IES84397Y1 - A drill bit assembly for fluid-operated percussion drill tools - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT The invention relates to a drill bit assembly for fluid—operated percussion drill tools comprising a percussion bit (1) having a head portion (3) formed with an axially extending stub shank (32). The stub shank is provided with axially extending splines (36), which are slideably engageable with complementary splines (35) formed on a drive chuck (4). Rotational drive drom the chuck (4) may be transmitted to the stub mmkflbbymwmoflmsmmm.mnmmm%nmms®JALM)mmemmkme adapted for engagement with complementary retaining means (3751) at a spline portion of the stub shank to retain the stub shank in the drill bit assembly. Engagement means on the chuck (4) are adapted for connecting the chuck (4) to a drive means (5) of the fluid-operated percussion drill tool. The invention also relates to a down-the-hole hammer comprising an external cylindrical outer wear sleeve (5), a sliding piston (8) mounted for reciprocating movement within the outer wear sleeve (5) to strike a percussion bit (1) of a drill bit assembly located at the forward end of the outer wear sleeve (5) wherein the drill bit assembly is an assembly as described above.

Description

A DRILL BIT ASSEMBLY FOR FLUID-OPERATED PERCUSSION DRILL TOOLS Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drill bit assembly for fluid-operated percussion drill tools. In particular, the invention concerns a drill bit assembly for use with “down-the- hole” hammers.

Background to the Invention Some designs of conventional down-the-hole hammers and fluid-operated percussion drill tools comprise an external cylinder or outer wear sleeve, within which is mounted an inner cylinder which in turn engages with a backhead assembly. A sliding reciprocating piston co-operates with the inner cylinder and backhead assembly, which when air pressure is supplied through the backhead assembly, acts with a percussive effect on a drill bit retained within a chuck on the outer wear sleeve.

Typically the inner cylinder is mounted co-axially within the outer wear sleeve. A sliding piston is mounted for reciprocating movement within the inner cylinder and the outer wear sleeve, to strike a hammer bit mounted for sliding movement in a chuck located at the forward end of the outer wear sleeve, in well known manner. A foot valve is positioned above the bit.

Our prior patent application Publication No. W0 2004/031530, discloses a down-the- hole hammer in which the bit has an elongate shank portion which at its upper end has an annular strike face (or anvil) against which the piston impacts to impart a percussive force to the bit. A lower end of the bit shank is formed externally with a plurality of splines which are spaced around the circumference of the bit shank and extend in the axial direction. The splines slideably engage with complementary splines fonned on the internal wall of an annular chuck. The chuck is screw-threadably connected to the bottom of the outer wear sleeve. The bit is retained in the hammer assembly by means of a bit retaining ring, which sits above the chuck and cooperates with an annular shoulder on the bit. This prevents the bit from falling out of the assembly in operation.

In operation the bit shank comes under forces due to the percussive action of the hammer, and rotational torque which is provided by the chuck. This imparts significant bending moments on the upper part of the bit shank increasing the risk of breakage of the shank due to cracking. Drill bits are very expensive to produce, and to recover if they are lost down the drilling hole. That this is a significant problem with the drill bits of conventional down-the-hole hammers is evidenced by the fact that there are a number of patents directed to means of retaining a broken-off bit within the bit assembly so as to prevent it falling down the drill hole. Examples of these patents are US 5,065,827, US 4,003,442, W0 96/15349, W0 98/05476, W0 03/062585, W0 03/062586, However, the inventions disclosed in these patents are directed to dealing with problems which occur after the bit shaft has fractured, and not to preventing the breakage in the first place.

Other disadvantages associated with conventional percussion drill tools, such as down- the-hole hammers, is that the bit has a long shank portion which is expensive to produce. The long shank portion is required in order to provide a splined shank portion ofsufficient length to give enough support for transfer of rotational torque, and an area above the splines for retaining the bit. In conventional hammers, when the bit head or cutting face is worn out, the shank can often be in good condition but because it is made integral with the cutting face, it must be discarded. The premature wearing out of the head/cutting face may occur where drilling is carried out in very abrasive rock or material which wears the tungsten carbide inserts in the cutting head. With many conventional hammers, there is a need to provide foot valves in the bit. The foot valve is required as an integral part of the functioning of the hammer i.e. when the piston is in the strike position, the bottom lift chamber is sealed by the bore of the piston and the outside of the footvalve. If this were not the case then the piston would not lift. The footvalve is prone to occasional breakage leading to down-time.

