Cylindrical telescopic kelly-bar apparatus

Abstract: A kelly-bar apparatus includes, for example, an inner kelly-bar 50, a second kelly-bar 60 and an outer kelly-bar 70. These kelly-bars are relatively telescopically operable and torque is transmitted from outside to inside. When the second and outer kelly-bar are in a contracted position, they are supported by a spring 31 on a spring support 54 fixed to the inner kelly-bar. The bottom end of a torque transmitting projection of the inner kelly-bar is fitted into and welded to the spring support. The spring support is fixed onto an engagement member formed integrally with the inner kelly-bar. In addition, a stop member 74 for preventing the second kelly-bar from coming away from the outer kelly-bar projects from the inner periphery of the outer kelly-bar at a location above the torque transmitting portion.

Description: The present invention relates to a cylindrical telescopic kelly-bar apparatus comprising: a first kelly-bar having a circular configuration in cross section and a plurality of torque transmitting projections, said kelly-bar having a shaft-like end portion which is welded to said kelly-bar and has at least partly a different configuration in cross section, a second kelly-bar having a circular configuration in cross section and a plurality of torque transmitting recesses for engagement with said torque transmitting projections, said second kelly-bar being fitted onto said first kelly-bar in such a manner that they are telescopically operable and that torque can be transmitted from said second kelly-bar to said first kelly-bar, a spring support disposed on said end portion of the first kelly-bar and spring means arranged on said spring support so as to provide support for said second kelly-bar, said shaft-like end portion of the first kelly-bar comprising: a first shaft having a circular configuration in cross section, said torque transmitting projections being provided on the outer periphery of said first shaft, and a second shaft of different configuration in cross section connected to the bottom of said first shaft for connection to an excavating bucket. An apparatus of this type is known from JP-UM-1,105,689 and shown in Fig. 9-13 of this application. Such kelly-bar apparatus is particularly used in combination with a large diameter excavator, such as an earth drill. Vertical excavation employing a large-diameter excavator is performed as follows. Kelly-bars which are assembled in multiple stages are sequentially extended to make an excavation while turning the excavating bucket connected to the free end of the kelly bar. When the excavating bucket is charged with earth and sand, the kelly-bars are sequentially contracted to lift the bucket above the ground, thereby discharging the earth and sand. A vertical hole is excavated by repeating the above-described process. A known cylindrical three-stage kelly-bar apparatus will be explained below with reference to Figs. 9-13. Fig. 9 shows - partly in section - the kelly-bar apparatus extended to its full length, while Fig. 10 shows - at enlarged scale - the apparatus contracted to its minimum length, the middle part being omitted. Fig. 11 shows the details of the bottom end portion of the kelly-bar apparatus, and Fig. 12 shows the details of the retaining mechanism used in the kelly-bar apparatus. Fig. 13 shows the external appearance of the end portion of an inner kelly-bar. In the illustrated cylindrical telescopic kelly-bar apparatus, an inner kelly-bar 21 is inserted into a second kelly-bar 22 which is in turn inserted into an outer kelly-bar 23. These kelly-bars are arranged to telescopically extend and contract and to transmit to the inner kelly-bar 21 a rotational torque imparted to the outer kelly-bar 23 by a kelly driving device 37. More specifically, each of the inner, second and outer kelly-bars 21, 22 and 23 is provided with three torque transmitting projections or splines 24. These three splines 24 extend throughout the corresponding kelly-bar and are spaced apart from one another around the outer periphery of the same. Rectangular grooves 25 for engagement with the respective splines bars 24 are formed in the bottom end portion of each of the second and outer kelly-bars 22 and 23. The portion of each of the cylindrical kelly-bars 22 and 23 which is provided with the rectangular grooves 25 for engagement with the respective splines 24 is called a torque transmitting portion TT. The splines 24 of the outer kelly-bar 23 are engaged with the kelly driving device 37 actuated by a hydraulic motor (not shown), whereby rotational torque is applied by the kelly driving apparatus 37. As shown in Figs. 12 and 13 the inner kelly-bar 21 has a cylindrical upper shaft 21a and a lower shaft 21b having a square shape in cross