GB2166781A

GB2166781A - A drilling machine

Info

Publication number: GB2166781A
Application number: GB08523646A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ming Luen Lam
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-11-08
Filing date: 1985-09-25
Publication date: 1986-05-14
Also published as: GB8512277D0; GB2166781B; GB8523646D0

Abstract

A drilling machine is described which comprises a movable carriage (1) carrying support means (2) for a drill mast (8). The support means comprises two hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangements (14a and 14b) each having one end pivotally mounted to a support platform (17) rotatably mounted on the carriage (1) and the other end pivotally mounted to a mast sliding bed (20) carrying the mast. A mast hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement (12) is mounted to the mast sliding bed (20) to enable the mast (8) to the moved parallel to its length in a guide groove provided in the mast sliding bed. The piston and cylinder arrangements (14a and 14b) are independently operable to allow the mast to be both rotated, on a bearing, about an axis in the plane of the turntable (17) and to be tilted about an axis approximately parallel to the axis of the piston and cylinder arrangements (14a and 14b). The mast (8) carries a rotary drill head (19) for supporting and drilling tools, for example a drill rod and the protective casing therefor. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A drilling machine THIS INVENTION relates to a drilling machine suitable for use in foundation engineering, the mining industry, geological exploration, mineral prospecting, marine engineering and the like.

Previously proposed drilling machines, for reasons of capacity or specification, have difficulty in meeting the needs of heavy engineering work. Thus, for example, in such previously proposed drilling machines, the drill rod carrying the drill bit is carried by a mast which is supported on a platform and is movable parallel to the length thereof by means of a piston and cylinder arrangement. However, the stroke of the mast in such previously proposed drilling machines does not normally exceed 10 feet (3.05m) while the capacity of the support platform for hoisting and feeding the mast does not normally exceed 5 tonnes.

Also, the mast cannot lift heavy loads when inclined at an angle. Further, the rotary drill head of such previously proposed drilling machines can only bear a hoisting or feeding force of less than 40 tonnes. Moreover, the platform of the drilling machine is small so that the operator can only operate on the ground and this causes difficulty if the working area is flooded with muddy water. Also, the extraction of a drill rod and casing from a bore formed by the drilling machine is cumbersome and outdated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a drilling machine which overcomes or at least mitigates at least some of the abovementioned disadvantages of previously proposed drilling machines.

According to the present invention, there is provided a machine which comprises a chassis carrying a turntable, an elongate lifting and/or tool carrying means and support means for the lifting and/or tool carrying means, the support means being mounted to a surface of the turntable so as to be rotatable, relative to the turntable, about two non-parallel axes irrespective of the orientation of the lifting and/or tool carrying means relative to the said surface such that the orientation of one of the said axes is related to the rotation of the support means about the other of the said axes to enable an axis of the support means to be disposed in a given orientation with respect to the turntable surface, and the lifting and/or tool carrying means being mounted to the support means so as to be movable parallel to the said support means axis.

