Latching Rod Box Interface Mechanism for Horizontal Directional Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Horizontal directional drilling machines face inefficiencies in rod handling and storage, particularly when drilling long bores, as existing systems are impractical for carrying all necessary drill rods due to the large size required for extended drilling operations.
Innovation Solution
A drilling machine with a primary rod box and a supplemental rod box interface mechanism that allows for automatic securing and self-alignment of rod boxes, enabling quick and tool-less connection and disconnection of supplemental rod boxes to extend the drilling capacity without the need for large storage on the machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a large rod box is used to store all required rods for extended drilling operations, then the drilling capacity for long bores is improved, but the machine size and storage requirements become impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The rod storage system is divided into a primary rod box and multiple supplemental rod boxes. The primary rod box remains mounted on the machine while supplemental rod boxes can be added or removed as needed. This segmentation allows the system to scale storage capacity without permanently increasing machine size, resolving the contradiction between drilling capacity and machine volume.
Solution Approach 2:
Supplemental rod boxes are positioned vertically above the primary rod box, utilizing the vertical dimension rather than expanding horizontal footprint. This allows additional storage capacity to be added without significantly increasing the machine's ground footprint or requiring excessive storage space on the machine.
2Productivity
If manual handling procedures are used for rod box operations, then the system complexity is reduced, but the operational efficiency and time consumption worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The rod box interface mechanism features self-aligning components including tapered alignment pins and notched alignment pins that automatically guide supplemental rod boxes into correct positioning. The latching mechanism automatically engages when the rod box is lowered into place, eliminating the need for manual alignment or complex positioning procedures while maintaining simple operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface mechanism acts as an intermediary between the operator and the rod box, providing automatic alignment and latching functions. This intermediary system handles the complex alignment and securing operations automatically, improving productivity without requiring the operator to perform complex manual procedures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If supplemental rod boxes are used to extend drilling capacity, then the adaptability for long bore operations is improved, but the time required for adding and removing rod boxes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The interface mechanism is pre-configured with alignment pins and latching components positioned to automatically engage when the supplemental rod box is lowered into place. This preliminary arrangement of components ensures that the securing action occurs automatically during the lowering process, minimizing the time required for rod box replacement while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A drilling machine includes a chassis and a primary rod box mounted on the chassis, which includes a rod box interface mechanism positioned adjacent a top of the primary rod box for facilitating interfacing the primary rod box with a supplemental rod box. A rod box interface mechanism automatically secures the rod box to the drilling machine as the rod box is lowered in place on the drilling machine. The rod box interface mechanism can be used to secure a supplemental rod box to a top of a primary rod box that is attached to a chassis of the drilling machine and can be used to secure a rod box directly to the chassis of the drilling machine. Self-aligning features can be used to guide the rod box into place on the drilling machine as the rod box is lowered onto the drilling machine.