section, the lower shaft 21b being fitted into and welded to the bottom end of the upper shaft 21a. A brim-like spring support 30 is welded to the lower shaft 21b. A damping spring 31 is held on the spring support 30, and a ring-shaped spring support 32 is held on the top of the damping spring 31. Reference numeral 21c denotes a mounting bore 21c for connection to an excavating bucket (not shown). The top end of the upper shaft 21a is connected to a suspending rope 34 by means of a swivel joint 33. Although not shown, the suspending rope 34 is suspended from one end of the boom of the large-diameter excavator, and the other end of the rope 34 is wound around the winch of the large-diameter excavator. On the other hand, the lower shaft 21b of the inner kelly-bar 21 is inserted into the connecting rectangular opening of the excavating bucket 35. The lower shaft 21b and the excavating bucket 35 are connected to each other by a pin 36. As shown in Fig. 12, a strip-shaped retaining member 22a and a strip 22b for preventing radial oscillation are fixed to the top end of the second kelly-bar 22. The operation of the kelly-bar apparatus having the above-described arrangement and construction will be explained below. In an initial stage of excavation, the inner kelly-bar 21, the second kelly-bar 22 and the outer kelly-bar 23 are in a contracted state, and the bottom end faces of the respective kelly-bars are maintained in contact with the kelly-bar receiving plate 32 as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. When the outer kelly-bar 23 is rotated about its axis by the kelly driving apparatus 37, the rotational torque of the outer kelly-bar 23 is transmitted to the second kelly-bar 22 and the inner kelly-bar 21 in sequence by engagement of the splines 24 and the respective rectangular grooves 25. The inner kelly-bar 21 is in turn rotated about its axis to cause the excavating bucket 35 to make excavation. The above-described process proceeds as the suspending rope 34 is gradually moved down. Initially, the inner kelly-bar 21, the second kelly-bar 22 and the outer kelly-bar 23 are integrally moved down until a top retaining member 23a of the outer kelly-bar 23 falls on the kelly driving device 37. When excavation further prcceeds, the inner and second kelly-bars 21 and 22 integrally extend from the outer kelly-bar 23. As shown in Figs. 9 and 12, the ring-shaped retaining member 22a of the second kelly-bar 22 falls on the top end face of the torque transmitting portion TT of the outer kelly-bar 23, and only the inner kelly-bar 21 moves down to continue excavation. The above-described conventional kelly-bar apparatus has following disadvantages: The The second kelly-bar 22 and the outer kelly-bar 23 each have a cylindrical configuration. The inner kelly-bar 21 includes the cylindrical upper shaft 21a and the prism-shaped lower shaft 21b for the purpose of connecting the excavating bucket 35 with the bottom end of the inner kelly-bar 21. Accordingly, the cross-sectional configuration of the inner kelly-bar 21 abruptly changes from circle to rectangle at the portion where the upper shaft 21a is connected to the lower shaft 21b, and stress concentration easily occurs in such a cross-sectionally irregular portion. In the case of the conventional arrangement in which the cylindrical upper shaft 21a and the prism-shaped lower shaft 21b are, as described above, connected to each other by simple circumferential welding as shown by symbol WD1 in Fig. 11, the fatigue strength is iow and the life of the kelly-bar apparatus is limited. To overcome the above-described disadvantage, the following solution could be considered. The lower shaft 21b is formed from a rectangular material by cutting, and the lower portion of the lcwer shaft 21b beneath the spring support 30 is formed as a prism-like portion for connection with a bucket. The upper portion of the same above the spring support 30 is formed as a cylindrical portion having the same diameter as the upper shaft 21a, and the top end of this cylindrical portion is welded to the upper shaft 21a. The use of this structure allows the welded portion and the cross-sectionally irregular portion to be offset from each other, thereby making it possible to avoid stress concentration. However, this structure creates the following problem. The aforesaid splines 24 extend throughout the length of the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion above the spring support 30, and the spring support 30 is fitted onto and welded to the bottom end of the cylindrical portion. If the bottom ends of the splines 24 abut against and are welded to the top face of the spring support 30, stress concentration in the fillet welded portion of the spring support 30 is combined with stress contentration in the welded portion