EP2321487A1

EP2321487A1 - Rock drilling rig and method of moving drilling boom thereof

Info

Publication number: EP2321487A1
Application number: EP09811157A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kari Lappalainen
Original assignee: Sandvik Mining and Construction Oy
Current assignee: Sandvik Mining and Construction Oy
Priority date: 2008-09-08
Filing date: 2009-09-04
Publication date: 2011-05-18
Also published as: FI20085837A; EP2321487A4; FI122797B; FI20085837A0; WO2010026296A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a rock drilling rig and a method of turning a drilling boom of a rock drilling rig. A carrier (2) of the rock drilling rig comprises a lower body (3) and,arranged on top of it,an upper body (4) which may be turned by a turning device (20). A boom (13) is attached to the upper body, and the boom (13) is turned by turning the upper body. Further, the boom is arranged turnably in the upper body, whereby a turning angle (K1) of the upper body with respect to the lower body and a turning angle (K2) of the boom with respect to the upper body determine a largest turning angle (K) of the boom.

Description

ROCK DRILLING RIG AND METHOD OF MOVING DRILLING BOOM THEREOF

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a rock drilling rig comprising a movable carrier having a lower body and an upper body. The upper body is equipped with a boom provided with a drilling unit for drilling holes into rock. The boom may be turned by means of the upper body at the front of the rock drilling rig so that holes may be drilled also at sides of the rock drilling rig. The invention further relates to a method of moving a boom of a rock drilling rig. The fields of the invention are defined in closer detail in the preambles of the independent claims of the application.

[0002] In rock drilling, rock drilling rigs are used wherein a drilling boom may be turned within a coverage area at the front of the rock drilling rig in order to bring a drilling unit to the location of a hole to be drilled. The coverage area is a sector which extends also to the sides of the rock drilling rig. In rock drilling rigs, it is not usually necessary to turn the boom backwards. Therefore it is usually unnecessary to provide them with so-called circumrotat- ing carriers. However, the carrier of the rock drilling rig may comprise a lower body and, on top of it, an upper body which may be turned by a limited turning angle with respect to the lower body. The boom, rigidly fastened to the upper body in a lateral direction, is then moved by turning the upper body. If in such a construction the turning angle of the coverage area is to be large, the upper body has to be turned by a large turning angle with respect to the lower body, which may cause the centre of gravity of the device to change and the lower body to be subjected to strong transverse forces. At large turning angles the stability of the device may thus be reduced. When operating on an uneven surface, the device is even in danger of falling over. Consequently, the maximum turning angle of the upper body has to be limited which, of course, limits the size of the coverage area. This makes it more difficult to drill holes at a side of the rock drilling rig.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved rock drilling rig and method of moving a drilling boom.

[0004] The rock drilling rig according to the invention is characterized in that the boom is connected to the upper body by means of a vertical second pivoting axle; the first pivoting axle and the second pivoting axle are arranged on the same axial line; a second turning device is provided in connection with the boom in order to turn the boom in the transverse direction by a predetermined limited second turning angle with respect to the upper body; and the first turning angle and the second turning angle together determine a largest turning angle of the boom in the transverse direction.

[0005] The method according to the invention is characterized by further turning the drilling boom in the transverse direction with respect to the upper body, whereby the drilling boom turns within an area of a limited second turning angle. [0006] An idea of the invention is that turning the boom in a lateral direction is carried out by turning the upper body of the carrier with respect to the lower body and by turning the boom with respect to the upper body. The largest turning angle of the coverage area of the boom is thus determined by the sum of the first turning angle between the upper body and the lower body and the second turning angle between the boom and the upper body. The first and the second turning angles are limited.

[0007] An advantage of the invention is that the turning angle of the boom may be larger than before without the stability of the device being reduced. Since the transverse positions of the boom are provided by a smaller turning angle of the upper body, the rock drilling rig is easier to use also in narrow operation sites, such as tunnels and in the vicinity of obstacles. This enables collisions of the upper body and related damage to the device to be avoided.

[0008] An idea of an embodiment is that the boom is coarse posi- tioned by first turning the upper body with respect to the lower body. During coarse positioning, the operator observes obstacles located at the sides of the rock drilling rig and monitors that the upper body does not collide therewith. Next, fine positioning is carried out by turning the boom with respect to the upper body. Since the upper body is kept immobile during fine positioning, the operator does not need to monitor the movements of the upper body during the fine positioning. The coverage area of fine positioning is dimensioned sufficiently large so that the drilling unit may be used for drilling several planned holes without turning the upper body. The positioning movements of fine positioning may be more accurate and speedier than in coarse positioning since in fine positioning it is the boom that is turned rather than the entire upper body which, compared with the boom, is a large and massive structure. [0009] An idea of an embodiment is that the largest turning angle of the boom is 180°, whereby the boom may be turned at both sides of the rock drilling rig to a perpendicular position with respect to the centre line of the lower body. In such a case, by means of the boom, the drilling unit may be po- sitioned in a versatile manner in drilling locations residing in a driving direction and at the sides of the rock drilling rig.

