This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.

Nos. 63/390386 and 63/398912, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

This disclosure relates to the mining machine arts and, more particularly, to a drilling and/or bolting apparatus, such as for use in forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage and installing an anchor or bolt therein.

Background

During underground mining, it is a requirement of federal law to install support to the roof of a passage at various intervals. This is often done using a mining machine known in the vernacular as a “roof bolter.” Typically, such a roof bolter is capable of both forming (drilling) boreholes and then installing roof anchors or “bolts” in the boreholes once formed.

Bolters often include an elongated boom for raising and lowering an attached drilling or bolding apparatus, sometimes called a “bolting module.” This module incorporates a drill head for rotating and advancing a drill element, or drill steel, for forming the borehole. The drill head may also receive the bolt or anchor and install it (via advance, rotation, or both depending on the particular type of anchor used).

Proper positioning of the drill feed mechanism (commonly called the feed or the drill mast) is needed for full utilization of the entire effective length of the drill steel. However, this positioning may be challenging in the narrow confines of a mine passage, since the length of the drill steel may approximate the height of the mine passage.

Similar issues arise with installation of a bolt or anchor for installation into a borehole. For instance, the traditional use of a vertically oriented carousel for storing the bolts prior to installation only further contributes to the problem, since this necessarily increases the height of the apparatus.

Accordingly, a need is identified for a drill or bolting apparatus that allows for more efficient use of time and space in the drilling and bolting actions.

Summary

According to one aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus is provided for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface. The apparatus includes a mast including a rotary drill head adapted to move along a first axis of the mast toward or away from the surface of the mine passage. The apparatus further includes a holder adapted for holding a plurality of drill elements, the holder extending along a second axis transverse to the first axis of the drill head. A carriage is adapted to move from a retracted position for gripping one drill element from the holder to an advanced position, and in the advanced position rotate to align the one drill element with the first axis of the drill head for forming the borehole or insertion into the borehole during the advance of the drill head toward the surface of the mine passage.

In one embodiment, the carriage in the retracted position is such that a first longitudinal axis of the carriage is generally parallel to a second longitudinal axis of the holder. The holder may comprise a carousel adapted to rotate about the second axis. The carriage may include a pair of grippers adapted to retrieve the one drill element from the holder, and then hold the one drilling element during rotation of the carriage and advance of the drill head toward the surface of the mine passage. The pair of grippers may be further adapted to associate the one drill element with a drill guide associated with an upper end of the mast for guiding the one drill element during advance of the drill head.

In these or other embodiments, the drill head may be adapted to move toward and away from the first axis to accommodate positioning of the one drilling element in alignment therewith.

Likewise, the apparatus may further include a boom comprising a rotary actuator for rotating the drill mast.

According to a second aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus is provided for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface. The apparatus includes a drill mast including a rotary drill head adapted to move along an axis toward and away from the surface. A holder is provided for holding one or more drill elements. A manipulator is adapted to rotate from a non-vertical orientation for retrieving one drill element from the holder to a vertical orientation for associating the one drill element with the drill head for advance toward the surface.

In one embodiment, the holder is oriented so as to have a non-vertical longitudinal axis. The non-vertical orientation of the manipulator is such that a longitudinal axis thereof is generally parallel to the non-vertical longitudinal axis of the holder. The holder may comprise a carousel adapted to rotate about the non-vertical longitudinal axis.

In these or other embodiments, the manipulator includes a pair of grippers. The grippers may be adapted to retrieve the one drill element from the holder. The grippers may then hold the one drilling element during rotation of the manipulator and advance of the drill head toward the surface of the mine passage. The pair of grippers may be further adapted to associate the one drill element with a drill guide associated with an upper end of the mast for guiding the one drill element during advance of the drill head.

The drill head may also be adapted to move toward and away from the axis of the drill mast to accommodate positioning of the one drilling element in alignment therewith. The manipulator may be pivotably attached to the drill mast. The apparatus may further include a boom comprising a rotary actuator for rotating the drill mast.

According to yet another aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface is provided. The apparatus comprises a drill mast including a rotary drill head adapted to move along an axis toward and away from the surface. The apparatus further comprises a carousel carrying at least two drill steels and at least one anchor. For example, the at least two drill steels comprise a starter steel and a finisher steel.

The apparatus may further include a drill mast including a drill head. A manipulator may be provided for retrieving one of the at least two drill steels and at least one anchor from the carousel and positioning the retrieved one drill steel or anchor in alignment with a borehole axis. The carousel may have a longitudinal axis generally transverse to the borehole axis.

