WO2005116391A1

WO2005116391A1 - Suction housing for cuttings

Info

Publication number: WO2005116391A1
Application number: PCT/FI2005/050182
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ossi Tienari; Ari Haavisto
Original assignee: Sandvik Mining And Construction Oy.
Priority date: 2004-05-31
Filing date: 2005-05-30
Publication date: 2005-12-08
Also published as: FI20045197A0

Abstract

The invention relates to a suction housing for cuttings. The suction housing (11) is a tubular piece through which a tool (6) can be arranged. The suction housing is connected to a dust collecting system via at least one suction channel (12). The suction housing is fastened to a rock drilling unit in such a way that the position in which it is pivoted relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool can be adjusted and thereby the connecting tube (14), to which the suction housing may be connected, can be made to point to a desired direction.

Description

SUCTION HOUSING FOR CUTTINGS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The invention relates to a suction housing to be used in rock drilling for cuttings removal, the suction housing comprising: a longitudinal, tubular body with an open top and bottom to allow a tool connected to a rock drilling machine to be arranged through the suction housing; fastening means for fastening the suction housing to the rock drilling rig; and at least one connecting tube for connecting the suction housing to a suction channel and for sucking cuttings from the suction housing through the suction channel. [0002] In rock drilling, cuttings, i.e. dust and other rock material, are produced and must be flushed from the drilling hole. Rock drilling equipment is typically provided with a system for collecting the cuttings by sucking the cuttings from the mouth of the drilling hole. The system comprises a suction housing placed to the mouth of the drilling hole and having a suction hose connected thereto for conveying cuttings to dust separators or the like. The suction hose is typically connected to a side surface of the suction housing and has therefore a curved portion extending in the cross direction of the drilling unit. A problem with this is that the suction hose may cause a visual obstruction to the front part of the drilling unit, which complicates the positioning of the drilling unit to the hole to be drilled. Further, the suction hose may restrict the setting of the drilling unit into limited spaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0003] It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved suction housing for sucking cuttings from the mouth of a drilling hole. [0004] The suction housing of the invention is characterized in that the fastening means for fastening the suction housing comprise adjusting means for pivoting the suction housing into a desired position relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool, thus allowing the position of the connecting tube to be adjusted. [0005] A basic idea of the invention is that the fastening between the suction housing and the drilling unit allows the suction housing to be pivoted relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool at least by a planned angle. [0006] An advantage of the invention is that the connecting tube of the suction housing and the suction hose connected thereto can be directed as desired according to the method of drilling, the drilling equipment, or the drilling site, for example. Consequently, by adjusting the position of the connecting tube it is possible to ensure that the suction hose is not in the field of view of the drilling machine operator. Further, since the connecting tube can be turned so that the suction hose does not become clamped between the drilling unit and the rock, it is also possible to protect the suction hose against damaging. Further still, it is possible to avoid the suction hose from rubbing against the rock and getting caught in blocks of rock, or the like. [0007] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is that the suction housing can be pivoted to predetermined positions. [0008] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is that the suction housing can be pivoted steplessly. [0009] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is that the suction housing is adjusted manually. [0010] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is that the top part of the suction housing is provided with fixed fastening means having a locking that can be opened to allow the suction housing to be disconnected from the rock drilling rig and to be manually set to at least two alternative fixed pivoted positions for adjusting the position of the connecting tube. This embodiment allows also a modular suction housing to be used, because the connecting tube can always be set to the correct position according to the drilling unit to be used. [0011] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is that the suction housing is pivoted by means of an actuator. The upper part of the suction housing may be provided with one or more pivoting devices for adjusting the position of the suction housing. [0012] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is that the top of the suction housing is provided with a collaring guide. The collaring guide has at least two guide plates which at least one actuator is arranged to move between an open and a closed position, the guide plates forming a guide opening dimensioned to be greater than the shaft of the tool so that the tool shaft can be inserted through the guide opening. In their closed position the guide plates are arranged to close the upper part of the suction housing and to prevent dust from exiting through the upper part of the suction housing. An advantage of this embodiment is that the upper part of the suction housing can be closed with the collaring guide, which prevents dust from spreading outside the suction housing and allows the drilling equipment and the surroundings to be kept cleaner. No particular sealing members are needed, and therefore the construction can be kept simple. A further advantage is that the collaring guide at the top of the suction housing can be used for supporting the tool when the drilling is started. This facilitates the drilling of an inclined rock surface, for example, and the drill hole can be drilled to exactly the planned spot. [0013] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is that the connecting tube of the suction housing is dimensioned so that the suction hose can be pushed into the connecting tube. The suction hose