of the bottom end of the splines 24. If welding is performed with no bottom end of the splines 24 being in contact with the spring support 30, the fatigue strength is reduced. It is a first object of the present invention to provide a cylindrical kelly-bar apparatus of the above described type, having an improved fatigue strength. According to the invention a kelly-bar apparatus is provided wherein said torque transmitting projections are formed to extend to the bottom portion of said first shaft, and in that said spring support has a throughhole into which said first shaft is fitted and a plurality of recesses into which bottom portions of said torque transmitting projections are fitted, said first shaft and the bottom portions of said torque transmitting projections being welded to said spring support. A further reduction of the lifetime of a kelly-bar apparatus of the conventional arrangement as described above is due to impacts, delivered by the falling of the second or outer kelly-bar 22 or 23 on the spring means 31, supported by the spring support 30, said spring support 30 being connected to the lower shaft 21b by fillet welding as indicated by WD2 in Fig. 11. Shearing forces are thus generated, acting directly on the fillet welding WD2. It is a further object of the present invention to improve the capacity of catching such impact on the spring support. According to the invention this object is achieved by a kelly-bar apparatus wherein an engagement member is formed on an upper portion of said second shaft to which said first shaft is connected, said engagement member supporting said spring support, said spring support being fitted onto and welded to said end portion of the first kelly-bar in such a manner that said spring support is placed on said engagement member. An embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a partially cross-sectional view, taken along line I-I of Fig. 3, of a kelly-bar apparatus according to the present invention, and shows on an enlarged scale the bottom portion of the kelly-bar apparatus in a contracted state; Fig. 2 is a partially cross-sectional view, taken along line I-I of Fig. 3, of the kelly-bar apparatus according to the present invention, and shows the state of a second kelly-bar completely extending from an outer kelly-bar; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the inner kelly-bar of the kelly-bar apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of Fig. 1; Fig. 7(a) is an enlarged plan view of the spring support of the kelly-bar apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 7(b) is a vertical sectional view of the spring support; Figs. 8(a) and 8(b) are views comparatively showing the advantage of lower torque transmitting projections; Fig. 9 is a semi-sectional view showing a conventional kelly-bar apparatus which is fully extended; Fig. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the kelly-bar apparatus of Fig. 9 which is fully contracted; Fig. 11 is a further enlarged view showing the bottom end of the kelly-bar apparatus of Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a retaining mechanism for a second kelly-bar in the kelly-bar apparatus of Fig. 9; and Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the inner kelly-bar of the kelly-bar apparatus of Fig. 9. Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained with reference to Figs. 1 to 22. Figs. 1 and 2 are partially cross-sectional views taken along line I-I of Fig. 3, and show a first embodiment of a kelly-bar apparatus according to the present invention. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV. The arrangement and construction of the illustrated kelly-bar apparatus are similar to those of the above-described conventional apparatus. As shown, an inner kelly-bar 50 is inserted into a second kelly-bar 60, which is in turn inserted into an outer kelly-bar 70. These kelly-bars 50, 60 and 70 are arranged for telescopic motion. The outer kelly-bar 70 has a torque transmitting spline 71 connected to a kelly driving device (not shown), and an excavating bucket (not shown) is connected to the bottom end of the inner kelly-bar 50. Three torque transmitting splines 53 (52c) are formed on the inner kelly-bar 50 in such a manner that they are spaced apart from one another around the outer periphery of the inner kelly-bar 50 and axially extend substantially over the entire length of the same. Similarly, three torque transmitting splines 61 are formed on the second kelly-bar 60. Each of the torque transmitting splines 53 (52c) and 61 has a rectangular cross section projecting from the outer periphery of the corresponding kelly-bar. The bottom end portions of the second kelly-bar 60 and the outer kelly-bar 70 serves as a torque transmitting portion TT. Torque transmitting