Scraper device for continuous screw drills

Abstract

 Scraper device (10) for drilling equipment such as continuous screw (15) drills (14), the device (10) being borne on a drilling equipment (11) and consisting of a scraper means (22) comprising a plurality of scraper elements (32-33) arranged according to a spider of spokes, the scraper means (22) being able to rotate automatically and continuously about its own axis for cooperation between the scraper elements (32-33) and the continuous screw (15) of the drill (14) during the operational drilling steps, this cooperation between the scraper elements (32-33) and the continuous screw (15) being obtained momentarily by means of actuation and positioning means (21-23) connected to the drilling equipment (11).

Description

[0001] This invention concerns a scraper device for continuous screw drills. To be more exact, the invention concerns a device suitable to detach automatically the debris deposited on continuous screw drilling means.

[0002] The device of the invention is applied to normal drilling equipment and is employed in particular, but not only, in the working of clayey land.

[0003] The state of the art covers the problems relating to the drilling of ground, particularly clayey ground, by means of screw drills; these problems concern particularly the cleaning of the drilling tool.

[0004] In fact, it often happens that material hard to remove is deposited on the screw of the drill and, where water is present, becomes compacted progressively until it forms a vertically positioned homogeneous column.

[0005] This compacted material is the cause of noteworthy shortcomings; in fact, it not only makes the whole drilling structure very heavy but also entails dangers which cannot be overlooked since it may fall onto the surrounding environment by becoming detached from the drilling means.

[0006] Such detachment is all the more dangerous inasmuch as it generally takes place accidentally and suddenly.

[0007] So far as the present applicant is aware, cleaning devices able to carry out efficiently and continuously the cleaning of screw drilling means are not available on the market. In general, such cleaning is still carried out nowadays by manual operations.

[0008] The present applicant has designed, tested and embodied a device able to overcome all the problems of the state of the art and to carry out automatically the cleaning of the screw of boring drills.

[0009] The invention is set forth in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe various features of the invention.

[0010] The scraper device of the invention is a scraper means connected to the support structure of the drilling means; the device can be moved when necessary to cooperate momentarily with the screw of the drilling means.

[0011] The scraper means is advantageously a rotary assembly with scraper elements arranged in the form of a spider of spokes.

[0012] The working principle of the cleaning mechanism is analogous to that of a coupling between a worm and a gearwheel.

[0013] When the scraper means has been brought up to the continuous screw of the drill, the screw in its movement meshes with the scraper elements of the scraper means; the scraper elements slide on the screw and remove therefrom the material deposited on it.

[0014] The scraper device according to the invention is equipped with means to adjust the angular position of the scraper means in relation to the screw, that is to say, the scraper means can be arranged in a plurality of positions askew in relation to the generating axis of the screw. In this way the scraper device itself can be used equally well with drills having different diameters.

[0015] The device of the invention is also equipped with means to regulate the pressure of contact between the scraper means and the screw of the drill.

[0016] These and other special features of the invention will be made clearer in the description that follows.

[0017] The attached figures, which are given as a non-restrictive example, show the following:-

Fig.1 is a front diagrammatic view of a drilling equipment bearing the scraper device according to the invention;

Fig.2 is a side view of the equipment of Fig.1;

Fig.3 is a plan view of a scraper device according to the invention;

Fig.4 is a front view of the device of Fig.3;

Fig.5 is a side view of the device of Fig.3.

[0018] In Figs.1 and 2 a scraper device 10 according to the invention is shown as having been fitted to a known drilling equipment 11.

[0019] The drilling equipment 11 in this case consists mainly of a self-propelled carrier means 12, a support 13 for a drilling device such as a continuous screw 15 drill 14, means 16 for vertical displacement of the drill 14, an actuation assembly 17 and a unit 18 to align the drill 14.

[0020] Figs.3, 4 and 5 give different views of a preferred embodiment of the scraper device 10 according to the invention.