The present invention, also provides a machine which comprises lifting and/or tool carrying means and support means therefor, the support means being rotatable about three non-parallel axes to enable an axis of the support means to be disposed in a given orientation and the lifting and/or carrying means being movable relative to the support means parallel to the said support means axis.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same can be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a side-elevational view of a drilling machine in accordance with the invention; FIGURE 2 is a top elevational view of the drilling machine of Figure 1 with a mast thereof removed; FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the drilling machine of Figure 1; FIGURE 4 is a side-elevational view of the drilling machine of Figure 1 illustrating the operation thereof in a horizontal position with the mast in a reverse position; FIGURE 5 is a side-elevational view of the drilling machine of Figure 1 showing the mast at a 450 elevation; FIGURE 6 is a side-elevational view of an alternative arrangement of the drilling machine as shown in Figure 4, with the mast at an angle to the vertical;; FIGURE 7a is an enlarged side-elevational view of part of the drilling machine of Figure 1; FIGURE 7b is a sectional view taken along the line A-B of Figure 7a; FIGURE 8a is a side-elevational view of an adapter for fitting a drill rod or casing to the drilling machine of Figure 1; FIGURE 8b is an enlarged sectional view of part of the adapter of Figure 8a showing the screw-thread of a portion of the adapter; FIGURE 9a is a schematic top view of a pipe twisting or turning unit of the drilling machine of Figure 1; FIGURE 9b is a schematic side-elevational view of the pipe twisting or turning unit taken along the direction of the arrow C in Figure 9a:: FIGURE 9c is a schematic front view of the pipe twisting or turning unit taken in the direction of the arrow D of Figure 9b; FIGURE 10a is a schematic top view of a pipe clamping unit of the drilling machine of Figure 1; FIGURE 10b is a schematic side view of the pipe clamping unit taken along the direction of the arrow E in Figure 10a; FIGURE 10c is a schematic side view of the pipe clamping unit taken along the direction of the arrow F in Figure 10a; and FIGURES 1 1 a, 1 1b and 1 1c are schematic end elevational views of the drilling machine of Figure 1 shown showing the mast in three different non-horizontal positions.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a drilling machine suitable for use in, for example, foundation engineering, the mining industry, geological exploration, marine engineering, building and the like.

As shown in Figure 1, the drilling machine comprises a movable carriage 1 carrying support means 2 supporting a drill mast 8.

The movable carriage 1 preferably comprises a tractor 18 which may have chain wheels or articulated tracks. A turntable 17 is mounted to the tractor 18 by means of an appropriate bearing. The turntable 17 carries the support means 2 and a power unit 11.

The support means 2 comprises raising means in the form of two lifting hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangements 14a and 14b.

The hydraulic cylinder of each piston and cylinder arrangement 1 4a and 1 4b is pivotably hinged at 22 to the support platform 17 while the piston of each piston and cylinder arrangement 1 4a and 1 4b is connected by means of a respective pivotable hinge 23 to a mast sliding bed 20. The mast sliding bed 20 is mounted to a bracket 21b via a rotatable bearing 21a. The bracket 21b is connected to the turntable 17 by a pivotable mounting 21 extending across the turntable 17. Thus, when the pistons of the piston and cylinder arrangements 1 4a and 1 4b are extended or retracted together, the support means 2, and therefore the mast 8, is tilted about an axis parallel to the surface of the turntable.When one piston is extended more than the other, the support means 2, and therefore the mast 8, is rotated about the bearing 21a.

The mast sliding bed 20 contains a mast piston and cylinder arrangement 12, the cylinder of the mast piston and cylinder arrangement being pivotably connected to the mast sliding bed and the piston of the mast piston and cylinder arrangement being connected by a pivotable hinge to the drill mast 8. The mast sliding bed 20 defines a sliding slot or guide groove 24 which receives the drill mast 8 so that upon actuation of the mast piston and cylinder arrangement 12 the mast slides along the guide groove 20.

The drill mast 8 has a mast nose 9 at one end thereof. At the other end of the drill mast a rotary drill head 19 for supporting and rotating tools (in this case a drill rod and the casing therefor mounted to the mast) is mounted on a cradle 26 which is mounted to the drill mast 8 so as to be slidable therealong as will be described hereinafter by means of a hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement 5. The rotary head 19 has at one end a flushing inlet 16 and a three-stage adapter 6 for engaging one end of a drill rod as will be described hereinafter. The other end of the rotary drill head 19 carries a hydraulic chuck 31 for connecting a casing for the drill rod to the rotary drill head 19. A rotary head motor 7 is mounted to the rotary drill head 19 to rotate the adapter 6.

A hose reel 10 for hydraulic hose is mounted on a hose reel cradle 1 0a which is movable relative to the mast. Preferably the cradle 26 and the hose reel cradle 10a are connected to feed wires so that the hose reel cradle moves with the cradle 26, the distance moved by the hose reel cradle 10a being preferably half that of the cradle 26.