rectangular grooves 62 and 72 are respectively formed in the second kelly-bar 60 and the outer kelly-bar 70 at a location corresponding to the torque transmitting portion TT. The torque transmitting rectangular grooves 62 and 72 can come into engagement with the torque transmitting bars or splines 53 (52c) and 61, respectively. A retaining member 60a for preventing the second kelly-bar 60 from coming off is integrally formed in the top end portion thereof. As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the inner kelly-bar 50 includes an upper tube 51 having a cylindrical shape, and a lower shaft 52 welded to the bottom end of the upper tube 51. The lower shaft 52 includes a cylindrical portion 52a and a prism-shaped portion 52b. The cylindrical portion 52a has the same diameter as the upper tube 51, and torque transmitting splines 52c are formed to project from the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 52a (refer to Fig. 6). The prism-shaped portion 52b extends from the bottom end of the cylindrical portion 52a, and has an engagement flange 52d at its top end and a through-hole 52e for mounting a bucket connecting pin. The cylindrical portion 52a and the prism-shaped portion 52b are formed from a single round bar material. A spring support 54 is fixed to the bottom end of the cylindrical portion 52a by a double-bevel groove welding process. As can be seen from Fig. 7, the spring support 54 has a substantially annular shape. An upper portion 54a of a central through-hole is formed into a cross-sectional shape corresponding to that of the cylindrical portion 52a, and has a circumferential wall 54al and recesses 54a2. A lower portion 54b of the central through-hole is formed into a shape corresponding to that of the engagement flange 52d. The bottom ends of the respective torque transmitting splines 52c are fitted into and welded to the spring support 54. As shown also in Fig. 5, the torque transmitting splines 53 are welded to the outer periphery of the upper tube 51 at three spaced locations and in phase with the aforesaid splines 52c. The bottom end of each of the splines 53 extends from the bottom end of the upper tube 51 in the downward direction along the outer periphery of the lower shaft 52. The bottom ends of the respective splines 53 are welded to the top ends of the corresponding splines 52c and the upper peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 52a. These splines 53 and 52b are brought into engagement with the respective torque transmitting rectangular grooves 62 formed in the second kelly-bar 60. A damping member 55 is disposed immediately above the spring support 32 for suppressing noise which is produced when the bottom ends of the second and outer kelly-bars 60 and 70 fall on the spring support 32. In the above-described arrangement and construction of the inner kelly-bar 50, the bottom end of the cylindrical portion 52a to which the three splines 52c extend is fitted into and welded to the spring support 54 by a double-bevel-groove welding process. Accordingly, stresses which are concentrated in the bottom ends of the cylindrical portion 52a to which the respective splines 52c are extended are not combined with stresses which are concentrated in the portion of the cylindrical portion 52a to which the spring support 54 is welded by a double-bevel-groove welding process. As a result, stress concentration in the cylindrical portion 52a is avoided, so that the inner kelly-bar 50 is improved in fatigue strength. The spring support 54 is welded in engagement with the engagement flange 52d integral with the lower shaft 52, whereby impact occurring when the second kelly-bar 60 and the outer kelly-bar 70 fall on the spring support 32 can be retained by the engagement flange 52d. Accordingly, the spring support 54 can be fixed to the lower shaft 52 with improved strength. The lower shaft 52 including the cylindrical portion 52a and the prism-shaped portion 52b is formed from a round bar by cutting, and the cylindrical portion 52a is fitted into and welded to the upper tube 51. The lower shaft 52 into and welded to the upper tube 51. The lower shaft 52 can therefore be connected to the upper shaft 51 without any abrupt change in cross section. Accordingly, stress concentration in the connection is avoided and fatigue strength is improved. Also, the bottom ends of the respective splines 53 which are welded to the outer periphery of the upper tube 51 extend downward from the bottom end of the upper tube 51, and the extending bottom ends are welded to the top ends of the corresponding splines 52c and the top end portion of the cylindrical portion 52a. