is adapted to be inserted into a receptacle formed in a drill string female connector which is secured to the drill string member, further wherein a gasket is located in the receptacle for sealing between the male sealing member and the female connector to provide a first seal.
4. 4. The chuck adapter of claim 3, wherein the male sealing member includes a flange adapted to be seated against a shoulder formed in the main body, the shoulder being defined by the intersection of the recess and the bore.
5. 5. The chuck adapter of claim 4, wherein a portion of the flange, which is closest to an opening of the recess, is chamfered and adapted to abut against an internal surface of the drill string female connector, thereby providing a second seal.