Method and apparatus for boring through a solid material

Abstract

A drill bit shaft member for tapping a hole in a blast furnace is disclosed. The drill bit shaft member comprises an elongate rod, a first fluid pressure inlet, a second fluid pressure inlet, a chamber in fluid communication with the first fluid pressure inlet and the second fluid pressure inlet, and an outlet in fluid communication with the chamber. A liquid and a gas are combined in the drill bit shaft member to form a mist to provide cooling for the drill bit shaft member. By cooling the drill bit shaft member, certain components that would normally be destroyed may be re-used.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 794,575, filed on Mar. 3, 2004, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 451,510, filed on Mar. 3, 2003. This application further claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 501,283, filed on Sep. 8, 2003.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for boring through a solid body. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved drill shaft with a liquid and gas mist cooling system to allow the drill shaft to be used multiple times. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] There are different drill bits for drilling through a variety of solid materials. Many of these drill bits are designed for particular applications. For instance, drill bits have been designed to drill through wood, metal, and concrete. In order to drill through these different materials, designers...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0029] It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a low-cost method for drilling a tap hole in a blast furnace. The low-cost method comprises the steps of providing a first fluid pressure source, providing a second fluid pressure source, and providing a drill shaft member comprising a first fluid pressure inlet, a second fluid pressure inlet, a chamber, and a fluid exit. The method further comprises the steps of providing a drill bit interconnected to the drill shaft member, introducing a first fluid pressure from the first fluid pressure source through the first fluid pressure inlet to the chamber, introducing a second fluid pressure from the second fluid pressure source through the second fluid pressure inlet to the chamber, and mixing the first fluid pressure and the second fluid pressure within the chamber to form a mixture of the first fluid pressure and the second fluid pressure. The mixture of the first fluid pressure and the second fluid pressure is expelled through the fluid exit, and a drilling force is provided to the drill bit.

[0035] It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a low-cost, recoverable drill rod system for use in tapping a metallurgical blast furnace. The low-cost recoverable drill rod system comprises a first thin-walled tubular drill rod, a fluid pressure delivery tube, and a thin-walled tubular drill rod joined to the an end of the first tubular drill rod. The first thin-walled tubular drill rod has a sidewall defining a first interior chamber and having a thickness between 0.05 and 1.0 inches. The fluid pressure delivery tube is disposed within the chamber. The chamber has a larger cross-sectional area than the fluid pressure delivery tube. The second thin-walled tubular drill rod has a sidewall defining a second interior chamber in fluid communication with the first interior chamber and having a thickness between 0.05 and 1.0 inches.

[0036] It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a low-cost, recoverable drill rod system for use in tapping a metallurgical blast furnace. The low-cost recoverable drill rod system comprises a first thin-walled tubular drill rod having opposing first and second ends joined by a sidewall and a second thin-walled tubular drill rod having opposing proximal and distal ends joined by a sidewall. The first end of the first thin-walled tubular drill rod is adapted for attachment to a drilling apparatus and has an inlet for receiving a fluid pressure. The sidewall of the first thin-walled tubular drill rod has a thickness of between 0.05 and 1.0 inches and defines a first interior chamber for receiving the fluid pressure from the inlet. The second end has an outlet for transferring the fluid pressure from the first thin-walled tubular drill rod. The proximal end of the second thin-walled tubular drill rod is adapted for attachment to the second end of the first thin-walled tubular drill rod and has an entrance port in fluid communication with the outlet of the first thin-walled tubular drill rod. The sidewall of the second thin-walled tubular drill rod has a thickness of between 0.05 and 1.0 inches and defines a second interior chamber for receiving the fluid pressure from the port. The distal end has an exit port for expelling the fluid pressure from second thin-walled tubular drill rod and is also adapted for connection to a drill bit.

Problems solved by technology

One problem existing with many drill bits is the rate at which they will drill a hole is too slow.

When the material to be drilled is difficult to penetrate, the process of boring a hole may take as long as several minutes.

If a drill shaft becomes damaged, the entire shaft must be replaced.

In fact, some tap holes take as long as 15 minutes to drill.

During the drilling process, extreme heat builds because of friction and because of the external temperature.

Extreme heat, such as in a steel mill, can destroy multiple drill shafts while a single hole is being drilled.

Additionally, the molten steel that exits through the hole also can destroy the drill shaft.

However, when the hole to be drilled has a substantial length, as is the case with a blast furnace tap hole, the debris continues to build because it cannot escape the hole.

Additionally, the air does not provide effective heat transfer away from the drill shaft.

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