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the strength of the welded portions of the upper tube 51 and the lower shaft 52 and also the strength of the splines 53. As described previously, as excavation proceeds, the inner kelly-bar 50 and the second kelly-bar 60 integrally extend from the outer kelly-bar 70. When these kelly-bars 50 and 60 extends to its full length, the inner kelly-bar 50 extends from the second kelly-bar 60 to drill a deep hole. However, in many cases, holes are drilled to such a depth that the inner kelly-bar 50 need not be extended from the second kelly-bar 60. When the inner kelly-bar 50 is accommodated in the second kelly-bar 60, the splines 52c of the cylindrical portion 52a are normally placed in engagement with the rectangular grooves 62 of the second kelly-bar 60 for the purpose of torque transmission. Since the splines 52c are integrally projected from the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 52a by cutting, the following advantage can be enjoyed. More specifically, shown in Fig. 8(a), the splines 53 are welded to the upper tube 51 solely through welded beads WD3 each having a width a , and large stresses are applied to the welded areas. The welding beads WD3 also tend to suffer from stress concentration at their respective terminal ends. To prevent the stress concentration, grinding which is a time-consuming task is needed. In addition, the welding beads WD3 may wear during the operation of the apparatus, and the upper tube 51 may be thermally affected during welding, leading to decrease in strength. In contrast, as shown in Fig. 8(b), each of the splines 52c which are formed integrally with the cylindrical portion 52a by cutting, has a wide base of width b. Accordingly, stresses are uniformly reduced and grinding is not required. Further, there is no risk of wear occurring on a welded portion and, since welding is not needed, the cylindrical portion 52a is not thermally affected. As is apparent from the foregoing, the splines 52c which are frequently used are extremely advantageous in terms of strength, whereby the life of the kelly-bar apparatus can be extended. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the outer kelly-bar 70 includes a thick-walled cylinder 70A having the torque transmitting portion TT, and a thin-walled cylinder 70B connected to the top end of the thick-walled cylinder 70A. Three torque transmitting rectangular grooves 72 are formed over a predetermined length in the inner peripheral portion of the torque transmitting portion TT of the outer kelly-bar 70. The rectangular grooves 72 are spaced apart so as to engage with the respective splines 61 on the second kelly-bar 60. Drainage grooves 63 and 73 are respectively formed over a predetermined length in the inner peripheral portions of the torque transmitting portion TT of the second kelly-bar 60 and the outer kelly-bar 70. Stop members 74 for preventing the second kelly-bar 60 from coming off are disposed to project from the inner periphery of the thick-walled cylinder 70A at a location slightly above the top end face of the torque transmitting portion TT. As shown by a pattern sprinkled with dots in Fig. 3, the stop members 74 are annularly spaced apart with each positioned between the rectangular groove 72 and the drainage groove 73. As can be seen from Figs. 3 and 4, since the stop members 74 are positioned at locations offset from the bars 60 of the second kelly-bar 60, the stop members 74 do not hinder the telescopic operation of the second kelly-bar 60. In the above-described embodiment, the outer kelly-bar 70 includes the thick-walled cylinder 70A and the thin-walled cylinder 70B, and the engagement members 74 are disposed on the inner periphery of the thick-walled cylinder 70A. This arrangement enables the stop members 74 to be easily and reliably welded. The stop members 74 may, of course, be disposed on the thin-walled cylinder 70B, and the number of stop members 74 and the forms thereof are not limited to those illustrated in the above-described embodiment. When the outer kelly-bar 70 is rotated about its axis by means of the kelly driving device (not shown), the rotary motion of the outer kelly-bar 70 is transmitted to the inner kelly-bar 60 by the engagements between the bars and the corresponding rectangular grooves. The inner kelly-bar 50 is in turn rotated about its axis to turn the excavating bucket (not shown) connected to the bottom end of the inner kelly-bar 50, thereby initiating excavation. When excavation proceeds and an upper retaining member (not shown) of the outer kelly-bar 70 engages with the kelly driving device (not shown), the second kelly-bar 60 and the inner kelly-bar 50 integrally extend from the outer kelly-bar 70 to continue the excavation. When the retaining member 60a of the second kelly-bar 60 falls on the stop members 74, further extension of the second kelly-bar 60 is inhibited and the inner kelly-bar 50 extends from the second kelly-bar 60 to continue the excavation. If a crack should be formed in the bottom end portion of the thick-walled torque transmitting portion TT of the outer kelly-bar 70 and proceed upwardly when the kelly-bar apparatus is in use, the crack is arrested at a portion where the wall thickness varies. Accordingly, even if the bottom end of the kelly-bar 70 happens to open in flared form, the retaining member 60a reliably engages with the stop members 74. