U.S. patent number 3,870,114 [Application Number 05/381,556] was granted by the patent office on 1975-03-11 for drilling apparatus especially for ground drilling.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Stabilator AB. Invention is credited to John Paul Noren, Elgas Pulk, deceased.
United States Patent |
3,870,114 |
Pulk, deceased , et
al. |
March 11, 1975 |
Drilling apparatus especially for ground drilling
Abstract
Ground drilling apparatus where a drill unit is operated from
within a casing pipe which is sunk into the hole drilled by the
drill unit, the hole being wider than the casing pipe. The casing
pipe is pulled without rotation into the hole by a drill bit of the
drill unit. The drill bit includes a pilot bit having an axis which
coincides with the center line of the drill hole and is parallel to
and separate from the central axis of the drill unit which is the
line of action of the percussion force.
Inventors: |
Pulk, deceased; Elgas (LATE OF
Uppsala, SW), Noren; John Paul (Upplands Vasby,
SW) |
Assignee: |
Stabilator AB (Bromma,
SW)
|
Family
ID: |
23505488 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/381,556 |
Filed: |
July 23, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
175/258; 175/390;
175/92 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B
4/00 (20130101); E21B 10/66 (20130101); E21B
10/40 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E21B
10/00 (20060101); E21B 10/40 (20060101); E21B
10/36 (20060101); E21B 4/00 (20060101); E21B
10/66 (20060101); E21b 009/26 () |
Field of
Search: |
;175/171,257,258,92,398,899 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Abbott; Frank L.
Assistant Examiner: Favreau; Richard E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: O'Brien; Anthony A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Apparatus for drilling a hole in the ground along a center line
comprising
a casing pipe adapted to be disposed in the hole,
a drill unit received in said casing pipe and having an adaptor
portion and a drill bit and a central axis parallel to and spaced
from the center line of the hole,
driving means inside said casing pipe supplying torgue and
percussive force to said drill unit through said adaptor portion
and along the central axis of said drill unit,
a generally cylindrical driving shoe attached to the end of said
casing pipe and having on its inner side a supporting surface in
the general form of a downwardly directed truncated cone, and
engaging means on said drill unit engaging the supporting surface
of said driving shoe to pull said casing pipe into the hole without
rotation as the hole is drilled,
said drill bit including a ring bit with its center at the central
axis of said drill unit and extending beyond said casing pipe to
drill a hole wider than said casing pipe and a pilot bit extending
from said ring bit with its center at the center line of the
hole.
2. Drilling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein
said drill bit is pivotable relative to said adaptor portion so
that it may be withdrawn into said casing pipe, and
said engaging means acting on the supporting surface of said
driving shoe causes said drill bit to assume its working position
as it is extended from said casing pipe.
3. Drilling apparatus as claimed in claim 1
wherein ducts are provided through said adaptor portion and through
said drill bit so that compressed air can be introduced through
said drill unit to the drilling surface.
4. Apparatus for drilling a hole along a center line comprising
a casing pipe adapted to be disposed in the hole,
a drill unit received in and guided by said casing and including an
adaptor portion and an drill bit,
driving means received in said casing pipe and supplying torgue and
percussive force to said drill unit through said adaptor
portion,
locking means on said drill bit preventing relative rotational
movement between said adaptor portion and said drill bit but
allowing pivoting of said drill bit relative to said adaptor
portion,
said drill bit including a ring bit and a pilot bit extending
therefrom, said ring bit extending outward beyond said casing pipe,
and
engaging means on said drill bit to engage said casing pipe to pull
it into the hole without rotation,
characterized in that it has a working position in which it extends
out from said casing pipe and a retracted position inside said
casing pipe and in that in said working position said adaptor
portion, and said drill bit have a common central axis parallel to
and spaced from the center line of the hole and that in the
retracted position said drill bit pivots relative to said adaptor
portion to allow said drill bit to be withdrawn into said casing
pipe.