The drill mast 8 also carries a lifting eye 13 and a lift pulley 29 for assisting in the removal of a drill rod from a drill bore during use of the drilling machine. A mast rest 15 is provided on the support platform or turntable 17 to provide support for the mast 8 when the mast is in the horizontal position as shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 1, a drill rod or casing pipe clamping unit 3 for clamping a drill rod or casing pipe to the mast and a drill rod or casing pipe twisting and turning unit 4 are mounted adjacent the mast nose.

The clamping unit 3 is illustrated schematically in Figures 10a, 10b and 10c while the twisting or turning unit 4 is illustrated schematically in Figures 9a, 9b and 9c. The clamping unit is in the form of a hydraulic clamp comprising a pair of hydraulic cylinders 40 and 41 mounted to a frame 42 which is fixed to the mast. The clamping unit 3 is described in the Applicant's co-pending UK Patent Application No. 8428285 and is used to clamp a drill rod or the like so as to assist in the removal thereof from a drill bore when the mast hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement 12 is actuated to pull a drill rod or the like connected thereto out of a drilled bore.

As shown in Figures 9a, 9b and 9c the drill rod twisting or turning unit 4 which is mounted between the clamping unit 3 and the rotary drill head 19 comprises four hydraulic cylinders 43 to 46 and a U-shaped frame 48.

Two of the cylinders 43 and 44 are mounted on the frame 48 to clamp a drill rod or similar tool while the other two cylinders 45 and 46 are mounted on a frame which is fixed to the mast 8. The U-shaped frame is rotatably supported by a bearing plate and can be rotated using the hydraulic cylinders 43 to 47 as described in the Applicant's co-pending Uk Patent Application No. 8428285 to turn or twist a drill rod or like tool mounted to the drill mast so as to assist in the removal thereof after a drilling operation or the like, particularly if the drill rod or the like is jammed or stuck inside the drill bore. The twisting unit 4 can exert a torque of up to 10 tonnes or more on a drill rod or like tool.

The mast piston and cylinder arrangement 12 is designed to have a long stroke so that the stroke of the drill mast 8 can exceed 10 feet (3.05cm). Also, the mast piston of the piston and cylinder arrangement 12 has a large cross-sectional area so that when the piston and cylinder arrangement 12 is actuated to push on the drill mast 8 to withdraw a drill rod connected thereto from a drilled bore, the piston and cylinder arrangement exerts a 20 tonne pull force via the drill mast and the clamping unit 3 on the drill rod. Simi larly, when the piston of the piston and cylinder arrangement 12 is retracted to pull on the drill mast 8, the mast piston and cylinder arrangement 12 can exert a push force of up to 50 tonnes on the drill mast. As described above, the rotary drill head 19 is mounted on the drill mast 8 by means of a cradle 26.The cradle 26 is slidable along the drill mast 8 by means of a hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement so that the maximum displacement of the rotary drill head along the drill mast can reach up to 20 feet (6.1m) to enable the position of the rotary drill head to be adjusted after drill rods are fitted to or removed from the drill rod string during use of the drilling machine.

As mentioned above, the rotary drill head 19 carries a three stage adapter 6 for connecting one end of a drill rod to the rotary drill head 19 which is specially designed to take a pull or push force of up to approximately 78 tonnes. The three stage adapter 6 comprises three sections 6a, 6b and 6c each of which is of circular cross-section, the cross-section of the three sections 6a to 6c decreasing in a stepwise manner.

Each of the adapter sections 6a to 6c is formed with an external screw-thread for engaging an internal screw-thread of the end of a drill rod or casing. Preferably, the smallest diameter section 6c of the adapter may be designed to engage a drill rod having a 3 inch (7.6cm) external diameter, while the intermediate diameter section 6b may be designed to receive a drill-rod having a 5 inch (12.7cm) diameter or a casing having a 7 inch (17.8cm) inside diameter. The largest diameter screwthreaded casing 6a of the adapter may be designed to engage a 5 inch (12.7cm), 6 inch (15.2cm), 10 inch (25.4cm) drill rod or a 12 inch (30.5cm) inside diameter protective casing for a drill rod.

