Arcuate Earth Drilling Apparatus

Abstract

The invention is an apparatus which facilitates earth drilling, in an arced shape, and the process for the dispensing of a semi flexible conduit into the resulting passageway.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] In outdoor applications, wiring must often be buried as well as protected in a weather resistant, flexible PVC conduit for greater safety and longevity.

[0002] In the execution of this type of work, obstacles such as concrete sidewalks may be encountered which interfere with excavating the pathway of the intended buried wiring, and installers will need to either destroy them, or provide a suitable pathway underneath of those obstacles, at great effort and expense. For reference, sidewalks are generally between 36″-48″ in width, and 4″ deep.

[0003] The traditional method for installing wire underneath a sidewalk is to dig a hole on each side, sufficiently deep and wide so as to allow the worker to employ drills, shovels, picks, or other sideways excavating equipment to create a clear horizontal pathway, cavity, or channel between the two sides through which a conduit can be inserted for wiring.

[0004] That method is time consuming, labor intensive, and will offset a large amount of soil, and result in a large area on each side of the sidewalk (or other obstruction) which will subsequently need to be restored to a finished quality ground surface, and usually new grass will have to be cultivated.

[0005] Furthermore, soil wetness or dryness conditions are often an additional challenge, and deep puddles may form in the course of the work, creating mud which impedes progress.BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] This invention allows the operator to use a standard power tool (i.e. drill) to bore an arc-shaped pathway under the ground, and then deposit a plastic conduit for housing wire. It eliminates excessive landscape disturbances, especially concrete demolition, and weather-related challenges by substituting a precise and expedient method for the same, and requiring only the removal of a minimal amount of soil in the process, as well as leaving behind a semi flexible conduit of sufficient inside diameter which allows for wire to be inserted and pulled through.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of the new invention. Its component parts are as follows:

[0008] Arced Shaft (1). This is a hollow, rigid metal tube which allows the passage of commercially available PVC conduit. The Arced Shaft should be of sufficient wall thickness so as not to be flimsy, and it should hold its shape, and the radius should be consistent throughout its length.

[0009] A conduit (2) of semi flexible plastic or other composition (i.e. PVC), inserted through the full length of the Arced Shaft. A small portion of it is seen in this illustration, extending just past the top end of the Arced Shaft. PVC piping is well known, used commonly for conduit, and is available in a variety of sizes and thicknesses.

[0010] The connectable male end (3A) of a long, flexible drill extension of steel fabrication, inserted through the full length of the conduit (not fully visible in this illustration), and attaching at the very end (bottom) to the Auger bit (4). Auger bit (4), conventional spiral shape, of steel composition, for boring through soil and loose sediment or gravel.

[0011] The Armature (5). A sturdily constructed base assembly, with sufficient mass such that the armature will tend to remain firmly in place during the drilling process. It may be composed of individual parts and pieces (as suggested in the drawings), or might be welded together from, metal pipe stock, forming one continuous structure.

[0012] Arced Shaft Guides (6), which are contoured sleeves with same arcature as the Arced Shaft, but wider in diameter, and which are intended to ensure that the Arced Shaft (1) feeds along according to the expected trajectory.

[0013] FIG. 2. The flexible drill extension (3), depicted with a section removed, but is continuous and the overall length of this rod is to be slightly longer than the conduit into which it is inserted, as referenced in FIG. 1. It is made from flexible steel. At one end (the top) there is a male hexagonally milled area (3A), which is consistent with common drill chuck profiles, so it can be connected temporarily to a drill. On the other end (bottom) is a female hexagonal connection point (3B), shown in cross-section, and with set screws (3C) for securing the auger bit's male end (4B).

[0014] FIG. 3. The Auger (4), which is a cylindrical solid metal bar, with a male hexagonally milled section at one end (4B) for joining with the hexagonal female connection of the drill bit extension (3B, above). It also consists of a helical metal blade, 4A, welded to the bar, resulting in the common helical auger shape.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a side view of the invention, showing the initial orientation of the Arced Shaft (1), resting on a surface (concrete), which is installed in a soil environment. Also visible is the end of the conduit (2), which is slid inside and throughout the whole length of the Arced Shaft (1), as well as the hexagonally milled end (3A) of the flexible drill extension (3) which is slid through the whole length of the conduit (2), and shall be chucked into the drill (not depicted here). 4 is the Auger bit, which is connected to the opposite end of the flexible drill extension, so as to be rotated by the drill, from 3A.

[0016] FIG. 5 shows the orientation of the Arced Shaft after having tunneled beneath the sidewalk, by way of using a drill (not pictured here). This demonstrates that the chord length of the Arced Shaft (1) is sufficient to reach completely under the obstacle (sidewalk), so that the Auger bit (4) will penetrate the surface to daylight.

[0017] FIG. 6 shows the process of removing the Arced Shaft (1). The arrow shows the direction it should be pulled. The conduit (2) should be grasped and retained where it emerges from the ground, near the Auger (4) so that it will not be inadvertently tugged out of the hole. The end of the drill extension (3A) is the still-visible black portion at opposite end of the flexible drill extension, that was chucked to the drill (not pictured). The Armature and Arced Shaft may be relocated from this point, as they will not be used for the remainder of this process.

[0018] FIG. 7 is the final step, where the flexible drill extension (3) is pulled out of the conduit (2) that remains in the hole. 4 is the Auger bit, still attached, and which serves as a convenient place to grasp and pull, in order to liberate the flexible drill extension. This completes the process.