Still a further aspect of the disclosure pertains to a method for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface using a drill head for moving along an axis of a drill mast toward or away from the surface. The method includes: (a) selecting at least one drill element from a plurality of drill elements oriented transverse to an axis of the drill mast;

(b) rotating the at least one drill element to align with the axis of the drill mast; and (c) advancing the one drill element toward the surface of the mine passage. In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of gripping and advancing the at least one drill element in the transverse orientation from a retracted position away from the axis of the drill mast to an advanced position for performing the rotating step. The at least one drill element may comprise a starter steel, and the method further includes repeating steps (a)- (c) for a finisher steel. The method may include repeating steps (a)-(c) for a roof bolt.

Brief Description of the Drawing Figures

Figure l is a perspective view of a bolter according to one aspect of the disclosure;

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are partially cutaway top progressive views of a manipulator in combination with the bolter of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the bolter with the manipulator in a forward position;

Figure 6 is a partially cutaway elevational view of the bolter of Figure 5;

Figures 7 and 8 are partially cutaway perspective views showing the progression of the movement of the manipulator from a non-vertical to a vertical position; and

Figures 9 and 10 are partially cutaway perspective views of the manipulator in the vertical position.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the various figures, this disclosure relates primarily to a drilling or bolting apparatus for use in a drilling or bolting machine, or “bolter” 10. This bolter 10 may be used in connection with the installation of support in a surface of a mine passage. Specifically, the bolter 10 may serve to form a borehole in the surface, and then subsequently install an anchor (typically an elongated piece of rebar or like material called a “roof bolt”) in the borehole (but the borehole could pre-exist and/or be formed by a separate machine).

The bolter 10 may be adapted to be mounted to a support structure, such as for example a boom M associated with a vehicle (not shown) capable of moving or tramming about a mine passage. The boom M may include a rotary actuator A for rotating the bolter 10 relative to the boom. This rotation may be used to achieve drilling in the roof or ceiling of the mine passage, as well as the sidewalls or ribs, depending on the situation.

As perhaps best shown in Figures 5 and 6, the bolter 10 includes a mechanism for advancing and retracting a drill head 12 toward and away from the surface of the mine passage. This mechanism may comprise a mast 14 supporting the drill head 12 for movement toward and away from the surface, such as by sliding.

The bolter 10 may also include a holder for holding one or more drill elements E. This holder may be in the form of a carousel 16 for supporting the one or more drill elements. The drill elements E may comprise for example, drill steels, roof anchors (bolts), or any combination of the two. As can be understood the carousel 16 is mounted so as to have a longitudinal axis at an angle of less than 45 degrees relative to a horizontal axis, such as around 20-30 degrees, so as to maintain the drill elements E in a non-vertical position.

Consequently, the one or more drill elements E may have a length approximating the height of the mine passage, which would not be possible if the carousel 16 was in a purely vertical orientation. This means that the longitudinal axis of the carousel 16 and hence the associated one or more drilling elements E is generally transverse to a borehole axis X, which is the axis along which the drill head 12 advances to form the borehole or install the anchor therein. The carousel 16 may be adapted to rotate about its longitudinal axis, but otherwise is fixed in orientation, such as relative to a horizontal or otherwise non-vertical axis.

Adjacent to one side of the carousel 16 is a manipulator 18 adapted to remove a drill element E from the carousel and advance it to a position for forming or entering a borehole in the surface of the mine passage. To do so, the manipulator 18 may include a plurality of grippers 20 adapted to grip the drill element E (e.g., a drill steel or bolt) for removal from the carousel 16. In particular, the grippers 20 may be adapted to advance, clamp onto the drill element E (such as via opposed jaws, at least one of which is movable), and then withdraw to remove it from the carousel 16, as progressively shown in Figure 2 (grippers 20 retracted), Figure 3 (grippers 20’ advanced to grip drill element E carried by carousel), and Figure 4 (grippers 20” withdrawn to remove drill element E from carousel 16).

