US1396625A

US1396625A - Earth-boring machine

Info

Publication number: US1396625A
Application number: US396392A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clyde S Corrigan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1920-07-15
Filing date: 1920-07-15
Publication date: 1921-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1938-11-08

Description

C. S. CORRIGAN.

EARTH BORING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 15,1920.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921 3 'nventoz UNITED STATES CLYDE S. CORRIGAN,

OF NORWOOD, OHIO.

EARTH-BORING MACHINE.

Application filed July 15,

T ([77 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLYDE S. CORRIGAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Norwood. in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Earth-Boring Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the drawings forming part of this specification.

It has long been realized that if we could bore deep enough into the earth's crust we would tap inexhaustable sources of heat and steam power. It is also acknowledged that the only hope of boring to the depths required is by the use of the motor advancing type of deep well machine in which the entire machine is lowered into the well by cable and all strains of oscillation and jerks on the cable eliminated.

Therefore, my invention is of the motor advancing type of deep well machine but is a departure from present methods of making wells in that it saws its way down into the ground instead of drilling or turning. As saws cut much faster than drills and my machine only saws out a small part of the area of the hole, then lifts both muck and core leaving a. clean hole it will sink holes many times faster than any other type of machine. As cable is made capable of lifting sixty thousand feet of itself, it should be possible to make wells ten miles or more in depth.

My deep well machine consists of chain saws fastened to the outside faces of a rectangular or polygon shaped casing, so as to cut a kerf wide enough to allow the casing to sink into the earth with the saws which are connected by gears and shafts to motors in the upper part of said casing, the entire machine being lowered into the hole by means of a sustaining cable through which power is supplied for operation and control.

As the machine sinks into the earth it makes a core which is inclosed in the aforementioned casing and after sinking as deep as the length of the saws (say or feet) the core is broken loose and lifted out of the hole with the machine.

The value of geological research depends on the perfection of samples obtained from underground formations. The sawed cores made by this machine have flat sides and give exact and precise information in regard to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921. 1920. Serial No. 396.392.

the angle and direction of dipalso the laminatlons and thickness of strata and as no water circulates around the core the salts andchemicals are also left intact for examinatlon.

The core made by a rotary drill is usually disturbed and broken up. The sawed core would not be disturbed and successive sectlons could be ordinated so as to give perfect longitudinal and latitudinal sectional views of the earths crust, more exact geological information being obtained from one core than now obtained from three or more cores of the kind available.

My machine is long and straight and insures a straight hole in tilted and faulted strata as well as when tunneling at an angle or on a horizontal line, as for example, to carry water supply through a mountain or to siphon it beneath a river or other such purpose.

or making a. polygon shaped hole round and for placing concrete casing through water bearing strata and to do away with the necessity of using steel casing in wells and also to keep the well the same size all the way down, I have invented a sawing reamer on which separate patent is being sought.

The construction of the chain saw well cutting machine is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side view of the machine,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the machine.

Fig. 8 is a cross section at 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross section at 4.-& of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross section at 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a cross section at 66 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a cross section at 77 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a cross section at 88 of Fig. 3.

The chain saw well cutting machine primarily consists of a prism shaped core barrel or casing l, on the several faces of which are fastened the chain saws 2 of any suitable design, operated by a suitable number of motors 3, of any suitable make, through the hollow shaft 4, the double bevel gears 5, the upper gears 6, and the lower gears 7 so that the adjoining edges of the adjacent saws move in the same direction allowing the teeth of one saw to move between the teeth of the adjacent saw. The chain saws are preferably of the type described in my apthe machine at such a position on the rod 8 that the bumper 12, extends lower than the chain saws 2 until the machine reaches the bottom of the hole and then by means of an electric current through the control wires 10, the lips of the clutch machine are drawn in and released from the rod 8. 7' Power being applied through wires 11, the machine sinks by its own weight as the saws 2 extend the cuts until the bumper 12 which has remained stationary touches the contact plate 14, on the bottom of the clutch .13 and completesan electric circuit through the control wires 10 and rings an electric bell at the surface to notify the operator that the out has been completed the length of the core.

The operator then directs a charge from a galvanic or firing battery through control wires 10, to discharge the core breaking cartridges 15. When the machine is lifted the hinged core lifters 16, drop by their own weight and engage the bottom of the core, which will be lifted out of the well with the machine, by the sustaining cable'9, the core will be removed, the core breaking cartridges renewed, the machine locked in position on the rod 8 by the clutch 13 and lowered to the bottom of theYwell, and the operation repeated.