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the three drainage grooves 63 and 73 are respectively formed in the inner peripheral portions of the torque transmitting portions TT of the second kelly-bar 60 and the outer kelly-bar 70. The drainage grooves 63 and 73 extend in the axial direction and are positioned out of phase with the respective rectangular grooves 62 and 72. Although not shown, the three hemispherical drainage grooves 63 and 73 of the second and outer kelly-bars 60 and 70 respectively communicate with drainage bores which extend radially from inside to outside. Since the drainage grooves 63 and 73 have hemispherical configurations in cross section, the portions of the respective kelly-bars 60 and 70 which define the corners of each groove can be made thick compared to any arrangement using rectangular grooves. Accordingly, the strength of each kelly-bar is improved, and transmission of increased torque is enabled. Since the hemispherical drainage grooves 63 and 73 have no rectangular corners, it is possible to suppress adhesion of mud or dust during drainage of a liquid such as a bentonite liquid containing mud. Accordingly, smooth drainage is enabled and drainage time does not excessively increase.

Claims: A cylindrical telescopic kelly-bar apparatus comprising: a first kelly-bar (50) having a circular configuration in cross section and a plurality of torque transmitting projections (52c, 53), said kelly-bar (50) having a shaft-like end portion (52a, 52b) which is welded to said kelly-bar (50) and has at least partly a different configuration in cross section, a second kelly-bar (60) having a circular configuration in cross section and a plurality of torque transmitting recesses (62) for engagement with said torque transmitting projections (52c, 53), said second kelly-bar (60) being fitted onto said first kelly-bar (50) in such a manner that they are telescopically operable and that torque can be transmitted from said second kelly-bar (60) to said first kelly-bar (50), a spring support (54) disposed on said end portion (52a, 52b) of the first kelly-bar (50) and spring means (31) arranged on said spring support (54) so as to provide support for said second kelly-bar (60), said shaft-like end portion (52a, 52b) of the first kelly-bar (50) comprising: a first shaft (52a) having a circular configuration in cross section, said torque transmitting projections (52c) being provided on the outer periphery of said first shaft (52a), and a second shaft (52b) of different configuration in cross section connected to the bottom of said first shaft (52a) for connection to an excavating bucket, characterized in that said torque transmitting projections (52c) are formed to extend to the bottom portion of said first shaft (52a), and in that said spring support (54) has a throughhole (54al) into which said first shaft (52a) is fitted and a plurality of recesses (54a2) into which bottom portions of said torque transmitting projections (52c) are fitted, said first shaft (52a) and the bottom portions of said torque transmitting projections (52c) being welded to said spring support (54). A cylindrical telescopic kelly-bar apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said first and second shafts (52a, 52b) are formed from a single piece of material. A cylindrical telescopic kelly-bar apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1, characterized in that an engagement member (52d) is formed on an upper portion of said second shaft (52b) to which said first shaft (52a) is connected, said engagement member (52d) supporting said spring support (54), said spring support (54) being fitted onto and welded to said end portion (52a, 52b) of the first kelly-bar (50) in such a manner that said spring support (54) is placed on said engagement member (52d). A cylindrical telescopic kelly-bar apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that said first and second shafts (52a, 52b) and said engagement member (52d) are formed from a single piece of material.

Inventors: AJIRO SHUICHI, KIUE AKIO, KUSUMI HIROSHI, MIYATA KENICHI, NOZAKI SATOSHI, AJIRO, SHUICHI, KIUE, AKIO, KUSUMI, HIROSHI, MIYATA, KENICHI, NOZAKI, SATOSHI
Applicants: HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY, HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: E21B17
IPC codes: E21B17, F16D3