As perhaps best understood from Figure 5, the manipulator is also adapted to advance from a home or retracted position for retrieving the drill element to a forward, advanced or deployed position (note manipulator 18’ in Figure 5, and arrow W, Figure 1) closer to the mast 14. This may be achieved by providing the manipulator in the form of a carriage for moving longitudinally along a support frame 18a, such as by sliding, and an associated actuator, such as a linear actuator 18b. This movement from a position adjacent to the carousel 16 for retrieving a drill element E to a forward position places a distal end of the drill element E held thereby adjacent to the distal end of the mast 14. At this point of advance, the manipulator 18 or carriage may be bodily rotated, such as by pivoting about a point of attachment to the mast 14. This pivoting may reorient the carriage from a non-vertical axis generally parallel to a non-vertical axis of the carousel 16 to achieve a substantially vertical orientation (note progression from Figure 7 showing rotation R to Figure 8 showing vertical orientation V). As a result, the associated drill element E retrieved from the carousel 16 is also vertically oriented and a distal end of it is adjacent to a drill guide 22 associated with the mast 14. Rotation of the carriage serving as manipulator 18 may be achieved by an actuator 24, such as a linear actuator, for causing the carriage to rotate about a pivot point 26 connecting the distal end of the manipulator 18 to the mast 14. Alternatively, rotary actuator could be used to achieve the reorientation.

The carriage when positioned vertically (arrow V) places the drill element E in alignment with the borehole axis X, with which the drill head 12 is also aligned (but may be temporarily withdrawn from alignment with this axis during the reorientation of the manipulator 18 to a vertical positon, as indicated by arrow C in Figure 6). The proximal or lower end of the drill element E in the illustrated orientation may then be associated with the drill head 12 (which may include a chuck or like adapter), which may be advanced and/or rotated toward an upper end of the mast 14 and into engagement with the surface of the mine passage to form a borehole in the case of a drill steel, or position an anchor or bolt into an already formed borehole. Before this association is made with the drill head 12, it is also possible for the carriage to advance to partially insert the drill element E into a borehole, if present.

As can be understood from Figure 10, the grippers 20 may remain engaged with the drill element E during the advance, in a manner that provides guidance, but does not interfere with the rotation or advance. The drill guide 22 may include opposed jaws that engage the drill element E to provide guidance without interference, including possibly during the abovedescribed positioning of the drill element in alignment with the borehole axis X by the carriage and/or partial advance into a borehole if previously formed. These jaws may selectively open and close to allow for passage of structures such as a plate connected to a bolt or anchor.

Once the borehole formation using the drill steel (or steels as outlined below) or bolt installation is complete, the manipulator 18 may be returned to the home (non-vertical) position with its longitudinal axis in alignment with a non-vertical longitudinal axis of the carousel 16. The carousel 16 may then be rotated (note arrow Y in Figure 1) to present a new drill element E for retrieval and the process repeated, as necessary or desired.

The bolter 10 may also be used in connection with multiple drill elements for forming a borehole. For example, a shorter, so-called “starter” drill steel (S in Figure 10) may be retrieved by the manipulator 18 and used to form the borehole, and then returned to the carousel 16. A longer “finisher” steel (F in Figure 10) may then be retrieved and used in a similar manner. Once the borehole is formed, a bolt or anchor (B in Figure 10) may then be installed. Both steels and the bolt(s) may all be carried by the carousel 16, which again may rotate for presentation to the grippers 20 for withdrawal.

As can be appreciated, using such a carousel 16 oriented generally transverse to the drilling axis X allows for the drill elements E to approximate the height of the passage without interference, since they are not stored in a vertical orientation. The ability to rotate the carousel 16 from a non-vertical orientation in alignment with the carousel 16 to a vertical one then provides the ability to reorient and insert the drill element E into the surface, which drill element can thus approximate the height of the mine passage. This allows for use of such a low profile bolter 10 in narrow mine passages that heretofore was not possible.

Summarizing, this disclosure relates to one or more of the following items in any combination:

1. An apparatus for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface, comprising: a mast including a rotary drill head adapted to move along a first axis of the mast toward or away from the surface of the mine passage; a holder adapted for holding a plurality of drill elements, the holder extending along a second axis transverse to the first axis of the drill head; and a carriage adapted to move from a retracted position for gripping one drill element from the holder to an advanced position, and in the advanced position rotate to align the one drill element with the first axis of the drill head for forming the borehole or insertion into the borehole during the advance of the drill head toward the surface of the mine passage.

2. The apparatus of item 1, wherein the carriage in the retracted position is such that a first longitudinal axis of the carriage is generally parallel to a second longitudinal axis of the holder.

