Patent Publication Number: US-2022220811-A1

Title: Drillng machine for angled drilling

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     This disclosure relates to drilling machines, in particular, drilling machines having towers capable of tilting for angled drilling. 
     Background 
     There are many different types of drilling machines for drilling through a formation. Some of these drilling machines are mobile and others are stationary. A typical mobile drilling machine includes a vehicle and tower, wherein the tower carries a rotary head and drill string. In operation, the drill string is driven into the formation by the rotary head. 
     In some situations, it is desirable to drill at an angle. Drilling at an angle is useful so that more regions of a formation can be reached with the drill string. For example, in some situations, the drilling machine cannot be positioned directly over a desired region of the formation, so it is not possible to drill straight down and reach this region of the formation. Hence, angled drilling is useful so that the drilling machine can reach a desired region of a formation without being directly over it. In this way, there are many more options available when selecting the location to position the drilling machine. Angled drilling is also particularly useful in blast-hole drilling in the mining industry, but the reader should note that this disclosure, and the claims set out here, are not limited to blast-hole drilling applications, but could be useful in all types of earth drilling U.S. Pat. No. 8,782,968 discloses a tower support assembly for angled drilling, the specification of which patent is incorporated by reference in its entirety into the present application, but which is not admitted to be prior art by its incorporation into this background section. 
     Angled drilling is typically accomplished by tilting the tower relative to an axis of the drilling machine so that the drill string is tilted along with the tower. Prior-art drilling machines are only capable of tilting in one plane. It would be desirable to have drill towers capable of tilting in more than one plane, along with better control of the angle or angles to which the tower is tilted, while also providing stability to the tower when it is in a tilted condition. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       Non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure are described by way of example in the following drawings, which are schematic and are not intended to be drawn to scale: 
         FIG. 1  shows a side view of an embodiment of a typical drilling machine having a tower capable of tilting, where the tower is raised to a vertical position. 
         FIG. 2  shows a schematic plan view of a typical drilling machine platform, illustrating the longitudinal and transverse axes of the drilling machine platform used as references for the purposes of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  shows a side view of a typical drilling machine, where the view is into the transverse axis of the drilling machine, further showing a tower tilted in the plane of the longitudinal axis. 
         FIG. 4  shows a front view of a typical drilling machine, where the view is into the longitudinal axis of the drilling machine, further showing a tower tilted in the plane of the transverse axis. 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the tower interface assembly in the position where the tower is vertical. 
         FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the tower interface assembly in the position where the tower is tilted in the plane of the transverse axis. 
         FIG. 7  shows perspective views  7 A and  7 B of opposite sides of the tilt stand of an embodiment of the tower interface assembly. 
         FIG. 8  shows a view of a tower pinning system. 
         FIG. 9  shows a view of a second tower pinning system. 
         FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of an alternate second embodiment of the tower interface assembly. 
         FIG. 11  shows a perspective view of an alternate third embodiment of the tower interface assembly. 
     
    
    
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with one embodiment, a drilling machine for angled drilling has a platform having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis. The drilling machine includes a tower for holding a drill string and a tower interface assembly connected to the platform, so that the tower interface assembly moveably supports the tower. In various embodiments disclosed, the tower interface assembly is selectively moveable to tilt the tower in either a plane parallel with the longitudinal axis of the platform, or to tilt the tower in a plane parallel with the transverse axis of the platform, so that the tilted drill string can perform angled drilling in either position. Further, the tower interface assembly is selectively moveable to simultaneously tilt the tower in the plane parallel with the longitudinal axis of the platform, and the plane parallel with the transverse axis of the platform. Further still, the drilling machine may be selectively moveable to first tilt the tower in the plane parallel with the longitudinal axis of the platform, and thereafter to tilt the tower in the plane parallel with the transverse axis of the platform, or the reverse procedure, respectively. This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is this Summary intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a side view of a typical mobile drilling machine  100 . The drilling machine has a tower  110 , a platform  120  supporting the tower  110 , and typically tracks  130  or wheels for propelling the drilling machine over ground.  FIG. 1  also shows an operator&#39;s cab  140  situated on the platform  120 . The term “cab” in this disclosure refers to either a housing for an operator or a workstation location on the platform  120 , which may or may not be occupied by an operator, as would be the case in autonomous machines. Except in  FIG. 1 , the typical engine compartment or “power pack”  105 , and mechanical accessories of a drilling machine  100  are omitted for clarity. The tower  110  will also carry a rotary head and a drill string extending through the tower, but these components are conventional and will not be discussed further. The reader should note that the improvements disclosed here could be embodied in a fixed drilling machine as well as a mobile machine. 
