Horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on flexible shaft

Abstract

The invention belongs to the related technical field of ocean engineering, and discloses a horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft, which comprises a drill bit assembly, the flexible shaft, a sleeve joint chain, an upper end joint assembly, a lower end joint assembly and a guide pipe, the sleeve joint chain is formed by hinging a plurality of sleeve joints end to end through pin shafts and is accommodated in the guide pipe; a channel used for guiding and restraining the sleeve joint chain is arranged in the guide pipe. The flexible shaft is arranged in an inner cavity of the sleeve joint chain in a penetrating mode. The upper end of the flexible shaft is connected with an external rotation driving device through an upper end connector assembly. The upper end of the sleeve joint chain is connected with an external lifting driving device through an upper end connector assembly. The whole transmission mechanism is compact in structure and small in radial size, the space of a small-diameter vertical ice hole can be fully utilized, and large-depth drilling from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction is achieved; and a more stable and efficient drilling process can be realized, and the requirements of different ice layer hardness and drilling depth are met.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field related to ocean engineering, and more particularly, relates to a horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible soft shaft. BACKGROUND In many fields such as polar scientific research, ice layer exploration, and ice operation, radiating drilling in the horizontal direction from a single vertical ice hole is a critical and common task. The implementation of these tasks has irreplaceable significance for in-depth understanding of the polar environment, ice layer structure, and related scientific research. For example, through horizontal drilling sampling, researchers can obtain ice core samples at different depths and locations, and then analyze the gas composition, trace elements, and other information in the ice layer, providing important basis for studying global climate change; in wiring operations, horizontal drilling can be used to lay sensor lines to realize real-time monitoring of ice layer temperature, pressure, and other parameters; and in equipment installation, horizontal drilling provides the necessary space for installing various monitoring instruments and detection equipment.

[0002] However, such operations face a critical and difficult technical contradiction in actual operation. On the one hand, in order to minimize the damage to the ice layer and maintain the original structure and stability of the ice layer, the diameter of the vertical hole must be as small as possible. On the other hand, a small-diameter vertical hole imposes extremely strict restrictions on the horizontal drilling equipment that can be placed in it. Due to the small diameter of the vertical hole, the size and complexity of the equipment that can be accommodated are greatly restricted, making it a challenging task to design horizontal drilling equipment that can meet operational requirements and adapt to small-diameter vertical holes.

[0003] The existing horizontal ice drilling equipment has many obvious limitations in dealing with this technical contradiction. If a rigid shaft transmission method is used, the device is prone to jamming when passing through the turning section of the vertical hole and the horizontal hole. This is because the rigid shaft cannot flexibly adjust its direction during the turning process due to space constraints and its own rigidity, resulting in collisions or friction with the hole wall, affecting the normal operation of the device. Moreover, in long-distance drilling, the problem of drill bit deviation caused by the bending of the rigid shaft is also very prominent. As the drilling distance increases, the rigid shaft will bend and deform under the action of its own gravity and external forces, causing the drilling direction of the drill bit to deviate, making it impossible to accurately follow the predetermined route for drilling, thereby affecting the quality and accuracy of the drilling, and even possibly leading to drilling failure.

[0004] If a gear angle transmission mechanism is used, although the power transmission problem can be solved to some extent, it brings new troubles. Such mechanism usually has complex structure, contains a large number of gears, shafts and other parts, resulting in heavy overall volume. Such heavy equipment is difficult to put into a small diameter vertical hole, which seriously limits its application in polar scientific exploration and other fields with high requirements for equipment size. In addition, in the polar low temperature environment, the gear angle transmission mechanism also faces the problem of lubrication difficulty. Low temperature will increase the viscosity of lubricating oil and reduce its flowability, so that it cannot effectively form a lubricating film on the surface of the gear, thereby increasing the friction and wear between the gears and reducing the reliability and service life of the equipment.

[0005] Therefore, it is urgent to propose a horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible soft shaft to realize lightweight and flexible transmission of large depth and high precision horizontal drilling. SUMMARY