To prevent cuttings made by saws 2 from packing around the saws I provide rotary pumps 17 operated by bevel gears 18, whenever the saws 2 operate. These pumps lift the cuttings through the pipes 19, the upper parts of which are stationary, and the lower parts telescoped thereon and slidingly fastened in the inside corners of the casing 1, and deposit said cuttings in the water tank 20. The water overflowin through the openings 21 washes down to t e bottom any cuttings that have been partly lifted by the saws.

On the bottom of the pipes 19 are chisel shaped drills 22 to cut out spaces for. the pipes 19, the necessary motion for drilling being imparted to the pipes 19, throu h the cams 23, and the gears 24 from the ouble gears 5, above the cams 23. The upper stationary portion of the pipe 19 is enlarged so that the lower sliding portion will fit neatly and not require apacked joint.

The casing 1, is made slightly smaller above the bearing of the

gears

6 and 7, to

permit the teeth of the chain saws 2, to pass started.

from one side to the other; then enlarged to slightly less than the size of the hole cut by the saws 2, and extended upwardly to inclose the Water tank 20, pumps 17, motors 3, the refrigerator tank 25, the thermostat 26 and the power wire reel 27. The refrigerator compartment is only afiixed to such machines as are to be used in wells of great depth, where the intense heat will make it necessary to use a refrigerating agent to keep the motors cool enough to operate. The refrigeration element may be liquid air or any suitable agent and should be controlled by the thermostat 26 so that the proper amount is used to keep the motors at any desired temperature.

Silt or muck collected in the water tank 20, by pumps 17, is washed out through the door 29, after raising to the surface, and the tank 20 refilled with clean water.

The roller bearings 28, are placed at convenlent intervals along the outside of the casing 1, to hold the machine from rotating I with respect to the walls of the hole, and

also to keep all portions of the machine the same distance inside the hole already cut and insure the making of a straight and true hole through any kind of material and on the same angle or dip at which the hole was A pushing element will be required when using the machine. to make tunnels or siphons on a horizontal line or too near the horizontal for the weight of the machine to advance itself by gravity.

While I have shown and described the preferred construction and-arrangement of the machine .it is understood that it may be made in large sizes for sinking shafts for mines and in' small sizes for digging post holes and the like and is susceptible of many modifications without departing from the essential features or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. I

I am not aware of chain saws ever having been used for making wells or holes in the earth, or taking cores therefrom and, therefore, claim such a combination broadly.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a motor advancing type of deep well machine, earth and stone cuttingsaws, motors operatively connected thereto and means of raising and lowering and supplying power to said machines. v

2. In a machine for making wells or holes in the earth the combination of a polygon in the earth comprising essentially a plurality of chain saws operating in uni-directional planes at angles to each other and set so that the kerfs cut by said saws join each other to form a hole containing an earth core and means within said machine for lifting said core out of the well.

4. In a machine adapted to be lowered into wells and holes in the earth for increasing the depth of said wells and extracting the core therefrom, the combination of a sustaining and power conveying cable, a prism shaped casing, a plurality of earth cutting saws attached to the lower portion of said casing, motors within the upper part of said casing for operating said saws, and advancing said saws and easing into the earth, means of breaking loose the earth core inclosed in said casing and means for lifting said core out of the well with the machine.

5. In a machine for the purpose described, the combination of a polygon shaped core barrel, a plurality of earth cutting chain saws attached to the external faces thereof, the teeth of said saws being set so as to cut a kerf wide enough to allow the core barrel to sink into the earth with the saws and inclose but not disturb the core of eithersoft or hard material, means of breaking said core loose at the bottom of cut and means of holding the core within the core barrel while being lifted .to the surface.

6. In a machine for making wells and holes in the earth the combination of a sustaining and power conveying cable, a central lifting rod, cutting elements slidable on the lifting rod, a bumper on bottom of said rod, a clutch for holding the machine at such a position on said rod that the bumper will reach the bottom of the well first and protect the machine from shock, electric means by which an operator at the surface may release the clutch, electric means of controlling the operation of the machine, a contact plate on the machine to make contact with the bum er and complete an electric circuit by wiiich the operator at the surface will be notified that the out has been completed, said contact also completing a circuit by which the current from a galvanic firing battery may be conducted to detonators for discharging core breaking cartridges near the bottom of the machine, and means for holding and lifting the core out of the I well with the machine.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a sustaining cable to which power and control wires are attached, the lower end of said cable being provided with a lifting and bumping rod to which the machine is slidingly attached, means of holding the machine at a fixed point on said rod and means by which an operator at the surface can release the machine from said position on said rod so it may slide down the rod as it cuts its way into the earth, means by which said operator will be notified when the out has been completed, means by which he may break loose the core cut by the machine, and means of lifting said core out of the well with the machine.