[0010] An idea of an embodiment is that the turning angle of the upper body with respect to the central axis of the lower body is 60° or less towards both turning directions, i.e. the first turning angle is at its largest 120° in total. The stability of the carrier may be ensured by limiting the first turning angle. Further, the turning angle of the boom with respect to the upper body, i.e. the second turning angle, is at least 60°.

[0011] An idea of an embodiment is that the largest turning angle of the upper body with respect to the central axis of the lower body is 45° towards both turning directions, i.e. the first turning angle is 90°. Further, the largest turning angle of the boom with respect to the upper body is 90°. Thus, the turning angle of the boom is 180° in total.

[0012] An idea of an embodiment is that the first turning device and the second turning device are pressure medium cylinders, such as hydraulic cylinders. A linear movement produced by the pressure medium cylinders is converted into a turning movement of the upper body and into a turning movement of the boom, respectively, by means of joints. Pressure medium cylinders are inexpensive and operationally reliable as compared with various rotating motors. In addition, when using cylinders, use of expensive gear plates and gears is avoided.

[0013] An idea of an embodiment is that the rock drilling rig comprises a control cabin arranged to turn simultaneously with the boom with respect to the upper body. The control cabin and the boom may be arranged in the same fastening piece connected to turn with respect to the second pivoting axle. When the control cabin turns along with the boom, the operator continuously has a good visibility over the operation target. The operator's ergonomics is also better.

[0014] An idea of an embodiment is that the first pivoting axle and the second pivoting axle are separate axles. [0015] An idea of an embodiment is that the first pivoting axle and the second pivoting axle are arranged on the same axial line. [0016] An idea of an embodiment is that the first pivoting axle and the second pivoting axle are formed by one uniform main axle. The main axle is supported to the lower body. The upper body and the fastening piece of the boom are turnably mounted to the main axle, whereby they are arranged to turn with respect to one commonly shared axle. This embodiment enables a simple and robust construction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0017] Some embodiments of the invention are described in closer detail in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing a prior art rock drilling rig,

Figure 2 is a schematic top view showing the rock drilling rig of Figure 1 in a situation where an upper body is turned transversely with respect to a lower body,

Figure 3 schematically shows a rock drilling rig according to the in- vention as seen obliquely from above,

Figure 4 schematically shows the rock drilling rig of Figure 3 as seen obliquely from below,

Figures 5 and 6 are schematic top views showing turning positions of a boom of a rock drilling rig according to the invention on the right side of the device,

Figures 7 and 8 are schematic top views showing turning positions of a boom of a rock drilling rig according to the invention on the left side thereof,

Figure 9 is a schematic explosion view showing a construction of a rock drilling rig according to the invention, and

Figure 10 is a schematic top view showing yet another rock drilling rig according to the invention.

[0018] For the sake of clarity, the figures show some embodiments of the invention in a simplified manner. In the figures, like reference numerals identify like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Figure 1 shows a rock drilling rig 1 comprising a movable carrier 2. The carrier 2 comprises a lower body 3 and an upper body 4. The lower body 3 may comprise two sets of tracks 5 connected to one another by means of a first body part 6 belonging to the lower body 3. In connection with the sets of tracks 5, necessary power transmission members are provided for transmitting drive power to the tracks. The upper body 4, in turn, may comprise a motor 7, a hydraulic pump 8, a compressor 9, a dust collecting system and related filters 10 as well as auxiliary devices necessary in rock drilling. The up- per body 4 may further comprise a control cabin 11 , a drilling platform or a corresponding place for an operator. A control unit 12 for the rock drilling rig may also be arranged in the upper body 4. The rock drilling rig 1 may be equipped with a boom 13 provided with a drilling unit 14, which comprises a feed beam 15, a rock drill machine 16 and a feed device 17 for moving the rock drill ma- chine with respect to the feed beam. The rock drill machine 16 comprises a percussion device for applying impact pulses on a tool as well as a rotating device for turning the tool with respect to its longitudinal axis.

