Microtunnelling system and apparatus
First Claim
1. A drill rod comprising:
- a casing assembly that is aligned along a central axis defined by the drill rod, the casing assembly including first and second opposite ends separated by a length of the casing assembly, the casing assembly defining cavities that extend axially though the length of the casing assembly at locations offset from the central axis, the cavities defining openings at the first and second ends of the casing assembly;
a drive shaft rotatably mounted within the casing assembly, the drive shaft being aligned along the central axis;
a plurality axial projections that project axially outwardly from the first end of the casing assembly at locations offset from the central axis; and
a plurality projection receivers in the second end of the casing assembly at locations offset from the central axis.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A microtunnelling apparatus and system that includes an external drive system having rotational and linear thrust drive means, a drill head section having drill rotor and drill rod and connecting to intermediate drill rods allowing extension of the boring hole created by the drill head section driven by the drive system. The drill head includes a modular construction having a plurality of circular disc like elements, a bearing module, a steering module, a spacer module, and a mounting module, for axial alignment and abutment and mounting within a cylindrical steering shell. Directional steering of the drill head includes a plurality of substantially radially extending channels in steering module, each with an hydraulically movable protuberance movable by control means to redirect the outer steering casing and thereby redirect the drill head section mounted on the distal end of the drill rods.
160 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A drill rod comprising:
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a casing assembly that is aligned along a central axis defined by the drill rod, the casing assembly including first and second opposite ends separated by a length of the casing assembly, the casing assembly defining cavities that extend axially though the length of the casing assembly at locations offset from the central axis, the cavities defining openings at the first and second ends of the casing assembly; a drive shaft rotatably mounted within the casing assembly, the drive shaft being aligned along the central axis; a plurality axial projections that project axially outwardly from the first end of the casing assembly at locations offset from the central axis; and a plurality projection receivers in the second end of the casing assembly at locations offset from the central axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A drill rod comprising:
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a casing assembly that is aligned along a central axis defined by the drill rod, the casing assembly defining at least first, second, and third separate axially extending channels that extend along a length of the casing from a first end to an opposite second end of the casing, wherein the first channel is an air channel, the second channel is a vacuum channel, and the third channel is a hose and data line channel; a drive shaft aligned along the central axis and rotatably mounted within the casing assembly so that the casing assembly does not rotate as the drive shaft is rotated; a plurality axial projections that project axially outwardly from the first end of the casing assembly at locations offset from the central axis; a plurality projection receivers in the second end of the casing assembly at locations offset from the central axis; and wherein the third channel has an open side that faces radially outwardly from the casing assembly, and wherein the first and second channels are fully enclosed within the casing assembly. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A drill rod comprising:
a casing assembly that is aligned along a central axis defined by the drill rod, the casing assembly including an outer shell that defines an outer boundary of the drill rod, the casing assembly defining at least first, second, and third separate axially extending channels that extend along a length of the casing assembly from a first end to an opposite second end of the casing assembly, the first channel being an air channel and being configured for allowing a laser beam to be transmitted therethrough, the second channel being a vacuum channel, and the third channel being a hose and data line channel, the third channel having an open side that faces radially outwardly from the casing assembly, and the first and second channels being fully enclosed within the casing assembly, the drill rod also including a drive shaft aligned along the central axis and rotatably mounted within the casing assembly. - View Dependent Claims (19)
Specification