The intermediate screw-threaded section 6b of the adapter has a differently-handed screwthread from the other two adapter sections 6a and 6c. Thus, in a preferred arrangement, the smallest and largest diameter sections 6a and 6c have right-handed screw-threads while the intermediate section 6b has a left-handed screw-thread. This arrangement serves to ensure that a drill bit connected to a drill rod engaging the adapter does not unscrew and fall from the drill rod during drilling.

Each of the screw-threaded sections 6a to 6c of the adapter 6 has the same type of thread. As shown in Figure 8b, the screwthread of each section 6a to 6c is a 45" thread having a pitch of approximately 12mm, the distance between the crests and troughs of the threads being approximately 3mm and the shape of the teeth being 90". This particular form of teeth is designed to take the impact forces and twisting forces which will be applied thereto during use of the drilling machine and moreover is both highly efficient and very long lasting and can be easily produced. The three stage flange adapter is described in the Applicant's copending Application No. 8500190.

As will be appreciated from the above, the support means 2 of the drilling machine allows the mast 8 to be rotated about both a horizontal and a vertical axis, while the respective movement of the pistons of the support means piston and cylinder arrangements 1 4a and 1 4b can be controlled so that the mast can be tilted about an axis substantially parallel to the pistons of the piston and cylinder arrangements 14a to 14b. Thus, the mast can be positioned in any desired orientation and then slid along the mast sliding bed to position a drill rod carried by the mast in a position of use. The drilling machine may therefore drill a vertically extending bore or a bore inclined to the vertical at any desired orientation, the orientation being determined by the support means.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show the drilling machine in various different operating positions.

In particular, Figures 1 and 5 show the mast 8 in a horizontal position and at a 45" inclination, respectively, for lifting a load, the mast being counterweighted by means of a weight w1 secured to the lifting eye 13 and the load being lifted by applying a force to the carriage 26 by means of a weight w2 connected to the carriage 26 by a rope trained over the lifting pulley 29. In the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the mast 8 is supported by mast rest 15.

Figure 4 shows the mast in a horizontal position but rotated by means of the turntable through 1800 from the position shown in Figure 1.

Figures 1 1a to 1 1c are schematic end elevational views of the drilling machine showing three different orientations of the mast. Thus, Figure 1 1a shows the mast in a vertical position, that is perpendicular to the support platform or turntable 17, while Figure 1 1b shows the mast 8 slewed or tilted to the left by approximately 15 by appropriate actuation of the hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangements 14a and 14b. Figure 1 ic shows the mast 8 slewed or tilted to the right by 15".

Figure 6 is a side-elevational view of an alternative arrangement of the drilling machine in which the mast 8 has been rotated through 1800 degrees relative to the turntable 17 to enable the mast nose to be lifted as shown in Figure 6 so that the drilling machine can be used for drilling holes above the drilling machine, for example in the roof of a tunnel.

The support platform or turntable 17 is so dimensioned that the operator of the drilling machine can walk on the top surface thereof so that, for example, if the drilling site becomes flooded or waterlogged, the operator can use the platform to operate the drilling machine, so reducing the difficulty of working the drilling machine in such circumstances.

A drilling machine embodying the invention can, as described above, have a mast stroke of 10 feet (3.05cm), a mast pull-load of up to 20 tonnes and a mast push-load of up to 15 tonnes. Moreover, the drill rod twisting unit 4 can produce a torque of up to 5 tonnes-meter to facilitate in the removal of a drill rod or casing pipe should the same become difficult.

Further, the lifting of heavy loads with the drilling machine is possible when the mast is in a horizontal, a vertical or an inclined position, the provision of the two mast piston and cylinder arrangements allowing the mast to be positioned at any desired orientation.