5. Apparatus for drilling a hole as claimed in claim 4 wherein
said adaptor portion has two ends, a first end operated by said
driving means and a second end receiving in said drill bit,
said second end of said adaptor portion has thereon a generally
spherical ball having flattened surfaces on opposite vertical
sides, and
said locking means on said drill bit abut said flattened surfaces
on said ball so that torque is transmitted from said adaptor
portion to said drill bit.
6. Apparatus for drilling a hole as claimed in claim 4 wherein
a driving shoe is attached to said casing pipe and has an inner
supporting surface in the form of a downwardly pointing truncated
cone and
said engaging means engage the supporting surface on said driving
shoe to pull the casing pipe into the hole.
Description
The present invention relates to drilling apparatus for drilling in
the ground where a drill unit having a drill bit is driven by
driving means and coacts with a casing pipe which is sinkable into
a hole drilled by the drill unit, the hole having a diameter at
least equal to the outside diameter of the casing pipe. The drill
unit is guidable in the casing pipe and retractable into it and has
a central axis substantially parallel with but spaced from the
center line of the drill hole, the central axis being the line of
action for a percussion force from the driving means to the drill
unit in the working position of the latter.
When drilling holes in the ground, the problem often arises that
the wall of the hole collapses, partly or completely filling the
hole. In order to avoid this it has been a practice to feed a
casing pipe into the drill hole as drilling takes place. The
difficulty with this is in getting the casing pipe down the hole
without using too much force. Inn loose soils having fine
structure, it is possible to let a drill make a hole the same size
as the inner diameter of the casing pipe, and simply force the
casing pipe down the hole by blows and/or turning from somewhere
above ground level. In more stony ground it becomes necessary to be
able to drill a hole with a larger diameter than that of the
outside diameter of the casing pipe, in order to allow the passage
of the casing pipe unhindered by stones.
This problem has been solved by, among other methods, having a
drill unit eccentrically mounted in the casing pipe, the drill unit
being retractable into the casing pipe, but means for driving both
the drill unit and the casing pipe have been placed above ground as
before. The shaft connection which would then be necessary between
drill unit and driving means gives rise to large percussion force
transmission losses due to elasticity, play, etc., especially for
deep holes. Force transmission losses are also significant for the
casing pipe, due to its elasticity, and the casing pipe must be
fairly heavy as well to withstand any compression loads which might
arise. A further disadvantage of placing the driving means above
ground is the noise problem thus created.
The object of this invention is to eliminate the above mentioned
disadvantages, and construct a drilling apparatus which makes the
successive introduction of the casing pipe into the drill hole
simple and effective, while still maintaining good drill
control.
A further object is to accomplish a drilling apparatus which works
quietly and has small force transmission losses.
The drilling apparatus according to the invention is characterized
in that the casing pipe is pullable without rotation into the hole
drilled by the drill bit, and in that the drill bit has a ring bit
from which protrudes downwards a pilot bit, the central axis of
which conincides with the center line of the drill hole and is
parallel to and spaced from the central axis of the drill unit and
the line of action of the percussion force.
According to an especially advantageous embodiment, the casing pipe
is constructed to house the driving means, which is so arranged as
to operate the drill unit at the lower part of the casing pipe.
Because the casing pipe is pulled into the drill hole, a thinner
and lighter casing pipe than those previously used may be employed,
and thereby less force will be required to pull the casing pipe
down. Also, by placing the driving means in the casing pipe, the
driving means does not have to set in motion a long shaft
connection, and the whole drive force can thus be concentrated on
the drill unit, thereby maximum the efficiency of the apparatus.
This position of the driving means also makes effective silencing
possible. By providing the drill bit with a special pilot bit, the
whole drill unit will revolve about the central axis of the pilot
bit, in this way facilitating guidance of the drill unit. At the
same time, the percussion force from the driving means is directed
along the central axis of the drill bit, thus eliminating slanting
loads.
According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention,
the lower end of the casing pipe has a driving shoe provided with a
supporting surface designed to coact, for pulling down the casing
pipe, with engaging means arranged around the periphery of the
drill unit and shaped to fit against the supporting surface. The
supporting surface is shaped as a portion of the surface of a
truncated cone having a downwardly directed apex to form a guiding
surface whereby the drill unit is guided in the casing.