8. In a machine for the purpose described, the combination of polygon shaped casing, earth cutting saws attached to the lower ex- .ternal faces thereof, means for operating said saws, a tank above said saws and within said casing, suction pumps for lifting the cuttings made by said Saws through pipes and depositing them in said tank. means of filling said tank with liquid if desired, and openings in said tank to allow liquid to flow out and down to bottom of the cut as the tank is filled with cuttings from said saws, and means of cleaning said cutttings out of the tank after reaching the surface.

9. In a machine for making straight holes and wells in the earth, a saw propelling mechanism inclosed within a polygon shaped casing, the lower portion of said casing being slightly smaller than the upper, chain saws and their frames being attached to the several faces of said lower portion, the frames of said saws being of such thickness, that their external faces are in the same planes as the exterior faces of the upper portion of easing, the whole forming a rigid, long, straight, body, the teeth of the aforementioned chain saws being set so as to cut a hole slightly larger than said casing, so that it will slide freely in the hole already cut, roller bearings attached at intervals on the saw frames and casings and projecting as much beyond their exterior as the cut of the saws, to make rolling contact with the walls of the hole already cut, and hold all parts of the long straight body of the casing at equal distances within the walls of the hole already cut, whereby the ends are prevented from strata or faults, and

cut portion of the hole part already out, no matter at what angle the machine may be set to advance and no matter at what angle the strata may dip.

10. In a machine for making deep wells and holes in the earth, the combination of a casing, earth cutting elements attached to the lower portion of said casing, motors inclosed in the upper portion of said casing and operatively connected to said cutting elements, a reservoir inclosed in said casing above said motors, designed to hold a refrigeration liquid such as liquid air, a thermostat means by which portions of the refrigeration liquid may be drawn into that part of the casing containing the motor so as to keep said motors cool, when working at great depths in the earth, where the interior heat of the earth would be more than the highest temperature at which the motors could operate without refrigeration.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a plurality of vchain saws, bevel gears operating the same,

a hollow shaft on which said gears are mounted, slidable mounting means on the said shaft for the machine, a plurality of motors the rotor parts of which are attached to said hollow shaft, a polygon shaped casing and the Stator parts inclosed in and fastened to said casing and roller bearings on the separate faces of said casing to rollingly engage the sides of the hole already cut and keep the machine from rotating with respect to its walls.

12. In a machine of the character described, the combination of chain saws, means for operating said saws, suction pumps and pipes for lifting the cuttings to a tank above sald saws, said suction pipes telescope joints so that the upper parts may remain stationary while the lower parts may have an up and down motion, drills attached to the bottoms of said lower parts of said suction pipes to cut spaces for the pipes to operate in, means attached to the saw operating mechanism for imparting said up and down motion to said lower parts of said suction pipes and drills, said motion not only cutting out spaces for the pi es, but also in a small degree, li ting and dropping the machine having while sawalternately not clog up with cutand dig ilito the" earth whereby a hand saw action is imparted to said saws.

13. In a mechanism for the purpose described, the combination of a sustaining and power conveying cable, a central lifting rod, a cuttin mechanism slidably attached to the ro contact plates on said mechanism, means on the bottom of said rod to complete an electric circuitwhen the cutting mechanism reaches the bottom of said rod, means by which the charge from a galvanic firing battery may be conducted to detonators for discharging core breaking cartridges near the bottom of said cutting mechanism and means for holding and lifting the core out of the well along with the machine.

14. In a mechanism for the purpose described, the combination lof a sustaining and power conveyin cable, a lifting rod, a cutting machine slldably attached to the rod, means for holding said machine at a fixed point on rod while lowering the same into the well, means for releasing said machine so it may slide down the rod while cutting, a reel with power and control wires to be unwound as the machine slides down said rod, and means of notifying the operator at the surface when the machine has reached the bottom of said rod.

CLYDE S. CORRIGAN.