[0020] The boom 13 is connected to the upper body 4 by means of a horizontal joint 18, enabling the boom 13 to be lifted and lowered in a vertical direction e.g. by means of a hydraulic cylinder 19. Further, the upper body 4 is arranged turnably with respect to the lower body 3. By means of a first turning device 20, the upper body 4 may be turned in a lateral direction with respect to a vertical first pivoting axle 21 at the front of the rock drilling rig 1 , i.e. on the side of a driving direction A. The drilling unit 14 is positioned at a hole 22 to be drilled by turning the upper body 4 with respect to the pivoting axle 21 and by lifting and lowering the boom 13 with respect to the horizontal joint 18. In the prior art solution shown in Figure 1 , the turning of the boom 13 in a transverse direction with respect to the driving direction A of the rock drilling rig 1 may be carried out by turning the upper body 4 only. Figure 2 shows that when the boom 13 is turned transversely with respect to the driving direction A, the upper body 4, which is mainly located on the opposite side of the boom 13, moves transversely in a corresponding manner. When the massive upper body 4 is turned to an extreme position, the location of the centre of gravity of the device changes. In such a case, the upper body 4 causes strong transverse forces onto the lower body 3, and the rock drilling rig 1 may be in danger of falling over, particularly when operating on an uneven or inclined surface. It is further noticed that when turned to its extreme position, the upper body 4 extends to a great lateral distance from the centre line, which means that turning to the extreme position requires a large amount of free space at the side of the device. [0021] The embodiments to be disclosed in the following may comprise devices associated with rock drilling shown in Figure 1 although, for the sake of clarity, they have been omitted from Figures 3 to 10.

[0022] In Figure 3, the upper body 4 is parallel with a central axis C of the lower body 3 and the boom 13 has been turned from the central axis C towards the right side of the rock drilling rig 1. The boom 13 is fastened to a fastening piece 23 supported turnably to a vertical second pivoting axle 24. The fastening piece 23 may be provided with a lug to which a second turning device 26, which may be a pressure medium cylinder, preferably a hydraulic cylinder, is fastened by means of a first joint 25. By means of a second joint 27, the turning device 26 is supported to a fastening point 28 provided in the upper body 4. By means of the second turning device 26 a linear movement is produced which is converted into a turning movement by the fastening piece 23. The boom 13 is fastened to the fastening piece 23 by means of the hori- zontal joint 18. Further, the control cabin 11 may be fastened to the fastening piece 23 by means of a support member 29. When the turning device 26 is moved in a linear direction L, the fastening piece 23 turns with respect to the second pivoting axle 24 and, simultaneously, also turn the boom 13 and the control cabin 11 connected to the fastening piece 23. The stroke length of the cylinder acting as the second turning device 26 is limited, so in practice it enables only a limited turning angle to be provided for the fastening piece 23. The magnitude of the turning angle may be 60° to 120°.

[0023] Figure 4, in turn, shows means for turning the upper body 4 with respect to the lower body 3. The lower body 3 may comprise sets of tracks 5 connected to one another by means of a transverse body part 6. Typically, the body part 6 is positioned with respect to the sets of tracks 5 so that about one third of the length of the sets of tracks 5 resides at the back of the body part 6 while two thirds reside at the front thereof. The upper body 4 is arranged mainly at the back of the body part 6 while the boom 13 resides entirely at the front of the body part 6. The purpose of positioning the body part 6 in such a way with respect to the sets of tracks 5 and arranging the upper body 6 and the boom 13 on opposite sides of the body part is to achieve a good balance. The body part 6 is equipped with a vertical first pivoting axle 21 to which the upper body 4 is turnably mounted. The first turning device 20 may be a pres- sure medium cylinder, preferably a hydraulic cylinder, which is by means of a joint 30 fastened to a fastening point 31 provided in the body part 6 and which is by means of a joint 32 fastened to a fastening point 33 provided in the upper body 4. The first turning device 20 produces a linear movement L which causes the upper body 4 to turn with respect to the first pivoting axle 21. The stroke length of the cylinder acting as the first turning device 20 is limited, so the upper body 4 has a limited turning angle as well.

[0024] The pivoting axles 21 and 24 shown in Figures 3 and 4 may be separate axles that are arranged on the same axial line or, alternatively, they may be a part of one uniform main axle 34, as will be shown in Figure 9 below. [0025] Figures 5 and 6 show that the upper body 4 may be turned by a turning angle E1 to the left side of the central axis C of the lower body 3 and, correspondingly, by a turning angle E2 to the right side of the central axis C. The magnitudes of the turning angles E1 and E2 may be e.g. 60°, whereby a turning angle K1 of the upper body 4 is 120° in total. Furthermore, the boom 13 has a turning angle K2 with respect to the upper body 4, whereby the boom 13 may be turned between the extreme positions shown in Figures 5 and 6. The turning angles K1 and K2 may be selected so that the boom 13 may be turned to a perpendicular line D with respect to the central line C of the lower body 3. This enables the boom 13 to be moved in a versatile manner into posi- tions residing at the front of the transverse line D.