thus forms a kind of wear layer inside the connecting tube and protects the connecting tube from the attack of the cuttings. The connecting tube is usually made of a steel plate and therefore its resistance against wear caused by the cuttings is poorer compared with that of the suction channel, which is usually made of elastic rubber, plastic material, or a combination thereof. When the hose to be used as the suction channel inside the connecting tube wears out due to the cuttings, the damaged part can be removed and the suction hose can be reinserted into the connecting tube. This can be repeated until the suction hose is so short that it must be replaced. Compared with the price of the suction housing, the suction hose is inexpensive and therefore it is more economical to replace the suction hose instead of the entire suction housing. In addition, suction hoses are standard articles sold by the metre, whereas suction housings are expensive special parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES [0014] In the following the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a schematic view of a rock drilling rig provided with means for sucking cuttings from the mouth of a drilling hole; Figure 2 is a schematic sectional side view of a suction housing of the invention and a collaring guide therein; Figure 3 is a schematic view, seen from the above, of a part of the collaring guide of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a schematic side view of an implementation of the collaring guide; Figure 5 is a schematic side view of an implementation of the suction housing of the invention; and Figures 6a and 6b are schematic side views of a mechanism for operating the collaring guide. [0015] For the sake of clarity, the invention shown in the Figures is simplified. Like parts are indicated with like reference numbers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION [0016] Figure 1 shows a rock drilling rig 1 comprising a carrier 2 with one or more drilling booms 3 movably arranged thereto. The outermost end of the boom 3 is provided with a drilling unit that may comprise at least a feed beam 4 and a rock drilling machine 5 movably arranged thereto. During drilling the rock drilling machine 5 may be fed by means of the feed device towards the rock to be drilled at the same time as impact pulses are delivered to a tool 6 by means of a percussion device belonging to the rock drilling machine 5. The outermost end of the tool 6 is provided with a drill bit 7 breaking the rock and penetrating therein. As a result of this, cuttings are produced into a drilling hole 8 and they may be removed from the drilling hole 8 by feeding flushing medium via a flushing medium channel 9 through the tool 6 to the drill bit 7. The flushing medium pushes cuttings to the mouth of the drilling hole from where they can be removed by means of a collection system belonging to the rock drilling apparatus 1. The cuttings collecting system may contain suction equipment 10 for providing the suction needed for sucking the cuttings from the suction housing 11 at the mouth of the drilling hole through the suction channel 12 into a collector container 13. The suction channel 12 is typically a flexible hose. The suction housing 11 is a tubular piece with an open top and bottom to allow the tool 6 to be arranged through the suction housing 11. The bottom end of the suction housing 11 may be wider than its top end, or the suction housing may be substantially equally wide at both ends. The cross- section of the suction housing 11 may be round, oval, angular, or it may have any form suitable for the purpose. The side of the suction housing 11 may be provided with a connecting tube 14, or the like, to which the suction channel 12 can be connected. Further, the suction housing 11 may be associated with means for moving the housing in relation to the front end of the feed beam 4. In that case the suction housing 11 may be moved against the rock for the duration of the drilling to prevent dust from penetrating from the lower end 17 of the suction housing into the environment. However, for the sake of clarity, the moving means are not shown in Figure 1. The upper part of the suction hous- ing 11 may be provided with a collaring guide 15 for supporting the tool 6 when the drilling is started. The collaring guide 15 allows lateral shifting of the tool 6 to be prevented when an inclined rock surface, for example, is to be drilled. The collaring guide 15 can be opened so that the tool 6 and the drill bit 7 on the tool can be pushed through the suction housing 11 and, on the other hand, the collaring guide 15 can be closed so that the collaring guide 15 closes the upper part of the suction housing 11 , thus preventing dust from spreading out of the suction housing. It should be noted that for the sake of clarity different separators and other auxiliary devices possibly belonging to the collecting system are not shown in Figure 1. [0017] The suction housing 11 shown in Figure 2 may comprise a longitudinal, tubular body with an open top 16 and bottom 17. Further, the side of the suction housing 11 may be provided with at least one connecting tube 14 into which the suction channel 12 may be arranged. The top 16 of the suction housing 11 may be provided with a collaring guide 15 that may comprise two or more guide plates 18a and 18b. The guide plates 18a and 18b may be connected to a pivoting axle 19a and 19b and by acting on the axle the guide plates can be pivoted to a closed and an open position. In the closed position the guide plates 18a, 18b are substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tool 6. When the guide plates 18a', 18b' are open, they are substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tool 6, as shown by a dashed line in Figure 2. When closed, the guide plates 18a, 18b form a guide opening 20 between them through which the tool shank 6a is able to penetrate. The guide opening 20 is dimensioned so that in a normal situation the tool shank 6a is not in contact with the guide opening 20, but if the tool for some reason tends to drift to the side, the guide opening 20 prevents the drifting of the tool 6. The guide plates 18a, 18b may be steel plates, for example, and they may be annealed or otherwise treated to resist wear. The guide plates 18a, 18b thus form a kind of an openable lid structure for the suction housing 11 to prevent dust from spreading into the environment through the top 16 of the suction housing. In some cases it is also possible to use more than two guide plates. [0018] Figure 3 shows