By providing the pipe casing with a driving shoe, it will be found
that the casing pipe itself can be made even thinner and
consequently cheaper and lighter, while the risk of damage to the
lower end of the casing pipe is diminished. With the combined
guidance of the supporting surface of the driving shoe and the
pilot bit, the drill unit receives simple and effective guidance
while not taking up space in the casing pipe.
Further advantages and advantageous embodiments of the invention
may be seen from the appended description and claims.
In the following, the invention is explained more closely with the
help of an embodiment example shown on the appended drawings in
which:
FIG. 1 schematically shows a drilling apparatus in which the drill
unit according to the invention is a part,
FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the drill unit
according to the invention,
FIG. 3 shows the drill unit according to FIG. 2 seen from below,
and
FIG. 4 shows a section along the line IV--IV in FIG. 2.
The drilling apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a casing pipe 2
guiding a drill unit 3, which is connected with and operated by
driving means 4, preferably in the form of a sinker drill lowered
into the casing pipe. The drill unit 3, as may be seen in FIG. 2,
has two portions united to each other, an adaptor portion 5 and a
drill bit 6, the drill bit 6 supporting a cutting unit 7 protruding
from casing pipe 2. The cutting unit 7 in turn includes a ring bit
8 and protruding from this a pilot bit 9. A driving shoe 10 is
attached to the lower portion of the casing pipe 2, the inside
diameter of the shoe being larger than the diameter of the cutting
unit 7, so that it is possible for the cutting unit to pass through
the driving shoe, and to withdraw the whole of the drill unit 3
into the casing pipe 2. The drill unit 3 is guided in the casing
pipe 2 by engaging means 11 that are arranged around the periphery
of the drill bit 6 and rest against a supporting surface 12 on the
upper part of the driving shoe 10, so that the central axis 13 of
the drill unit 3 which is directed through the center of the
cutting unit 7, is essentially parallel with but spaced from the
center line 14 of the drill hole. The central axis 13 coincides
with the central axis of the adapter portion 5 and is the line of
action for a percussion force exerted on the drill unit 3 by the
driving means 4.
The pilot bit 9, the center of which coincides with the center line
14 of the drill hole (see also FIG. 3), has a diameter which is
less than that of the ring bit 8, and is removably attached to it.
When in operation, the drill unit 3 will revolve about the center
line of the pilot bit 9, and rotate about the central axis 13 so
that the point 15 on the ring bit 8 will thereby move around the
periphery of a drill hole, the diameter of which is made at least
as great as the outside diameter of the casing pipe 2.
The adapter portion 5, which acts to transmit driving force from
the driving means 4 to the drill unit 3 has, in the embodiment
shown here, the shape of a generally cylindrical shaft, which in
its lower end is provided with a substantially spherical ball 16.
The ball 16 is housed in a recess 17 in the drill bit 6, and is
retained in the recess by a retaining sleeve 18 encircling the
adapter portion 5 and screwed or attached in some other way to the
drill bit 6. In the position shown in FIG. 2 the ball 16 rests in
the bottom of the recess 17 and is supported by a seat 19, the
shape of which conforms to the shape of the ball thereby providing
a large area for transferring percussive force. From FIG. 4 it may
be seen that the ball 16 is provided with two substantially planar
side surfaces 20, mutually parallel and parallel also to the
longitudinal axis of the adapter portion 5. Side surfaces 20 each
abut and act against locking plates 21 (shown with dotted lines in
FIG. 2), in the drill bit 6.