[0026] In Figures 7 and 8, the upper body 4 has been turned to its extreme position to the right side of the rock drilling rig 1. By turning the boom 13 to its extreme position shown in Figure 7, the boom 13 can be made to point perpendicularly towards the left side of the rock drilling rig 1. On the other hand, the boom 13 may be turned by the turning angle K2 towards the central line C to its other extreme position, as is shown in Figure 8.

[0027] Figure 9 shows an embodiment wherein the body part 6 of the lower body 3 is equipped with a vertical main axle 34 to which both the upper body 4 and the fastening piece 23 of the boom 13 are arranged turnably. In such a case, one uniform and robust main axle 34 acts simultaneously as the first pivoting axle 21 and as the second pivoting axle 24. This embodiment simplifies the structure significantly.

[0028] Figure 10 shows an embodiment wherein the first pivoting axle 21 and the second pivoting axle 24 are separate axles arranged at a dis- tance from one another. In such a case, the location of the pivoting axles 21 , 24 may be selected according to the rest of the structure of the device. [0029] Instead of tracks, the rock drilling rig may be equipped with wheels or corresponding movement members that are suitable for mining usage and enable the device to move independently in an operation site.

[0030] In some cases the features disclosed in this application may be used as such, irrespective of other features. On the other hand, when necessary, the features disclosed in this application may be combined in order to provide different combinations.

[0031] The drawings and the related description are only intended to illustrate the idea of the invention. The details of the invention may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A rock drilling rig comprising: a movable carrier (2) which comprises a lower body (3) and an upper body (4) and wherein the lower body (3) comprises movement members (5) for moving the carrier (2) forward in a driving direction (A), the lower body

(3) having a central axis (C); at least one boom (13) connected to the upper body (4) and turn- able with respect to a horizontal joint (18) in order to lift and lower the boom (13), the boom (13) further being turnable in a transverse direction with respect to the central axis (C) of the lower body; a vertical first pivoting axle (21) between the lower body (3) and the upper body(4); at least one first turning device (20) arranged to turn the upper body

(4) with respect to the first pivoting axle (21 ) by a limited first turning angle (K1 ) in order to turn the boom (13) in the transverse direction; and at least one drilling unit (14) arranged in the boom (13), the drilling unit (14) comprising a feed beam (15) and a rock drill machine (16) arranged movably thereon; characterized in that the boom (13) is connected to the upper body (4) by means of a vertical second pivoting axle (24); the first pivoting axle (21) and the second pivoting axle (24) are arranged on the same axial line; a second turning device (26) is provided in connection with the boom (13) in order to turn the boom (13) in the transverse direction by a predetermined limited second turning angle (K2) with respect to the upper body (4); and the first turning angle (K1) and the second turning angle (K2) together determine a largest turning angle (K) of the boom (13) in the transverse direction.

2. A rock drilling rig as claimed in claim ^ characterized in that the first turning device (20) and the second turning device (26) are pressure medium cylinders.

3. A rock drilling rig as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first pivoting axle (21) and the second pivoting axle (24) are formed by one uniform main axle (34) which is supported to the lower body (3) and with respect to which the upper body (4) and the boom (13) are arranged to turn.

4. A rock drilling rig as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rock drilling rig (1 ) comprises a control cabin (11 ); and the control cabin (11) and the boom (13) are connected to one an- other, whereby the control cabin (11) is arranged to turn simultaneously with the boom (13) with respect to the second pivoting axle (24).

5. A rock drilling rig as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the magnitude of the turning angle (K) of the boom (13) in the trans- verse direction is at least 180°.

6. A rock drilling rig as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the first turning angle (K1 ) is 120° or less; and the second turning angle (K2) is 60° or more.

7. A method of turning a drilling boom of a rock drilling rig, the rock drilling rig (1) comprising a movable carrier (2) which comprises a lower body (3) and an upper body (4) and wherein at least one drilling boom (13) is arranged in the upper body (4); the method comprising turning the upper body (4) with respect to the lower body (3) within an area of a limited first turning angle (K1 ) in order to move the drilling boom (13) in a transverse direction; characterized by further turning the drilling boom (13) in the transverse direction with respect to the upper body (4), whereby the drilling boom (13) turns within an area of a limited second turning angle (K2).

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, characterized by moving the drilling boom (13) into its transverse extreme position by turning the upper body (4) to an extreme position determined by the first turning angle (K1) and by turning the drilling boom (13) with respect to the upper body (4) to an extreme position determined by the second turning angle (K2).

9. A method as claimed in claim 7 or 8, characterized by coarse positioning the drilling boom (13) by turning the upper body (4) with respect to the lower body (3) within the area of the first turning angle (K1 ); and keeping the upper body (4) substantially immobile and fine position- ing the drilling boom (13) by turning the drilling boom (13) with respect to the upper body (4) within the area of the second turning angle (K2).