Rock drilling unit and method of changing drill rods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9428971-B2
Application number	US-201414173987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2014
Priority date	Feb 8, 2013
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A rock drilling unit and a method of changing drill rods in a rock drilling unit is disclosed. The rock drilling unit includes a feed beam, a retainer device, a rock drilling machine and at least one clamp. The clamp is operable without driving force of the drilling unit. The clamp has a space for receiving one single drill rod. The clamp is positioned at a side position, which is parallel to a drilling axis and is at a transfer distance from the drilling axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rock drilling unit comprising:
a feed beam, which is an elongated piece;
a rock drilling machine arranged movably on the feed beam and defining a drilling axis, whereby the rock drilling machine includes a shank for connecting a drill rod to the drilling axis;
means for moving the drill rod in a transverse direction relative to the drilling axis;
at least one retainer device arranged on the feed beam and located on the drilling axis; and
at least one clamp having a retaining feature allowing one single drill rod at a time to be retained at a predetermined side position, which is parallel to the drilling axis and is located at a transverse distance from the drilling axis, the clamp including contact surfaces which are pressed against a retained drill rod placed between the contact surfaces, the clamp being spring-actuated, wherein the retaining feature of the clamp is independent of a driving force external to the clamp.

2. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one clamp includes at least one spring element.

3. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the clamp is supported by the feed beam by means of at least one support element, the clamp being immovably arranged in the predetermined side position.

4. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the clamp is movable in the transverse direction of the feed beam from the side position to the drilling axis, and vice versa.

5. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising a support arm pivotally connected to the feed beam, the clamp being arranged at a distal end portion of the support arm and wherein the support arm is provided with a turning device for turning the support arm in the transverse direction relative to the feed beam from the side position to the drilling axis and vice versa.

6. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the means for moving the drill rod comprises at least one changing device including a body connected movably to the feed beam; gripping means for allowing the drill rods to be gripped and released; and at least one transfer device for moving the at least one changing device in the transverse direction relative to the feed beam and for positioning the gripping means at the side position and the drilling axis.

7. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the at least one changing device includes openable and closable gripping jaws serving as the gripping means.

8. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the clamp is arranged to support the drill rod at the side position and the at least one changing device is arranged to move the drill rod between the side position and the drilling axis.

9. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the clamp is supported by the at least one changing device, whereby the clamp is transversally movable together with the at least one changing device.

10. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the clamp is arranged to be pivoted relative to the body of the at least one changing device.

11. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the clamp serves as the gripping means of the at least one changing device.

12. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the gripping means comprises gripping jaws, the clamp holding the drill rod at the side position when the gripping jaws are open.

13. The rock drilling unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one clamp is made of a resilient material that provides a spring actuation force.

14. A method of changing drill rods in a rock drilling unit, the rock drilling unit including a feed beam, a rock drilling machine and at least one retainer device, the method comprising the steps of:
connecting at least two drill rods together at a drilling axis of the drilling machine for forming an extension rod assembly when the rock drilling unit is in an inoperational state;
dismantling the extension rod assembly after a drilling procedure;
holding the extension rod assembly by the retainer device, wherein the connecting and dismantling includes moving the drill rods in a transverse direction relative to the feed beam between the drilling axis and at least one side position, wherein the at least one side position is parallel to the drilling axis and is located at a distance from the drilling axis; and
supporting one single drill rod at a time at the at least one side position by at least one clamp, wherein the drill rods are fed manually to the clamp when the rock drilling unit is off and the drill rods are retained in the clamp by an internal spring force.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising the steps of moving the drill rods between the drilling axis and the side position by means of a changing device arranged to be transversally movable relative to the feed beam; and moving the clamp between the drilling axis and the side position together with the changing device.

Assignees

• Sandvik Mining & Construction Oy

Inventors

• Pyörny Ilmo

Classifications

• E21B7/025 Primary

  Rock drills, i.e. jumbo drills · CPC title

• E21B15/04

  specially adapted for directional drilling, e.g. slant hole rigs · CPC title

• E21B19/15

  Racking of rods in horizontal position; Handling between horizontal and vertical position · CPC title

• E21B19/20

  Combined feeding from rack and connecting, e.g. automatically · CPC title

• E21B19/16 Primary

  Connecting or disconnecting pipe couplings or joints (E21B19/20 takes precedence) · CPC title