Patent ID: 11891859
Assignee: VERMEER MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC E | IPC E

Claim 0:
1. A reamer for use with a drill string and a horizontal directional drill for reaming an underground passage, the reamer comprising:
a shaft portion defining a central axis and having a first end;
a plurality of vanes extending in a radial direction from an outer periphery of the shaft portion, each of the plurality of vanes defining a radially outer tooth base surface, wherein each of the plurality of vanes is monolithically formed with the shaft portion or permanently affixed to the shaft portion, and wherein the radially outer tooth base surface of each of the plurality of vanes follows a path that increases in radius with increasing axial distance from the first end; and
on each of the plurality of vanes, a plurality of cutter teeth individually and removably secured along the path of the radially outer tooth base surface thereof at different axial positions with respect to the central axis, wherein each one of the plurality of cutter teeth includes a body and a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) insert manufactured separately from the body and joined therewith,
wherein each cutter tooth of the plurality of cutter teeth is coupled to the respective one of the plurality of vanes by a removable fastener extending at least partially through the cutter tooth and at least partially through the one of the plurality of vanes, and wherein each removable fastener extends along a tangential direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis and substantially perpendicular to the radial direction.