US3024852A - Apparatus for excavating large diameter shafts - Google Patents

Description

March 13, 1962 R. B. JEWELL 3,024,852

APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING LARGE DIAMETER SHAFTS Filed July 8, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIE IN VEN TOR.

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A JZJZ w March 13, 1962 B. JEWELL APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING LARGE DIAMETER SHAFTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed July 8, 1959' INVENTOR. 3

HTTORAZ'Y.

March 1962 R. B. JEWELL 3,024,852

APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING LARGE DIAMETER SHAFTS ,4 INVENTOR.

:3 $055 .fM/EZL. F BY HTTORZEX ilnited dtates 3,tl24,852 APPARATUS FUR EXCAVATING LARGE DIAMETER SHAFTS Robert B. Jewell, Shreveport, La., assignor to Mason & Hanger-Silas Mason (10., Inc. Filed July 8, 1959, Ser. No. 825,843 6 Claims. (Cl. 175-184) The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of drilling and excavating large diameter shafts, an example being a shaft of 20 feet diameter. The apparatus is characterized by means for progressively lowering into the earth a multiple cutter assembly in which units are rotated in opposite directions to effect a conical cut area, high pressure Water jets washing the cuttings toward the center of the conical cut face, at which area a pressure air lift removes the cuttings to the ground surface.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a ground formation and part of the cutter assembly, showing an embodiment of the invention in assembly.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in sections showing the guide tower for maintaining a vertical drilling position, and certain elements carried thereby.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3, FIG. 1, showing the sinking platform, the pulleys 9 and it) of FIG. 1 being omitted.

FIG. 4 is a bottom schematic horizontal view, looking upwardly and partly in section and partly in dotted lines, showing the position of the drive shaft and drive pinions relative to driven gears for the outer and inner cutters.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan view, in section looking upwardly on the line 5-5, FIG. 1, showing suitable mounting arrangements for the inner and outer cutters.

FIG. 6 is a somewhat enlarged view, partly in vertical section, showing the sinking platform and the cutter mechanism, and omitting the manifold 37 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view, partly in vertical section, showing the roller mounting for the outer cutting unit at the right hand margin of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section on the line 8-8, FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a detailed view of the roller mounting shown in FIG. 7 turned 90.

FIG. 10 is a detailed plan view showing the mounting of the cutters in their rotary carriers.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that rising from a ground formation at 1, are vertical supports 2, for a rigid supporting structure 3. As indicated in FIG. 2, the structure 3 may be cruciform so as to have upright supports at least at four areas. The supporting structure preferably is constructed of steel beams and struts, as indicated in the drawings.

Centrally of the supporting structure 3 is a passageway for a vertically movable guide tower 4 which extends downwardly to an annular structure hereinafter termed a platform, and which is shown at 5, a rigid connection being made between the guide tower and the platform, the latter carrying guide rollers at 5 adapted to ride on external tube 38 The guide tower and platform are suspended for raising and lowering by cables 6 and 7. Cable 6 is led over a pulley 8 carried by supporting structure 3, thence is led over a pulley 9 carried by the platform, and thence is led upward and fixed to a bracket carried by the supporting structure 3. Cable 7 is led over a pulley 10 carried by structure 3, thence extends downwardly over a pulley 11 carried by the platform, and then extends upwardly to a bracket carried by supporting structure 3.

Cables 6 and 7 will be led to a power driven drum of 3,ii24,852 Patented Mar. 13, 1962 any suitable construction (not shown) for raising and lowering the platform md its guide tower.

The platform is provided with two concentric trolley beams near its outer margin. Hung on the said circular trolley beams for rotation is an annular carrier for cutters. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, this annular carrier is composed of two spaced rings 12 connected by cross struts 13, and from rings 12 are upwardly extending bracket housings 14 for opposed rollers 15 which ride upon the trolley beams. The trolley beams are indicated at 16, and the assembly is more particularly shown in FIG. 7. The innermost carrier ring 12 is formed as a gear, or carries a gear-ring 17, FIG. 7, which is engaged by a drive gear 18 on a drive shaft 19, which extends upwardly through the fixed support 3. Adapted for rotation of shaft 19 is a pinion 20, F IG. 1, and the relation between said pinion and the shaft permits vertical movement of the latter. Thus the pinion may have slot and spline engagement with the shaft, or the shaft may be squared, with a corresponding slide fit-in the pinion. Pinion 21) is actuated by a drive pinion 21 on a shaft 22 leading to a suitable motor in housing 23. In FIG. 1 this motor is indicated as a fluid pressure motor, as by air, but it may be of any other suitable type.

Rings 12 are employed to carry either cutter blades, as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 5, at 25, or steel disks as indicated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 10. With respect to cutter blades 25, they are shown as carried between spaced brackets 27, FIG. 5, the brackets being carried in any suitable manner by rings 12, and the cutter blades mounted between spaced bars 27 welded or otherwise suitably connected to bracket arms 27.

It will be noted that the carrier brackets 27 hold the cutters 25 or 26 in downwardly inclined position, and that inwardly of the same are additional cutter gangs similarly inclined and carrying like cutters. The carrier brackets for the last named gangs are indicated at 30, and each gang is supported by a ring 31, reinforced by struts 31 leading to a center ring 41 and the ring carries a plurality, generally four, of bracket housings 32 for rollers 33*, FIG. 6 which ride upon an annular trolley beam 33, carried by the platform. In FIG. 10 it is shown that the cutters 26 are shown in the form of disks, carried by spacer arms 26*, between the carrier brackets 30, and hence forming elements of said brackets.