Object of the Invention It is an object of the invention to provide a bit mounting system for a down-the-hole hammer, or other fluid operated percussion drill tool which avoids many of the disadvantages of the prior art systems as described above. It is also an object of the invention to provide a bit system in which the shank is shorter in length than conventional drill shanks. It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved coupling means for the bit assembly.

Summary of the Invention In a first aspect, the invention provides a drill bit assembly for fluid—operated percussion drill tools comprising: a percussion bit having a head portion formed with an axially extending stub shank, axially extending splines on the stub shank slideably engageable with complementary splines formed on a drive chuck whereby rotational drive from the chuck may be transmitted to the stub shank, bit retaining means at the chuck adapted for engagement with complementary retaining means at a spline portion of the stub shank to retain the stub shank in the drill bit assembly, and engagement means on the chuck adapted for connecting the chuck to a drive means of the fluid—operated percussion drill tool.

Preferably, the drive chuck is formed with a screw thread which is adapted to engage with a complementary screw thread on the lower end of a wear sleeve of the drill tool.

Suitably, the axially extending splines are formed on an external cylindrical wall ofthe stub shaft and engage with complementary splines formed internally of the drive chuck.

Suitably, the bit retaining means comprises at least one, but preferably a plurality of apertures through the wall of the drive chuck and a corresponding plurality ofbit retaining pieces; such that when the bit assembly is assembled, the bit retaining pieces are received in the apertures and engage with the complementary retaining means at the spline portion of the stub shank to retain the stub shank in the drill bit assembly.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the apertures are formed as part- annular slots through the wall of the drive chuck and the bit retaining pieces are part- annularly shaped and the complementary retaining means comprises an annular shoulder formed at an upper end of the stub shank; such that when the bit assembly is assembled, the part—annular bit retaining pieces are received in the part-annular slots and engage with the underside of the annular shoulder to retain the stub shank in the drill bit assembly.

According to an alternative embodiment, the apertures are formed as substantially circular openings through the wall of the drive chuck and the bit retaining pieces are ball nose pins and the complementary retaining means comprises a plurality of recesses formed at an upper end of the stub shank; such that when the bit assembly is assembled, the ball nose pins are received in the circular openings and engage with upper internal walls ofthe recesses to retain the stub shank in the drill bit assembly.

In another aspect, the invention provides a down-the-hole hammer comprising an external cylindrical outer wear sleeve, a sliding piston mounted for reciprocating movement within the outer wear sleeve to strike a percussion bit ofa drill bit assembly located at the forward end of the outer wear sleeve, in which the drill bit assembly is as described above.

The drill bit assembly of the invention has a number of advantages over conventional systems. Because the means to retain the bit within the chuck has been moved to the splined portion of the stub shank, the present invention allows for a shortened shank. In addition, splined support for transfer of rotational torque is provided both above and below the bit retaining means. The short stub shaft is less expensive to manufacture than bit heads having long shafts. The stub shank suffers much less from bending forces due to its shorter length and is thus less prone to bending failures associated with longer shanks used in conventional percussion drill tools. As an analogy, when using a manual hammer, a long nail is much more likely to bend than a short nail. As a result, the shortened shank is much stronger than conventional bit shanks.

Another advantage is that it is much cheaper to replace the bit in abrasive conditions, as compared to conventional drill bit assemblies where the bit head has an attached long shaft. The short stub shank requires substantially less material than conventional long bit shanks. Furthermore, with the assembly of the invention there is no need to have a footvalve in the bit. The footvalve and piston cooperation of the prior art may be replaced in the invention by the nose of the piston 8 scaling in the bore of bushing 2.

Nevertheless, it is optional whether a footvalve is used or not.

Brief Description of the Drawings Two embodiments of a down—the—hole hammer having a bit coupling system in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a down—the—hole hammer according to a first embodiment of the invention, showing the piston in an off-bottom position; Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the down-the-hole hammer of Figure 1, showing the piston in the strike position; Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of the down-the-hole hammer of Figure 1, showing the piston at the top-of-stroke position; Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the bit coupling system of the invention; Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional side elevation substantially of the lower part of Figure 2; Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view ofa second embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional side elevation ofthe lower part ofa down—the—hole hammer according to the second embodiment of the invention. showing the piston in an off-bottom position; and Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the lower part of the down—the—hole hammer of Figure 7, showing the piston in the strike position.

Detailed Description of the Drawings Referring to the drawings, an embodiment of a down-the-hole hammer of the invention comprises an external cylindrical outer wear sleeve 5. An inner cylinder 25 is mounted co-axially within the outer wear sleeve 5. A sliding piston 8 is mounted for reciprocating movement within the inner cylinder and the outer wear sleeve 5, to strike a hammer bit 1 located at the forward end of the outer wear sleeve 5 to exercise a percussive force to the drill bit. Rotational forces are transferred from the rotating outer wear sleeve 5 by means of a chuck 4. The wear sleeve is threadably connected to a drill string which is connected to a rotation motor on a drilling rig at the surface.

Referring particularly to Figures 4 and 5, the head portion 3 of the bit assembly comprises the percussion bit 1 which is provided with tungsten carbide inserts 3 l, in a well known manner. The bit head portion 3 is formed with an axially extending stub shank 32. The stub shank 32 is formed with a spline portion, which includes a lower annular shoulder portion 33, an upper annular shoulder portion 37 and an intermediate portion 50. The upper and lower annular shoulder portions 33, 37 are provided with a plurality of axially extending splines 36. The intermediate portion 50 is not provided with splines. Rotational torque is applied to the bit head portion 3 through the chuck 4.

The hollow cylindrical chuck 4 is machined internally to provide a plurality of axially extending internal splines 35 on its internal wall which engage with the splines 36 of the shank 32 to transmit rotational drive from the chuck 4 to the drill bit.

An upper part of the chuck 4 is externally screw threaded. The chuck 4 is also provided with an external annular shoulder 38, which acts as a stop when the chuck 4 is screwed into the wear sleeve 5 as described below. Above the shoulder 38 a number of part- annular slots 7 are cut or machined through the wall of the chuck 4 to receive part- annular retaining pieces 6. In the assembled bit assembly, the bit retaining pieces 6 engage with the underside of the annular shoulder 37 formed at the top end of the shank 32 to retain the stub shank in the drill bit assembly. The chuck 4 is screwed into the lower end ofthe wear sleeve 5 and, in doing so retains the bit retaining pieces 6 in slots 7. In addition, the screw threaded engagement of the chuck 4 with the wear sleeve 5 enables rotational torque to be transmitted from the wear sleeve 5 through the chuck 4 to the bit 1.

A reciprocating piston 8 is mounted for reciprocating movement within the inner cylinder 25 and the outer wear sleeve 5 to strike the top face of shoulder 37 to impart a percussive force to the bit. The splines 35 ofthe chuck 4 slideably engage with the complementary splines 36 on the shank 32 so that the head portion 3 is moved axially relatively to the chuck during the percussive action.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8. As before, the head portion 3 of the bit assembly comprises the percussion bit 1 which is provided with tungsten carbide inserts 31, in a well known manner. The bit head portion 3 is formed with an axially extending stub shank 32. The stub shank 32 comprises a spline portion, which is formed with a plurality of axially extending splines 36 and a number of axially extending recesses or millings 47. The recesses 47 are formed with upper internal walls or shoulders 51. Rotational torque is applied to the bit head portion 3 through the chuck 4. The hollow cylindrical chuck 4 is machined intemally to provide a plurality of axially extending internal splines 35 on its internal wall which engage with the splines 36 of the shank 32 to transmit rotational drive from the chuck 4 to the drill bit.

Above the shoulder 38 a number of substantially circular openings 42 are cut or machined through the wall ofthe chuck 4 to receive ball nose pins 41. In the assembled bit assembly, the ball nose pins 41 engage with the upper internal walls or shoulders 51 of the recesses or millings 47 formed at the top end of the shank 32 to retain the stub shank in the drill bit assembly. The chuck 4 is screwed into the lower end of the wear sleeve 5 and, in doing so retains the ball nose pins 41 in openings 42. In addition, the screw threaded engagement of the chuck 4 with the wear sleeve 5 enables rotational torque to be transmitted from the wear sleeve 5 through the chuck 4 to the bit 1.