     The drilling machine  100  typically includes a control system (not shown), which is operatively coupled to the power pack  105 . The control system includes one or more control inputs which can be adjusted by the operator in the operator&#39;s cab  140 . Further, the control system will include one or more input controls for controlling the operation of the tower  110 , including its tilt angle or angles, which operation will be discussed in more detail below. 
       FIG. 2  schematically shows a plan view of the platform  120  of a drilling machine  100 , typically rectangular, defining a longitudinal axis  150  of the platform  120  and defining a transverse axis  160  of the platform  120 , perpendicular to the longitudinal axis  150 . In this disclosure, the longitudinal axis  150  and the transverse axis  160  of the platform  120 , as defined in  FIG. 2 , will be used to illustrate the direction of tilt of the tower  110  with respect to the platform  120  and the cab  140 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a side view of a typical drilling machine  100 , where the view is into the transverse axis  160  of the drilling machine  100 , further showing a tower  110  tilted in the plane of the longitudinal axis  150 . The tower  110  is shown tilted from the vertical by an angle “A”.  FIG. 4  shows a front view of a typical drilling machine  100 , where the view is now into the longitudinal axis  150  of the drilling machine  100 , further showing a tower  110  tilted in the plane of the transverse axis  160 . In  FIG. 4 , the tower  110  is shown tilted from the vertical by an angle “B”. 
     First Embodiment 
       FIG. 5  shows in more detail an embodiment of a tower interface assembly  170 , for tilting the tower  110  in the plane of the longitudinal axis  150  and in the plane of the transverse axis  160 . The tower interface assembly  170  is rotatably mounted on the platform  120  and moveably couples the platform  120  and the tower  110  together so that the tower  110  can rotate relative to the platform  120  in either the plane of the longitudinal axis  150 , or the plane of the transverse axis  160 , or both simultaneously. As used in this disclosure, the term “simultaneously” may mean that movement of the tower  110  through both angles occurs at the same time, or it may optionally mean that the tower  110  arrives in a state of tilt in both the longitudinal axis  150  and the transverse axis  160 , although the actual movement of tilting may occur first in one axis and then in the other, sequentially. 
     As described below, the tower interface assembly  170  allows the tower  110  to be held at a desired predetermined angle relative to the platform  120 , which predetermined angle may include a compound angle relative to the platform  120  in both the plane of the longitudinal axis  150 , or the plane of the transverse axis  160 , or both, so that the drilling machine  100  can be used for angled drilling  FIGS. 5 and 6  show the first embodiment of the tower interface assembly  170  in more detail. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the tower interface assembly  170 , showing the cooperating parts thereof. In  FIG. 5 , the tower  110  is vertical with respect to the platform  120 .  FIG. 6  is another view of the tower interface assembly  170 , showing the cooperating parts thereof as in  FIG. 5 , but in  FIG. 6 , the tower  110  is tilted in the plane of the transverse axis. 
     Referring to both  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the tower interface assembly  170  comprises a tower pivot shaft  180  engaging tower pivot trunnions  200  affixed to the tower  110 . The tower  110  is connected to a frame  210  of the tower interface assembly  170 . The tower interface assembly frame  210 , and thus the tower  110 , can be pivoted about the tower pivot shaft  180  by action of one or more first cylinders  190  affixed to the tower  110  at pivot points  195 , and rotatably connected to the frame  210  of the tower interface assembly  170  at second pivot points  215 , respectively. (In this disclosure, the unqualified term “cylinder” may refer to a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, or to an electric actuator.) In  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the first cylinders  190  are omitted for clarity, so that the view of the frame  210  and its respective parts is not obscured. 
     The frame  210  of the tower interface assembly  170  further comprises an upper pivoting joint  230 A, a lower first pivoting joint  230 B, and a second lower pivoting joint  230 C (where the frame  210  as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  includes opposing and corresponding pivoting joints), which three pivoting joints cooperate to allow the frame  210  to extend or contract as the longitudinal tilt angle of the tower  110  is changed by action of the first cylinder or cylinders  190 . When the tower  110  is set in the desired longitudinal angle for drilling, then that angle may be locked by pinning the two slide tubes  220  with one or more pinning cylinders  240 , as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The pinning makes the triangle formed by the parts of the frame  210  and its pivoting joints  230 A,  230 B and  230 C rigid. 