[0019] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are for showing a perspective example of the processes outlined in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, and the operator is represented here, as well as the drill.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The embodiments of the invention relate generally to drilling through soil, more specifically underneath an obstruction, such as a sidewalk, or other such obstruction as would interfere with the normal process of digging a trench in order to bury an electrical conduit. This would occur in a variety of applications, such as internet fiber optic, cable television, landscape lighting, or A / C wiring of street lights.

[0021] A component part of the invention is an Arced Shaft (1), which is generally a hollow metal tubing, bent into an arced shape. Its important characteristics are its radius, chord length, wall thickness, and inside diameter.

[0022] The radius and chord length are closely related, and critical to the result. A larger radius would seem optimal in some ways, so as to reduce the depth of the underground path, as well as the tight curvature. But, it would also place the drill attachment area of the arced shaft higher, and uncomfortably out of reach of the operator. A tighter, smaller radius would shorten the effective range of the drill operation, and result in an unnecessarily deep path. An example of an optimal radius is 39″ (99 cm), with an Arced Shaft length of 77″ (196 cm). This would yield a chord length of about 65″ (165 cm), which is sufficient to bypass most sidewalks, which are usually between 36″ and 48″ (91 cm and 123 cm, respectively).

[0023] The wall thickness of the Arced Shaft is import as well as the inside diameter, keeping in mind that the thicker wall will result in a stiffer shaft, and that the inside diameter needs to larger than a conduit that one will be passing through it.

[0024] The Armature (5) is a base with support arms for Guides (6) through which the Arced Shaft will slide. Its construction can be accomplished by welding together pipe sections in a fashion such as the illustrations depict, and that can be round or square pipes. The illustrations depict round members, and suggests the use of joints or couplings and fittings, with set screws or threading, such as are common in the plumbing and electrical industries, and it would be reasonable to assemble this Armature modularly as well. In any case, it should be sturdy and not given to flexing or bending, as excavating is rigorous work, and having a stable base is helpful to achieving an accurate result.

[0025] The process for operating the Apparatus begins with placing the Armature (5) upon a surface, as shown in FIG. 4, such as a concrete sidewalk. Then an Arced Shaft would be inserted through the Arced Shaft Guides (6), which can be multiple, or just one long contoured sleeves that are slightly larger in diameter than the Arced Shaft itself, allowing it to easily slide along the path which is the same as the radius the Arced Shaft itself. Similarly, these Arced Shaft Guides could use roller wheels, or ball bearings, for smoother and tighter fitment, but it would not change the spirit of the invention.

[0026] Next, a plastic or PVC conduit, of suitable size, smaller in diameter than the Arced Shaft, will be inserted, and pushed all the way through until it exits the other side of the Arced Shaft. The excess may be trimmed off, but best practice is to leave a little extra to allow for grasping and pulling at a later stage.

[0027] Next, the flexible drill extension's female end (3B) should be connected to the Auger (4), as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, by joining the male and female hexagonal sections, and tightening the set screws, to secure the connection.

[0028] The configuration from FIG. 4 will be arranged as the next step. It will be efficient to tilt the Armature, or even lay it entirely on its side momentarily as the Auger, now connected to the flexible drill extension, will need to be inserted upward from the bottom of the Armature. Starting from the bottom end, insert the drill chuck end of the flexible drill extension into the conduit, and push it firmly along. Though there will be stiffness and initial straightness to it, the flexible drill extension will bend and conform to the inside contour of the conduit, which is inside the Arced Shaft. The insertion process ends, when the Auger is not able to pushed in any farther, and the male hexagonal drill chuck end of the flexible drill extension will have emerged from the top end of the conduit.

[0029] The Armature (5) may now be up-righted again, and the positioning vetted to ensure the Auger may find a trajectory that will bypass the sidewalk. Elevation conditions may vary, and if necessary, it might require excavating a small starter-hole for the Auger while up-righting the assembly.

[0030] With the Armature again in an upright position, and with the Arced Shaft inserted into the Arced Shaft Guides, a drill shall be connected (chucked) to the end of the drill extension, which emerges from the top of the conduit, which visible at the top of the Arced Shaft. The operator will turn on the drill, and ensure the Auger is rotating at the bottom. The Arced Shaft shall be pushed toward the earth, and fed along its own arced trajectory, maintained by the Arced Shaft Guides, as the drilling process continues. The Auger will turn into the soil, dislodging soil which will be drawn along by the blades of the Auger, and will periodically need to be dislodged by drawing back on the Arced Shaft to the point of insertion, and will accumulate this loose and dislodged soil near and around that point. Finally, the Auger will penetrate the earth where the arcature has been drilled, in this instance at the other side of the sidewalk.

[0031] The drill shall be turned off, and disconnected from the flexible drill extension.

Claims

1. A drilling shaft comprising-a metal arc shaped hollow tubing,through which a flexible conduit is inserted,through which a flexible drill extension inserted,which is connected on one end to an auger bit,and which shall be rotated by a drill on the opposite end.

2. An armature comprising stabilizing legs and support arms,and guiding pathway or pathways sufficient to maintain an arcuate drilling trajectory.

3. A process for using the apparatus in claims 1 and 2 for drilling under an obstruction,and for depositing a flexible conduit continuous between both sides,to remain in the excavated pathway after the process.

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