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US 4,371,046 AGranted
Apparatus for and method of drilling a hole into the ground
OwnerVernon Readinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerVernon Readinventor
Estimating the term…
A drilling rig carried by a vehicle includes a mast having upper and lower sections. The lower section is mounted on a support surface of the vehicle which is maintained parallel to the ground surface during drilling. The upper section is secured to the lower section so that the longitudinal axes of the upper and lower sections are offset at a predetermined acute angle and the top of the upper section is beyond an edge of the surface. A rotary power drill head is translatable along the length of the lower section. A cable pulled by a draw works on the vehicle extends over a pulley at the top of the upper section and thence downwardly. The angle of the surface is controlled so that during vertical hole drilling the surface is horizontal and the power drill head is directly above the hole. During pipe hoisting, the pulley is directly above the hole so the cable extends downwardly in line with the hole, while it is attached to the pipe. During drilling, the cable extends over a sheave, at the intersection of the two sections, and is connected to the drill head, to assist in supporting it. Adjustable length support arms extend from the top of the upper section to bear against the ground, outside opposite sides of the mast. The support arms and a pair of outrigger supports for the surface of the vehicle intersect a common straight line on the ground. A retractable, hydraulically actuated strut connects the upper and lower sections together, to raise and lower the upper section relative to the lower section and fold the upper section on top of the lower section, during transport.
A drilling rig adapted to be carried by a vehicle normally having a horizontal flat surface comprising a mast having upper and lower sections, each having a longitudinal axis, the lower section being mounted on the surface, the upper section being secured to the lower section so the longitudinal axes of the upper and lower sections are offset at a predetermined acute angle, a rotary power drill head translatable along the length of the lower section, the power drill head including an aperture in which drill pipe is secured, a drawworks on the vehicle, cable means extending from the drawworks over pulley means at the top of the upper section and thence downwardly, means for controlling the angle of the surface so that during drilling the surface is horizontal and the aperture is aligned with a drill hole through which drilling pipe extends and during pipe hoisting the pulley means is aligned with the hole so a portion of the cable means extends from the pulley means in line with the hole, the cable means portion being attached to the pipe during hoisting, a sheave at the intersection of the two sections, said sheave being positioned and the axes being offset so said portion of the cable means can be paid over said sheave and extend in tension to support said drill head during drilling and said portion of the cable means can be removed from said sheave during hoisting.
A drilling rig adapted to be carried by a vehicle normally having a horizontal flat surface comprising a mast having upper and lower sections, each having a longitudinal axis, the lower section being mounted on the surface, the upper section being secured to the lower section so the longitudinal axes of the upper and lower sections are offset at a predetermined acute angle, a rotary power drill head translatable along the length of the lower section, the power drill head including an aperture in which drill pipe is secured, a drawworks on the vehicle, cable means extending from the drawworks over pulley means at the top of the upper section and thence downwardly, means for controlling the angle of the surface so that during drilling the surface is horizontal and the aperture is aligned with a drill hole through which drilling pipe extends and during pipe hoisting the pulley means is aligned with the hole so a portion of the cable means extends from the pulley means in line with the hole, the cable means portion being attached to the pipe during hoisting, first and second rigid, adjustable length support legs extending from adjacent the top of the upper section to bear against a support surface for the vehicle beyond opposite sides of the mast, the angle controlling means including a pair of vertical outrigger supports extending from the flat surface to bear against the ground, said outrigger supports and support legs intersecting the ground on a common straight line, the support legs intersecting the ground outside of the outrigger supports.
A method of drilling into the earth with a rig having a mast with a lower section that extends from a support surface therefor and an upper section having a longitudinal axis offset from that of the lower section, said rig including a rotary power drill head translatable along the length of the lower section and a drawworks including a cable extending over a pulley at the top section, comprising boring a hole in the ground by rotatably driving the drill head with a drill pipe therein, said hole having an axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the lower section, maintaining the support surface parallel to the earth while (a) the drill head is supported by a portion of the cable downwardly depending from the pulley and (b) tension is applied thereto by the drawworks, and hoisting the drill pipe by tilting the support surface so the cable axis, as the cable is paid around the pulley, is aligned with the drill hole while (a) the downwardly depending portion is connected to the pipe, (b) the drawworks applies tension to the cable and thence the pipe and (c) the pipe is displaced from the drill head.
A drilling rig adapted to be carried by a vehicle normally having a horizontal flat surface comprising a mast having upper and lower sections, each having a longitudinal axis, the lower section being mounted on the surface, the upper section being secured to the lower section so the longitudinal axes of the upper and lower sections are offset at a predetermined acute angle, a rotary power drill head translatable along the length of the lower section, the power drill head including an aperture in which drill pipe is secured, a drawworks on the vehicle, cable means extending from the drawworks over pulley means at the top of the upper section and thence downwardly, means for controlling the angle of the surface so that during drilling the surface is at a first predetermined angle at right angles to the hole being drilled and the aperture is aligned with a drill hole through which drilling pipe extends and during pipe hoisting the surface is at a second predetermined angle at which the pulley means is aligned with the hole so a portion of the cable means extends from the pulley means in line with the hole, the cable means portion being attached to the pipe during hoisting, a sheave at the intersection of the two sections, said sheave being positioned and the axes being offset so said portion of the cable means can be paid over said sheave and extend in tension to support said drill head during drilling and said portion of the cable means can be removed from said sheave during hoisting.
The method of driling into the earth with a rig having a mast with a lower section that extends from a support surface therefor and an upper section having a longitudinal axis offset from that of the lower section, said rig including a rotary power drill head translatable along the length of the lower section and a drawworks including a cable extending over a pulley at the top section, comprising boring a hole in the ground by rotatably driving the drill head with a drill pipe therein, said hole having an axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the lower section, maintaining the support surface at a first predetermined angle at right angles to the hole being bored while (a) the drill head is supported by a portion of the cable downwardly depending from the pulley and (b) tension is applied thereto by the drawworks, and hoisting the drill pipe by tilting the support surface to a second predetermined angle so the cable axis, as the cable is paid around the pulley, is aligned with the drill hole while (a) the downwardly depending portion is connected to the pipe, (b) the drawworks applies tension to the cable and thence the pipe and (c) the pipe is displaced from the drill head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.