       FIG. 6  shows the tower  110  tilted in the plane of the transverse axis  160  by the mechanism of a tilt stand  250 , discussed below. The tilt in the transverse direction is accomplished by rotating the frame  210  of the tower interface assembly about a pivoting tilt joint  270  fixed to the platform  120 , as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
     The tilt stand  250  of the first embodiment depicted is shown in more detail in  FIG. 7 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the tilt stand  250  has a frame  300 , where the frame  300  has mounting fixtures  350  for mounting the tilt stand  250  to the platform  120 . The tilt stand  250  comprises at least one second cylinder  280 , which second cylinder  280  is connected to the tilt stand frame  300  through trunnions  340  allowing it to tilt as the cylinder rod  310  of the second cylinder  280  is extended and retracted. The tilt stand cylinder rod  310  of the second cylinder  280  engages a clevis  330  (shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) on the tower interface assembly frame  210  through a rotating pin  260 , thus causing the tower assembly frame  210  to tilt and return as the cylinder rod  310  of the second cylinder  280  is retracted and extended. Once the cylinder rod  310  of the second cylinder  280  is retracted, tilting the tower  110 , a counter-balance valve  290  may be actuated to hold the second cylinder  280  in that position. In this embodiment, the tower will further be prevented from passively returning to its vertical position because when the tilt in the plane of the transverse axis  160  is more than a certain amount, the center-of-gravity of the tower  110  goes over the center of the tower support pivoting tilt joint  270 , thus further preventing it from returning to its vertical position. 
     The reader should note that when the tilt of the tower  110  in either or both of the planes of the longitudinal axis  150  and transverse axis  160  is fixed as just described, a mobile drilling machine may be trammed from one drill site to another without changing the selected tower tilt or tilts. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate further systems for pinning the tilted tower  110  in a desired operating position. Pinning cylinders  360  are fixed in devises  380  on the frame  210  and operate to engage pinning plates  370 , where the pinning plates  370  are connected to the tower  110 , as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     Second Embodiment 
       FIG. 10  depicts a second embodiment  400  of the tower interface assembly  170 , particularly directed to the means for effecting a transverse tilt of the tower  110  instead of the tilt stand  250  described above in connection with the first embodiment. In  FIG. 10  a tower interface assembly frame  410 , possibly articulated, pivots with tilt around a pivot joint  450 . (A first cylinder  420  for tilting the tower  110  in the plane of the longitudinal axis  150  is also shown in  FIG. 10 .) In this second embodiment, the tower interface assembly frame  410  is raised and lowered by one or more second cylinders  430 , connected by a pivoting connection  455  between the platform  120  and the tower interface assembly frame  410 , in order to effect a tilt of the tower in the plane of the transverse axis  160 . A pinning cylinder  440  in this embodiment is located on the tower interface assembly frame  410 . When extended, the pinning cylinder drives pinning pins  460  into receiving holes in pinning blocks  470  mounted on the platform  120 , as shown, so as to lock the transverse tilt of the tower  110  in place for the time desired. 
     Third Embodiment 
       FIG. 11  depicts a third embodiment  500  of the tower interface assembly  170 , particularly directed to the means for effecting a transverse tilt of the tower  110 , instead of the tilt stand  250  described above in connection with the first embodiment. In  FIG. 11  a tower interface assembly frame  510 , possibly articulated, pivots with tilt around a pivot joint  550 .  FIG. 11  shows first slide tubes  540  for locking the tilt of the tower  110  in the plane of the longitudinal axis, and also a first cylinder  560  for raising and lowering the tower  110  in that axis. In  FIG. 11 , the tower interface assembly frame  510  is tilted in the transverse axis  160  by a second cylinder  530  acting on a clevis  520 . Second slide tubes  570  are provided to lock the tower interface assembly frame  510  in position for a transverse tilt by means of a pinning cylinder (not shown) acting to insert pins into sockets  580  in the second slide tubes. 
     None of the description in this application should be read as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential element which must be included in the claim scope; the scope of patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims. Moreover, none of these claims are intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. Section 112(f) unless the exact words “means for” are used, followed by a gerund. The claims as filed are intended to be as comprehensive as possible, and no subject matter is intentionally relinquished, dedicated, or abandoned.