[0006] In view of the above defects or improvement needs of the prior art, the present application provides a horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible soft shaft, which aims to adapt to the space constraints of a small diameter vertical hole and efficiently and reliably transmit rotary power and thrust to the horizontal direction to realize lightweight and flexible transmission of large depth and high precision horizontal drilling, thereby solving the technical problems of easy jamming, complex structure and low reliability of existing horizontal ice drilling equipment.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to one aspect of the present application, a horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible soft shaft is provided, comprising: a drill bit assembly, a soft shaft, a sleeve joint chain, an upper end connector assembly, a lower end connector assembly, and a guide pipe; the sleeve joint chain is composed of a plurality of sleeve joints connected end to end by pin shafts and is accommodated in the guide pipe; the guide pipe is internally provided with a channel for guiding and constraining the sleeve joint chain; the soft shaft is arranged in the internal cavity of the sleeve joint chain; the upper end of the soft shaft is connected to an external rotary driving device through the upper end connector assembly, and the lower end of the soft shaft is connected to the drill bit assembly through the lower end connector assembly; the upper end of the sleeve joint chain is connected to an external lifting driving device through the upper end connector assembly, and the lower end of the sleeve joint chain is connected to the drill bit assembly through the lower end connector assembly.

[0008] Preferably, the upper end joint assembly comprises an upper end flexible shaft joint, an upper end sleeve, an upper end sleeve gland, an upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint, an upper end flexible shaft sleeve, an upper end sleeve joint; one end of the upper end flexible shaft joint is connected with the external rotary drive device and the external lifting drive device, and the other end is internally connected with the flexible shaft through rolling; the upper end flexible shaft joint is provided with a shaft shoulder, which is pressed on the upper end sleeve; the upper end sleeve is externally in interference fit with the upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint and is internally in clearance fit with the upper end flexible shaft joint; the upper end sleeve gland is internally screwed with the upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint, so as to axially limit the upper end sleeve in the internal cavity of the upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint; one end of the upper end sleeve joint is internally screwed with the upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint, and the other end is connected with the sleeve joint chain through a pin shaft, for transmitting the vertical thrust generated by the external lifting drive device to the sleeve joint, and the upper end sleeve joint is internally connected with the upper end flexible shaft sleeve through rolling.

[0009] Preferably, the lower end joint assembly comprises a lower end flexible shaft joint, a lower end sleeve, a lower end sleeve gland, a lower end flexible shaft sleeve joint, a lower end flexible shaft sleeve, a lower end sleeve joint; one end of the lower end flexible shaft joint is screwed with the drill bit assembly, and the other end is internally connected with the flexible shaft through rolling; the lower end sleeve is sleeved on the shaft shoulder of the lower end flexible shaft joint and is axially limited in the internal cavity of the lower end flexible shaft sleeve joint through the lower end sleeve gland; the lower end sleeve gland is internally screwed with the lower end flexible shaft sleeve joint; the lower end sleeve joint is internally connected with the lower end flexible shaft sleeve through rolling, and one end of the lower end sleeve joint is externally screwed with the lower end flexible shaft sleeve joint, and the other end is connected with the sleeve joint chain pin shaft.

[0010] Preferably, the sleeve joint comprises a front end face, a sleeve cavity, and a rear end face; the sleeve cavity constitutes the main body of the sleeve joint, which is internally hollow for accommodating and protecting the flexible shaft passing therethrough; the front end face and the rear end face are respectively located at both ends of the sleeve cavity, and are provided with pin holes thereon for being hingedly connected with adjacent sleeve joints through pin shafts, so that the plurality of sleeve joints can relatively rotate around the pin shafts and transmit axial thrust through the contact of the front and rear end faces of adjacent sleeve joints.

[0011] Preferably, the outer wall of the sleeve cavity is in contact with the inner wall of the guide pipe; the outer wall and the guide pipe are both square in cross section, for limiting the circumferential rotation of the sleeve joint in the guide pipe and ensuring the effective transmission of thrust.

[0012] Preferably, the sleeve joint can relatively rotate around the pin shaft and transmit axial force through the contact of the front and rear end faces of adjacent sleeve joints.

[0013] Preferably, the guide pipe comprises a horizontal section, a circular arc section and a vertical section, which are connected as a whole and form an L-shaped pipe; the outer wall is used for converting the vertical pushing force provided by the external lifting driving device into the horizontal pushing force by bearing the reaction force of the guide pipe at the circular arc section.

[0014] Preferably, the drill bit assembly, the sleeve joint, the upper end joint assembly and the lower end joint assembly are made of stainless steel or low-temperature treated alloy steel, so as to adapt to the polar low-temperature corrosion environment.

[0015] Preferably, the drill bit assembly is arranged as a stepped drill bit.

[0016] Preferably, the external rotation driving device and the external lifting driving device are independent of each other, so as to realize independent control and adjustment of the rotation speed and the horizontal feeding speed of the drill bit.