By pulling the adapter portion 5 upwards, the side surfaces 20 are
pulled along the locking plates 21 until the lower part of sleeve
18 comes into contact with the ball 16, arresting its continued
motion upward. Upon continued pulling, with the adapter portion 5
remaining in its vertical position, the drill bit 6 will pivot in
relation to the adapter portion as the ball 16 is pulled towards a
lifting surface 22, which is part of the confining wall of the
recess 17. The hole through the locking sleeve 18 is, as shown in
FIG. 2, so shaped that it allows the drill bit to pivot relative to
the adaptor portion around an axis essentially perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis of the adapter portion. The pivoting movement
described makes it possible to pull the whole drill unit 3 into the
casing pipe 2 from the working position shown. The adapter portion
5 and the drill bit 6 remain, because of the locking plates 21, in
continuous torque transmitting engagement with each other, and the
drill bit can therefore be rotated the whole time to facilitate
withdrawal or lowering of the drill unit.
The adapter portion 5 is provided with at least one longitudinal
duct 23 for conducting compressed air from the driving means 4. The
duct 23 terminates on the lower side of the ball 16, and from there
transfers compressed air via a collecting duct 24 to at least one
duct 25, and also to a duct 26 which opens into a longitudinal duct
27 through the pilot bit. From each of the ducts 25 and 27 there
are a number of tranched ducts 28 and 29 which terminates on the
lower sides of the crown ring bit 8 and the pilot bit 9
respectively, and which conduct the compressed air so that it may
cool drilling teeth 30. The compressed air ejected from said ducts
takes away drilling dust via openings 31 between engaging means
11.
To prevent foreign matter entering the recess 17, the sleeve 18 is
provided with a ring seal 32, but it would also be possible to
dispense with the seal 32 and to instead introduce, through one or
more ducts in the adapter portion 5, comprssed air into recess 17,
and let the air escape through the space between the adapter
portion 5 and the sleeve 18. It would also be possible to arrange
in the drill bit 6 compressed air ducts connected to the collecting
duct 24 and to locate the mouths of these ducts adjacent the upper
surface of the sleeve 18, thereby keeping the juncture between the
sleeve and the adapter portion clean. It would of course, also be
possible to use a combination of seal and introduction of
compressed air.
Because the supporting surface 12 of the driving shoe 10 forms a
section of the surface of a cone having a downwardly directed apex
and as the engaging means 11 are shaped in a corresponding manner,
the drill unit is simply and quickly guided to its correct working
position in the casing pipe. A certain deformation of the
supporting surface 12 is permitted, as it is normal practice to
leave the casing pipe behind in the drill hole, there thus being no
need to use the driving shoe again. The lower portion of the
driving shoe can, if so desired, be equipped with cutting bits, but
as a rule this is not necessary. By allowing the driving force on
the casing pipe to be applied via the driving shoe, at the lower
end of the casing pipe, a tensional load is applied to the pipe
walls, and they can therefore be made thinner than a casing pipe
that is pressed down by a force applied to the upper end of the
casing pipe. If it is required, the casing pipe can also be given a
certain degree of rotational movement by a suitable design of the
driving shoe and support, or in some other way.
To drill a hole, the operation is begun by placing the casing pipe
with its driving shoe against the ground. Then the drill unit and
the driving means are lowered into the casing pipe so that the
drill bit touches the ground (if necessary, the drill unit can be
rotated slightly so that the drill bit can get through the driving
shoe). Then the casing pipe is raised so that the engaging means 11
engage the support surface 12 and the ball 16 comes to rest against
the seat 19. The casing pipe is then aimed in the right direction
and drilling can begin. With the help of valves operated by the
adapter portion, or in some other way not shown, it is advantageous
to arrange that the adapter portion 5 not be subject to percussion
force from the driving means 4 before the ball 16 really rests
against the seat 19. This is to avoid possible damage to the casing
pipe or the driving shoe upon displacement of the drill unit. Both
the pilot bit 9 and the adapter portion 5 are suitably provided
with teeth or the like to obtain torque transmitting engagement
with the ring bit and the driving means respectively.
When drilling holes in certain types of ground it may be desirable
to introduce a liquid stabilizer into the drill hole, and this can
suitably take place using the described compressed air ducts or
possibly special ducts. The invention described here can naturally
be modified in a number of different ways by one skilled in the art
within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *