Microtunneling apparatus
AssigneeOptionX Holdings Pty Ltd
InventorsAlbert Fourie, Allen Henley, Stuart Ronald Harrison, Gregory Alan Geldard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to a reamer assembly (6) for enlarging a substantially horizontal pilot hole (14) in the ground to produce a bore hole (18), including a cutter (21) which is rotatable about an axis X-X. A gear box (20) is positioned on a first side of the cutter (21) for interacting with a drive shaft (33) which is rotated about the axis X-X by a drive apparatus (2) outside the pilot bore hole (14) and a body (15) positioned on a second side of the cutter (21) for transferring thrust from a thrust apparatus (4) outside of the enlarged bore hole (18) to the cutter (21).
Claims17
A reamer assembly for enlarging a substantially horizontal pilot hole in the ground to produce a bore hole, including a cutter which is rotatable about an axis having at least one cutter element at a radially peripheral portion of the cutter, a gearbox positioned on a first side of the cutter, the gearbox having a gearbox input for interacting with a drill rod which is rotated about the axis by a drive apparatus outside the pilot bore hole, the gearbox also including a gearbox output which interacts with a radially central portion of the cutter, a body positioned on a second side of the cutter for transferring thrust from outside of the enlarged bore hole to the cutter, whereby the cutter rotates relative to the body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.