[0017] Overall, compared with the prior art, the horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible soft shaft provided by the present application mainly has the following beneficial effects: 1. The present application adopts the design of a flexible soft shaft and a hinged sleeve joint chain, so that the whole transmission mechanism has a compact structure and a small radial size, can fully utilize the space of a small-diameter vertical ice hole, and realizes large-depth drilling from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction. The light weight reduces the overall weight of the equipment, facilitates carrying and installation, the flexible transmission can make the equipment better adapt to various complex situations in the drilling process, and improves the stability and accuracy of drilling.

[0018] 2. In the present application, the flexible soft shaft is responsible for transmitting the rotation torque, avoiding the problems of easy jamming and easy deviation of the long-distance rigid transmission shaft, and the sleeve joint chain is responsible for transmitting the vertical pushing force, having a stable structure and strong pushing capacity. This design not only simplifies the rotation driving structure, but also improves the flexibility and reliability of the system.

[0019] 3. The present application adopts the design that the external rotation driving device and the external lifting driving device are independent of each other, so that the horizontal feeding speed and the rotation speed of the drill bit assembly can be independently adjusted, thereby realizing a more stable and efficient drilling process, and adapting to different ice layer hardness and drilling depth requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a structural schematic view of the horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible soft shaft provided by the present application; Figure 2 is a structural schematic view of the horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible soft shaft provided by the present application; Figure 1 is a local enlarged view of the A area in Figure 3 is a local enlarged view of the B area in Figure 1 ​Figure 4 is a structural diagram of sleeve joint; In all the drawings, the same reference signs are used to indicate the same elements or structures, in which: 1a - upper end flexible shaft joint, 1b - lower end flexible shaft joint, 2 - guide pipe, 3 - sleeve joint chain, 4 - step drill, 5a - upper end sliding sleeve, 5b - lower end sliding sleeve, 6 - flexible shaft, 7a - upper end sliding sleeve gland, 7b - lower end sliding sleeve gland, 8a - upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint, 8b - lower end flexible shaft sleeve joint, 9a - upper end flexible shaft sleeve, 9b - lower end flexible shaft sleeve, 10 - upper end sleeve joint, 11 - lower end sleeve joint. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely intended to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present application described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0022] Please refer to Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on flexible soft shaft, which comprises a drill assembly, a flexible shaft 6, a sleeve joint chain 3, an upper end joint assembly, a lower end joint assembly, and a guide pipe 2. The sleeve joint chain 3 is composed of a plurality of sleeve joints connected end to end by pin shafts and is accommodated in the guide pipe 2. The guide pipe 2 is internally provided with a channel for guiding and restraining the sleeve joint chain 3. The flexible shaft 6 is arranged in the internal cavity of the sleeve joint chain 3. The upper end of the flexible shaft 6 is connected to an external rotary driving device through the upper end joint assembly, and the lower end of the flexible shaft 6 is connected to the drill assembly through the lower end joint assembly. The upper end of the sleeve joint chain 3 is connected to an external lifting driving device through the upper end joint assembly, and the lower end of the sleeve joint chain 3 is connected to the drill assembly through the lower end joint assembly.

[0023] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figure 2The upper end joint assembly comprises an upper end flexible shaft joint 1a, an upper end sliding sleeve 5a, an upper end sliding sleeve gland 7a, an upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint 8a, an upper end flexible shaft sleeve 9a, and an upper end sleeve joint 10. One end of the upper end flexible shaft joint 1a is connected with an external rotary driving device and an external lifting driving device, and the other end is internally roll-pressed with the flexible shaft 6. The upper end flexible shaft joint 1a is provided with a shaft shoulder, which is pressed on the upper end sliding sleeve 5a. The upper end sliding sleeve 5a is externally interference-fitted with the upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint 8a and is internally clearance-fitted with the upper end flexible shaft joint 1a. The upper end sliding sleeve gland 7a is internally screwed with the upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint 8a, and the upper end sliding sleeve 5a is axially limited in the internal cavity of the upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint. One end of the upper end sleeve joint 10 is internally screwed with the upper end flexible shaft sleeve joint 8a, and the other end is connected with the sleeve joint chain 3 through a pin shaft, for transmitting the vertical thrust generated by the external lifting driving device to the sleeve joint. The upper end sleeve joint 10 is internally roll-pressed with the upper end flexible shaft sleeve 9a.