In an embodiment of the invention, which has a nominal 4” hammer which drills hole sizes of 10 cm and greater, the stub shaft 32 has a length in the range 90 mm to mm, preferably about 130 mm. In contrast the long shank portions of conventional down—the-hole hammers, of similar drill size, typically have a length in the range mm to 260 mm. Thus, with the present invention the length of the shaft 32 can be about 30% to 50% less than that of the shafts ofconventional down-the-hole hammers.

The hammer cycle is as shown in Figures 1 to 3 and Figures 7 and 8. Figure 1 and Figure 7 show the hammer in the off-bottom position. Piston 8 is permitting exhaust air to flush through bore 9 and bore 10 in bit I to the face flushing holes I I. Figure 2, Figure 5 and Figure 8 show the hammer in the strike position. Bushing 2 is provided in the drill assembly in place of a footvalve, to co-operate with piston nose 20. Pressurised air is supplied down chamber 13, through piston grooves 14 and wearsleeve undercut , into the pressure chamber 12. This air is sealed off by the piston nose 20 and bushing 2. Simultaneously, the top chamber 16 is open to exhaust through bores 9, 10 and 1 1. As a result the piston 8 lifts. Figure 3 shows the piston 8 at the top of stroke.

As piston nose 20 is out of contact with bushing 2, lift chamber 12 is open to exhaust through bushing 2 and bores 10, 11. Top chamber 16 is supplied with pressure air through ports 19 and charmels 17. The chamber 16, is sealed by the distributor probe . As a result the piston is forced down to strike the bit and repeat the cycle.

The arrangement of the present invention has the advantage of ease of assembly at the parts of the drill bit system. The parts can be assembled from above by sliding the splines 36 ofthe stub shank 32 into engagement with the splines 35 ofthe chuck 40 so that the shank fits within the chuck 4.

The words “comprises/comprising” and the words “having/including" when used herein with reference to the present invention are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components and groups thereof.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concept of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the present disclosure is intended to set forth the exemplifications of the invention which are not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. The disclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, these reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims (5)

Claims

1. A drill bit assembly for fluid-operated percussion drill tools comprising: a percussion bit (1) having a head portion (3) fonned with an axially extending stub shank (32); axially extending splines (36) on the stub shank (32) slideably engageable with complementary splines (35) formed on a drive chuck (4) whereby rotational drive from the chuck (4) may be transmitted to the stub shank (32); bit retaining means (6, 7, 41, 42) at the chuck adapted for engagement with complementary retaining means (37, 51) at a spline portion of the stub shank to retain the stub shank in the drill bit assembly; and engagement means on the chuck (4) adapted for connecting the chuck (4) to a drive means (5) of the fluid-operated percussion drill tool.

2. A drill bit assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive chuck (4) is formed with a screw thread which is adapted to engage with a complementary screw thread on the lower end of a wear sleeve (5) of the drill tool, and the axially extending splines (36) are formed on an external cylindrical wall of the stub shank (32) and engage with complementary splines (35) formed internally of the drive chuck (4).

3. A drill bit assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bit retaining means comprises at least one, but preferably a plurality of apertures (7, 42) through the wall of the drive chuck (4) and a corresponding plurality of bit retaining pieces (6, 41); such that when the bit assembly is assembled, the bit retaining pieces (6, 41) are received in the apertures (7, 42) and engage with the complementary retaining means (37, 51) at the spline portion of the stub shank to retain the stub shank in the drill bit assembly.

4. A down-the-hole hammer comprising an external cylindrical outer wear sleeve (5), a sliding piston (8) mounted for reciprocating movement within the outer wear sleeve (5) to strike a percussion bit (1) of a drill bit assembly located at the forward end of the outer wear sleeve (5) wherein the drill bit assembly is an assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims. ll

5. A drill bit assembly for fluid-operated percussion drill tools substantially as described herein with reference to and/or as illustrated in