3. The apparatus of item 1 or item 2, wherein the holder comprises a carousel adapted to rotate about the second axis. 4. The apparatus of any of items 1-3, wherein the carriage includes a pair of grippers adapted to retrieve the one drill element from the holder, and then hold the one drilling element during rotation of the carriage and advance of the drill head toward the surface of the mine passage.

5. The apparatus of item 4, wherein the pair of grippers are further adapted to associate the one drill element with a drill guide associated with an upper end of the mast for guiding the one drill element during advance of the drill head.

6. The apparatus of any of items 1-5, wherein the drill head is adapted to move toward and away from the first axis to accommodate positioning of the one drilling element in alignment therewith.

7. The apparatus of any of items 1-6, further including a boom comprising a rotary actuator for rotating the drill mast.

8. An apparatus for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface, comprising: a drill mast including a rotary drill head adapted to move along an axis toward and away from the surface; a holder for holding one or more drill elements; and a manipulator being adapted to rotate from a non-vertical orientation for retrieving one drill element from the holder to a vertical orientation for associating the one drill element with the drill head for advance toward the surface.

9. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the holder is oriented so as to have a nonvertical longitudinal axis.

10. The apparatus of item 9, wherein the non-vertical orientation of the manipulator is such that a longitudinal axis thereof is generally parallel to the non-vertical longitudinal axis of the holder.

11. The apparatus of item 9 or item 10, wherein the holder comprises a carousel adapted to rotate about the non-vertical longitudinal axis.

12. The apparatus of any of items 9-11, wherein the manipulator includes a pair of grippers adapted to retrieve the one drill element from the holder, and then hold the one drilling element during rotation of the manipulator and advance of the drill head toward the surface of the mine passage.

13. The apparatus of item 12, wherein the pair of grippers are further adapted to associate the one drill element with a drill guide associated with an upper end of the mast for guiding the one drill element during advance of the drill head.

14. The apparatus of any of items 8-13, wherein the drill head is adapted to move toward and away from the axis of the drill mast to accommodate positioning of the one drilling element in alignment therewith.

15. The apparatus of any of items 8-14, wherein the manipulator is pivotably attached to the drill mast.

16. The apparatus of any of items 8-15, further including a boom comprising a rotary actuator for rotating the drill mast.

17. An apparatus for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface, comprising: a drill mast including a rotary drill head adapted to move along an axis toward and away from the surface; and a carousel carrying at least two drill steels and at least one anchor.

18. The apparatus of item 17, wherein the at least two drill steels comprise a starter steel and a finisher steel.

19. The apparatus of item 17 or item 18, further including: a drill mast including a drill head; and a manipulator for retrieving one of the at least two drill steels and at least one anchor from the carousel and positioning the retrieved one drill steel or anchor in alignment with a borehole axis.

20. The apparatus of any of items 17-19, wherein the carousel has a longitudinal axis generally transverse to the borehole axis.

21. A method for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface using a drill head for moving along an axis of a drill mast toward or away from the surface, comprising:

(a) selecting at least one drill element from a plurality of drill elements oriented transverse to an axis of the drill mast;

(b) rotating the at least one drill element to align with the axis of the drill mast; and

(c) advancing the one drill element toward the surface of the mine passage.

22. The method of item 21 , further including the step of gripping and advancing the at least one drill element in the transverse orientation from a retracted position away from the axis of the drill mast to an advanced position for performing the rotating step.

23. The method of item 21 , wherein the at least one drill element comprises a starter steel, and further including repeating steps (a)-(c) for a finisher steel.

24. The method of item 22, further including repeating steps (a)-(c) for a roof bolt.

As used herein, the following terms have the following meanings:

“A”, “an”, and “the” as used herein refers to both singular and plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. By way of example, “a compartment” refers to one compartment or more than one compartment.

“About,” “substantially,” or “approximately,” as used herein referring to a measurable value, such as a parameter, an amount, a temporal duration, and the like, is meant to encompass variations of +/- 20% or less, including +/-10% or less, +/-5% or less, +/-1% or less, and +/- 0.1% or less of and from the specified value, in so far such variations are appropriate to perform in the disclosed invention. However, it is to be understood that the value to which such modifiers refer is itself also specifically disclosed.

“Comprise”, “comprising”, and “comprises” and “comprised of’ as used herein are synonymous with “include”, “including”, “includes” or “contain”, “containing”, “contains” and are inclusive or open-ended terms that specifies the presence of what follows e.g. component and do not exclude or preclude the presence of additional, non-recited components, features, element, members, steps, known in the art or disclosed therein.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it embraces all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present disclosure.