[0024] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figure 3 The lower end joint assembly comprises a lower end flexible shaft joint 1b, a lower end sliding sleeve 5b, a lower end sliding sleeve gland 7b, a lower end flexible shaft sleeve joint 8b, a lower end flexible shaft sleeve 9b, and a lower end sleeve joint 11. One end of the lower end flexible shaft joint 1b is screwed with the drill bit assembly, and the other end is internally roll-pressed with the flexible shaft 6. The lower end sliding sleeve 5b is sleeved on the shaft shoulder of the lower end flexible shaft joint 1b and is axially limited in the internal cavity of the lower end flexible shaft sleeve joint 8b through the lower end sliding sleeve gland 7b. The lower end sliding sleeve gland 7b is internally screwed with the lower end flexible shaft sleeve joint 8b. The lower end sleeve joint 11 is internally roll-pressed with the lower end flexible shaft sleeve 9b, and one end of the lower end sleeve joint 11 is externally screwed with the lower end flexible shaft sleeve joint 8b, and the other end is connected with the sleeve joint chain 3 through a pin shaft.

[0025] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figure 4 The sleeve joint comprises a front end face 31, a sleeve cavity 32, and a rear end face 34. The sleeve cavity 32 constitutes the main body of the sleeve joint, which is internally hollow, for accommodating and protecting the flexible shaft 6 passing therethrough. The front end face 31 and the rear end face 34 are respectively located at the two ends of the sleeve cavity 32, and are provided with pin holes thereon, for being hingedly connected with adjacent sleeve joints through pin shafts, so that a plurality of sleeve joints can relatively rotate around the pin shafts and transmit axial thrust through the contact between the front and rear end faces of adjacent sleeve joints. The outer wall 33 of the sleeve cavity 32 is in contact with the inner wall of the guide pipe 2; the sleeve joint can slide in the guide pipe; the outer wall 33 and the guide pipe 2 are both square in cross section, for limiting the circumferential rotation of the sleeve joint in the guide pipe 2, and ensuring the effective transmission of thrust.

[0026] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, the guide pipe 2 comprises a horizontal section, a circular arc section and a vertical section, which are connected as a whole and form an L-shaped pipe; the outer wall 33 can convert the vertical pushing force provided by the external lifting driving device into horizontal pushing force by bearing the reaction force of the guide pipe 2 at the circular arc section. The circular arc section is a circular arc channel with a specific curvature, which is used to constrain and guide the sleeve joint chain connected by the pin shaft, and forcibly convert its vertical movement into horizontal movement.

[0027] In this embodiment, the drill bit assembly is provided as a stepped drill bit 4, and the two ends of the flexible shaft 6 are respectively roll-pressed connected with the upper end flexible shaft joint 1a and the lower end flexible shaft joint 1b, which are used to transmit the torque of the external rotary driving device to the stepped drill bit 4. The flexible shaft 6 is always located in the hollow cylindrical interior of the sleeve joint chain, the upper end flexible shaft sleeve 9a and the lower end flexible shaft sleeve 9b.

[0028] The working process of the horizontal ice drilling transmission mechanism based on the flexible shaft is as follows: Rotary movement: the external rotary driving device directly drives the upper end flexible shaft joint 1a to rotate, and the stepped drill bit 4 drives the flexible shaft 6 and the lower end flexible shaft joint 1b to rotate through the upper end flexible shaft joint 1a, thereby realizing the rotary movement of the horizontal ice drilling mechanism.

[0029] Horizontal movement: when the external lifting driving device drives the upper end flexible shaft joint 1a, the upper end sliding sleeve 5a and the upper end sliding sleeve gland 7a and other components to move along the axis in the vertical plane, it also drives the upper end sleeve joint 10 to move. Since the upper end sleeve joint 10 is connected with the sleeve joint chain 3 by the pin shaft, the pushing force of the external lifting driving device is transmitted downward to the sleeve joint chain 3. During the movement of the sleeve joint chain 3, the vertical movement is converted into horizontal movement in the circular arc channel in the hollow cylindrical interior of the guide pipe 2, thereby driving the horizontal movement of the stepped drill bit 4 along the axis.

[0030] The rotary movement and the horizontal movement of the ice drilling mechanism are independent of each other, and the feed speed and the rotary speed of the stepped drill bit 4 can be adjusted by controlling the power of the external rotary driving device and the external lifting driving device.

[0031] It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A horizontal ice-drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft, characterized in that: Includes: a drill bit assembly, a flexible shaft (6), a sleeve joint chain (3), an upper end connector assembly, a lower end connector assembly, and a guide tube (2); the sleeve joint chain (3) is formed by multiple sleeve joints hinged end to end by pins and is housed in the guide tube (2); the guide tube (2) has a channel inside for guiding and constraining the sleeve joint chain (3); the flexible shaft (6) passes through the internal cavity of the sleeve joint chain (3); the upper end of the flexible shaft (6) is connected to an external rotary drive device through the upper end connector assembly, and the lower end of the flexible shaft (6) is connected to the drill bit assembly through the lower end connector assembly; the upper end of the sleeve joint chain (3) is connected to an external lifting drive device through the upper end connector assembly, and the lower end of the sleeve joint chain (3) is connected to the drill bit assembly through the lower end connector assembly.