[0021] The scraper device 10 is connected advantageously to the support 13 of the drill 14 by means of two connecting elements 19 and 20 respectively. An actuation means, a jack 21 in this example, is secured to the connecting element 19 and has the task of regulating the angular position of a scraper means 22.

[0022] In fact, the jack 21 actuates an oscillatory arm 23 firmly secured to the scraper means 22; the arm 23 is pivoted at 24 and enables the scraper means 22 to be positioned correctly near to the screw 15 of the drill 14. The ability to regulate this positioning by means of the jack 21 takes into account the various possible diameters of drills 14 which may be used on the same drilling equipment 11.

[0023] The arm 23 is of an extensible type and comprises an extension 26 that cooperates with the arm itself 23 telescopically.

[0024] It is possible to adjust and set the position of the scraper means 22 in relation to the axis of the drill 14 by means of clamping means 25 that clamp the extension 26 to the arm 23 temporarily. The purpose of this is to be able to work with the scraper means 22 at various positions against the screw 15 of the drill 14.

[0025] A graduated sector element 27 is included on the extension 26 of the arm 23 and is suitable to position the scraper means 22 at different inclinations in relation to the drill 14 according to the possible different diameters of drills which may be used by the drilling equipment 11.

[0026] The graduated sector element 27 can be rotated about a pivot 28 and has a required plurality of angular positions 29 and an inactive position 30 in which there is no contact between the scraper means 22 and the screw 15 of the drill 14.

[0027] Fixture of the required position 29 or 30 is performed by means of temporary fixture means 31.

[0028] The scraper means 22 consists of a plurality of scraper elements 32 arranged in the form of a spider of spokes and suitably conformed to cooperate with the screw 15 of the drill 14 in the manner of a worm-gearwheel coupling.

[0029] The scraper elements 32 comprise terminal scraper tines 33, which may be of different types and shapes to suit the type of material to be removed.

[0030] As we said earlier, the scraper means 22 is set in rotation by the screw 15 of the drill 14. The scraper means 22 is fitted to the arm 23 in such a way that it can rotate idly and its freedom of rotation is governed and regulated by a setting ring nut 34 accessible from the exterior. The ring nut 34 acts on brake means 35 that work directly on the idler scraper means 22.

[0031] In this way the pressure of contact between the scraper elements 32 and the screw 15 of the drill 14 can be increased or lessened.

[0032] We have described here a preferred embodiment of the scraper device 10 according to the invention, but many variants are possible for a person skilled in this field without departing thereby from the scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1 - Scraper device (10) for drilling equipment such as continuous screw (15) drills (14), the device (10) being borne on a drilling equipment (11) and being characterized in that it consists of a scraper means (22) comprising a plurality of scraper elements (32-33) arranged according to a spider of spokes, the scraper means (22) being able to rotate automatically and continuously about its own axis for cooperation between the scraper elements (32-33) and the continuous screw (15) of the drill (14) during the operational drilling steps, this cooperation between the scraper elements (32-33) and the continuous screw (15) being obtained momentarily by means of actuation and positioning means (21-23) connected to the drilling equipment (11).

2 - Device (10) as claimed in Claim 1, in which the scraper means (22) is connected terminally to the actuation and positioning means (21-23).

3 - Device (10) as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, which comprises means (27) to adjust the angular position of the scraper means (22) in relation to the drill (14).

4 - Device (10) as claimed in any claim hereinbefore, in which the adjustment means (27) have an inactive position (30) to render the scraper means (22) inactive.

5 - Device (10) as claimed in any claim hereinbefore, in which the actuation and positioning means are a jack (21) and an oscillatory arm (23).

6 - Device (10) as claimed in any claim hereinbefore, in which the oscillatory arm (23) is extensible (26).

7 - Device (10) as claimed in any claim hereinbefore, in which the adjustment means (27) are arranged on an extensible portion (26) of the oscillatory arm (23).

8 - Device (10) as claimed in any claim hereinbefore, in which the scraper means (22) comprises adjustable means (34-­ 35) to brake the rotation of the scraper means (22).

Drawing