Claims

1. A machine which comprises a chassis carrying a turntable, an elongate lifting and/or tool carrying means and support means for the lifting and/or tool carrying means, the support means being mounted to a surface of the turntable so as to be rotatable, relative to the turntable, about two non-parallel axes irrespective of the orientation of the lifting and/or tool carrying means relative to the said surface such that the orientation of one of the said axes is related to the rotation of the support means about the other of the said axes to enable an axis of the support means to be disposed in a given orientation with respect to the turntable surface, and the lifting and/or tool carrying means being mounted to the support means so as to be movable parallel to the said support means axis.

2. A machine according to Claim 1, wherein the said two axes are related so that, in use, when the support means is rotated through 90" about the other of the said axes, the said one axis is rotated through 90".

3. A machine according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the axis of the lifting and/or tool carrying is parallel to the turntable surface, the said one axis extends perpendicularly of the said turntable surface and the said other axis lies parallel to or in the said surface.

4. A machine according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the support rneans is rotatable about the said other axis by raising means.

5. A machine according to Claim 3, wherein the raising means is arranged to rotate the support means about the said two axes.

6. A machine according to Claim 5, wherein the raising means comprises two piston and cylinder arrangements which are operable independently of one another.

7. A machine according to Claim 6, wherein one of the piston and cylinder of each arrangement is pivotally connected to the support means and the other of the piston and cylinder of each arrangement is pivotally connected to the turntable, the support means being elongate and being connected to the turntable, at a point remote from the pivotal connection(s) between the support means and the piston and cylinder arrangements, by a mounting capable of rotation about the said two non-parallel axes.

8. A machine according to Claim 7, wherein the mounting comprises a rotatable bearing fixed to a pivotal connection mounted to the turntable.

9. A machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the lifting and/or tool carrying means are slideably mounted in guide means of the support means.

10. A machine according to Claim 7 or 8, wherein the support means comprises guide means fixedly mounted to the said mounting, the lifting and/or tool carrying means being slidably mounted in the guide means.

11. A machine according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the lifting and/or tool carrying means is slidable by means of a piston and cylinder arrangement.

12. A machine according to Claim 9, 10 or 11 wherein the lifting and/or tool carrying means comprises a mast.

13. A machine according to Claim 12, wherein clamping means are mounted to the mast.

14. A machine according to Claim 13, wherein the clamping means comprises a hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement.

15. A machine according to Claim 12, 13 or 14, which further comprises gripping and turning means mounted to the mast.

16. A machine according to Claim 15, wherein the gripping and turning means comprises gripping means rotatably mounted on the mast and first and second piston and cylinder arrangements mounted on a frame of the gripping means and turning means comprising third and fourth piston and cylinder arrangements for effecting rotation of the frame relative to the mast.

17. A machine according to anyone of Claims 12 to 16 wherein the mast is a drilling mast having means for supporting and driving a drilling tool.

18. A machine according to Claim 17, wherein the supporting and driving means comprises a rotary drill head.

19. A machine according to Claim 18, wherein the rotary drill head carries at one end an adapter for connecting an end of a drill rod to drive means for rotating the drill rod.

20. A machine according to Claim 19, wherein the adapter has three adapter sections for engaging respective drilling tools, the adapter sections being of different cross-sectional area so that the cross sectional area of the adapter deceases in a stepwise manner, the screw-thread of the intermediate crosssectional area section being in the reverse direction to the screw-threads of the other two adapter sections.

21. A machine according to Claim 20, wherein each adapter section has a frusto conical cross-section screw-thread.

22. A machine according to anyone of Claims 18 to 21 wherein the other end of the rotary drill head is provided with means for engaging a drill tool.

23. A machine according to Claim 22, wherein the engaging means comprises a hy draulic chuck.

24. A machine according to any preceding Claim, wherein the turntable is mounted to a carriage which is powered to move the ma chine over a surface.

25. A drilling machine substantiall y as here inbef ore described with reference and as il lustrated, in the accompanying drawings.

26. Any novel feature of combination of features described herein.