a collaring guide 15 seen from above. The pivoting axles 19a, 19b may be supported to the body of the suction housing 11 by means of supports 21. An actuator 22 may be arranged to pivot the pivoting axles 19a, 19b by means of cranks 23, or the like, to open and close the guide plates 18a, 18b. The actuator 21 may be common to both the guide plates 18a, 18b or, alternatively, each guide plate may be provided with a separate actuator. The actuator 21 may be a pressure medium cylinder, for example, arranged to act on the cranks 23 by means of a suitable mechanism. [0019] Figure 4 shows some alternative ways of opening and closing the guide plates 18a, 18b. As distinct from the solution shown in Figures 2 and 3, the guide plates 18a, 18b may be moved in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool 6. The guide plates 18a, 18b may be moved by means of a moving motor 24, for example, that may be configured to act on the guide plates via a gear rack, for example. Further, a moving cylinder 25 may be used to move the plates. [0020] The suction housing 11 of Figure 5 may be turned to a desired position around the longitudinal axis of the tool 6. This allows the connecting tube 12 and the suction channel 14 connected thereto to be pivoted into a position in which they are not in the way and do not get damaged. The suction housing 11 can be pivoted by means of a pivoting device 26 that may be a pressure medium motor or a pressure medium cylinder, for example. The pivoting device 26 may enable the suction housing 11 to be pivoted steplessly into the desired position. Also in the solution of Figure 2 the suction housing 11 may be pivoted into predetermined positions relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool 6. By opening the fastening members 27 the suction housing 11 may be unlocked and then set to some other position. In its simplest implementation the fastening collar of the suction housing 11 is provided with several fastening openings, or the like, to allow the suction housing to be fastened to different position by means of bolts, for example. [0021] Figure 5 also shows the connection between the connecting tube 14 and the suction channel 12. The connecting tube 14 may be provided with an inner dimension D1 greater than an outer dimension D2 of the suction channel 12, whereby the suction channel 12 can be pushed into the connecting tube 14. The suction channel 12, which is typically a flexible hose, may thus form an extremely wear-resistant layer inside the connecting tube 14. As cuttings cause the suction channel 12 to wear, the suction channel 12 can be pushed further into the connecting tube 14, thus bringing a new, solid portion of the suction channel 12 against the section forming the connecting tube 14. The length of the suction channel 12 can be dimensioned in advance to be sufficiently long so that it can be repeatedly fed into the connecting tube 14 without the change in its length impairing the functioning of the collecting sys- tem. The connection between the connecting tube 14 and the suction channel 12 can be further reinforced by means of a fastening clamp 28, for example. [0022] Figure 6 is a heavily simplified view of an operating mechanism of a collaring guide 15. The actuator 22 is connected by means of a joint 29, or the like, to transfer a force F to the cranks 23, which further transfer the force F to the pivoting axles 19a, 19b. This makes the pivoting axles 19a, 19b pivot and thus the guide plates 18a, 18b connected to them also turn at the same time. [0023] It should be noted that the different embodiments and characteristics of the invention disclosed in this application can be combined to produce different solutions. In some cases it is also possible to apply the disclosed solutions as such, independently of other features disclosed herein. [0024] The drawings and the accompanying specification are only meant to illustrate the inventive idea. The details of the invention may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A suction housing to be used in rock drilling for cuttings removal, the suction housing (11) comprising: a longitudinal, tubular body with an open top (16) and bottom (17) to allow a tool (6) connected to a rock drilling machine (5) to be arranged through the suction housing (11 ); fastening means for fastening the suction housing (11) to the rock drilling rig (1); and at least one connecting tube (14) for connecting the suction housing to a suction channel (12) and for sucking cuttings from the suction housing through the suction channel (12), characterized in that the fastening means for fastening the suction housing (11) comprise adjusting means (26, 27) for pivoting the suction housing (11) into a desired position relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool (6), thus allowing the position of the connecting tube (14) to be adjusted. 2. A suction housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper part of the suction housing (11) is provided with fixed fastening means (27) having a locking that can be opened to allow the suction housing (11) to be disconnected from the rock drilling rig (1) and to be manually set into at least two alternative fixed pivoted positions for adjusting the position of the connecting tube (14). 3. A suction housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper part of the suction housing (11) is provided with at least one pivoting device (26) for pivoting the suction housing (11 ). 4. A suction housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the suction housing (11) is steplessly pivotable. 5. A suction housing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting tube (14) is provided with an inner dimension that is greater than the outer dimension of the suction channel (12) to allow the suction channel (12) to be inserted into the connecting tube (14). 6. A suction housing according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the upper part (16) of the suction housing is provided with a collaring guide (15); the collaring guide (15) is provided with at least two guide plates (18a, 18b) arranged to be moved into an open position and a closed position by means of at least one actuator (22), the guide plates (18a, 18b) forming a guide opening (20) dimensioned greater than the tool shank (6a) to allow the tool shank (6a) to be arranged through the guide opening (20); and that when closed, the guide plates (18a, 18b) are arranged to close the upper part (16) of the suction housing and thereby prevent dust from exiting from the upper part of the suction housing (16).