2. The horizontal ice-drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The upper connector assembly includes an upper flexible shaft connector (1a), an upper sliding sleeve (5a), an upper sliding sleeve cover (7a), an upper flexible shaft sleeve connector (8a), an upper flexible shaft sleeve (9a), and an upper sleeve connector (10). One end of the upper flexible shaft connector (1a) is connected to an external rotary drive device and an external lifting drive device, and the other end is internally rolled to the flexible shaft (6). The upper flexible shaft connector (1a) has a shoulder that presses against the upper sliding sleeve (5a). The upper sliding sleeve (5a) is externally press-fitted to the upper flexible shaft sleeve connector (8a), and internally fits the upper flexible shaft (6) to the upper flexible shaft (6). The shaft joint (1a) is clearance-fitted; the upper sliding sleeve cover (7a) is internally threaded to the upper flexible shaft sleeve joint (8a), which axially limits the upper sliding sleeve (5a) in the internal cavity of the upper flexible shaft sleeve joint (8a); one end of the upper sleeve joint (10) is internally threaded to the upper flexible shaft sleeve joint (8a), and the other end is connected to the sleeve joint chain (3) by a pin, which is used to transmit the vertical thrust generated by the external lifting drive device to the sleeve joint; the interior of the upper sleeve joint (10) is rolled to the upper flexible shaft sleeve (9a).

3. The horizontal ice-drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The lower end connector assembly includes a lower end flexible shaft connector (1b), a lower end sliding sleeve (5b), a lower end sliding sleeve cover (7b), a lower end flexible shaft sleeve connector (8b), a lower end flexible shaft sleeve (9b), and a lower end sleeve connector (11). One end of the lower end flexible shaft connector (1b) is threadedly connected to the drill bit assembly, and the other end is internally rolled to the flexible shaft (6). The lower end sliding sleeve (5b) is fitted onto the shoulder of the lower end flexible shaft connector (1b) and is axially limited in the internal cavity of the lower end flexible shaft sleeve connector (8b) by the lower end sliding sleeve cover (7b). The lower end sliding sleeve cover (7b) is internally threaded to the lower end flexible shaft sleeve connector (8b). The lower end sleeve connector (11) is internally rolled to the lower end flexible shaft sleeve (9b), and one end of the lower end sleeve connector (11) is threaded to the lower end flexible shaft sleeve connector (8b), while the other end is connected to the pin of the sleeve joint chain (3).

4. The horizontal ice-drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The sleeve joint includes a front end face (31), a sleeve cavity (32), and a rear end face (34). The sleeve cavity (32) constitutes the main body of the sleeve joint and has a hollow structure inside, which is used to accommodate and protect the flexible shaft (6) passing through it. The front end face (31) and the rear end face (34) are located at the two ends of the sleeve cavity (32), and pin holes are provided on them for hinged connection with adjacent sleeve joints through pins.

5. The horizontal ice-drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The outer wall (33) of the sleeve cavity (32) is in contact with the inner wall of the guide tube (2); the cross-section of the outer wall (33) and the guide tube (2) are both square, which is used to restrict the circumferential rotation of the sleeve joint in the guide tube (2).

6. The horizontal ice-drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The sleeve joint can rotate relative to the pin shaft and transmit axial force through the contact of the front and rear end faces of adjacent sleeve joints.

7. The horizontal ice-drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The guide tube (2) includes a horizontal section, an arc section and a vertical section, which are connected as a whole to form an L-shaped pipe; the outer wall (33) is used to convert the vertical thrust provided by the external lifting drive device into a horizontal thrust by bearing the support reaction force applied by the guide tube (2) at the arc section.

8. The horizontal ice-drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The drill bit assembly, sleeve joint, upper end connector assembly, and lower end connector assembly are all made of stainless steel or cryogenically treated alloy steel to adapt to the low-temperature corrosive environment of polar regions.

9. A horizontal ice-drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The drill bit assembly is configured as a stepped drill bit (4).

10. A horizontal ice-drilling transmission mechanism based on a flexible shaft as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The external rotary drive device and the external lifting drive device are independent of each other, and are used to achieve independent control and adjustment of the drill bit rotation speed and horizontal feed speed.

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