Ring 31 has external gear teeth meshing with a drive gear 35 as the lower end of shaft 19, so that the inner gangs of cutters and the outer gangs of cutters are rotated in opposite directions.

At 36, FIG. 1, is a conduit pipe leading to a manifold 37, which, as particularly shown in FIG. 3, communicates with a plurality of outflow pipes 33, having downwardly extending nozzles 39, FIG. 1. A flexible hose 336* communicates with conduit 36 for leading to a high pressure supply of water.

Extending downwardly through the guide tower 4 is an air lift consisting of an external tube 33, FIG. 1, into which air under high pressure may be forced via flexible hose 39*. This air under pressure enters apertures at 47 formed in the lower end of a discharge pipe 40, and exerts an upwardly directed suction in said pipe for withdrawing and carrying off cuttings and wash water from the bottom of the shaft to and out of flexible hose 41.

It will be seen that the apparatus consists of gangs of cutters, which may be in the form of cutter teeth, disks, plows, carbide tipped tools, etc., as required by the material to be drilled or cut and excavated. Sets of these cutter gangs are rotated in opposite directions and thereby balance torque. The rotary cutter gangs are supported for rotation on trolley beams on a platform which is supported by cables, the platform being preferably in the form of a supporting truss assembly. This assembly may be weighted to increase sinking speed of the cutters, and

the platform or truss assembly may be raised and lowered by cables and is guided by a guide tower which maintains vertical drilling position and which resists any unbalanced torque. The cables work from an overhead fixed support through which the guide tower projects, and which support carries drive means for supporting shaft, which leads to gear arrangements for reversely rotating the two sets of gang cutters, the gangs being downwardly inclined to cut a conical path into the material undergoing, cutting, breaking up, and removal. The cutting is augmented by high pressure water jets which wash the cuttings toward the center of the conical cut and into the action of an air lift.

It will be noted that at the sides of the air lift lower end, curved cutter blades 45 are provided.

Having described my invention, what I claim. and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts, comprising a support adapted for application to a ground surface and having a central passageway, a guide tower vertically movable through said central passageway of said support, an annular trolley beam car ried by the guide tower at the lower end thereof, a plurality of sets of gang cutters means movably supporting said sets of gang cutters on said trolley beam, power drive means for moving said sets of gang cutters on said annular trolley beam, an air-lift vertically movable with said guide tower and adapted to receive and withdraw cuttings at the area of the gang cutters, means for discharging water under pressure to the gang cutter areas, means for raising and lowering the gang cutters and the guide tower.

2. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts, comprising a support adapted to be held upon a ground surface and having a vertical passageway, a. guide tower extending downwardly through said passageway, a tubular air-lift extending through the tower and laterally supported thereby, annular beams surrounding the tubular air-lift, beam-running means, a plurality of sets of gang cutters movably supported by the annular beams and beam-running means, power drive means for said gang cutter movement, means for discharging water under pressure to the gang cutter areas, and means for raising and lowering the annular beams and beamrunning means with the sets of gang cutters.

3. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts, comprising a support adapted to be held upon a ground surface, vertical supporting means having a length extending below the first named support, a platform carried by said vertical supporting means at its lower end, outer and inner annular beams carried by said platform and providing two annular trackways, outer and inner gangs of cutters on said beams, power means for moving the gang cutters relatively to the beams with the outer gang cutters moved in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the inner gang cutters, means for discharging water under pressure to the gang cutter areas, an air-lift adapted to receive and discharge cuttings produced by said gang cutters, and means for raising and lowering the vertical supporting means with the platform and the gang cutters.

4. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts, comprising a support adapted for application to a ground surface and having a guiding aperture, a guide tower extending through said support and guided thereby for vertical movements, an annular supporting structure carried at the lower end of the guide tower, two annular trackways carried by said last named structure, a plurality of gang cutters comprising outermost gang cutters on one trackway and inner gang cutters on the second trackway, supporting means for said gang cutters including rollers applied to said annular trackways, power means for moving the gang cutters on said trackways with the outermost cutters moving in a direction opposite to that of the inner gang cutters, means for discharging water under pressure to the gang cutter areas, an air-lift for receiving and discharging cuttings, and means for raising and lowering the guide tower and the elements carried thereby.

5. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts, constructed in accordance with claim 4, in which the inner gang cutters are mounted upon a ring gear and the outermost gang cutters are mounted upon a second ring gear, a shaft vertically extending downwardly from the first named support and carrying pinions for oppositely rotating said ring gears, a power motor on said support, and drive connections from said motor to said shaft, and adapted to permit vertical movements of the shaft relative to its drive.

6. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts, comprising a support adapted for application to a ground surface, constructed in accordance with claim 4, in combination with a manifold on the annular supporting structure carried at the lower end of the guide tower, means for leading water under pressure to said manifold, a plurality of nozzles carried by and projecting downwardly from said annular supporting structure, and a plurality of pipes connecting said manifold with the nozzles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 126,729 Meatyard May 14, 1872 801,828 Frieh et al. Oct. 10, 1905 1,428,788 Larson Sept. 12, 1922 2,221,226 Wick Nov. 12, 1940 2,766,978 Robbins Oct. 16, 1956

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