Pivoting Loading Arm for Drill Rod Cassette Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rock drilling machines face inefficiencies due to large and heavy rod cassettes when drilling long holes, requiring frequent reloading and reducing operational efficiency, especially when not enough rods are stored, leading to decreased performance.
Innovation Solution
A single loading arm apparatus capable of pivoting between two positions, allowing for efficient loading of drill rods from both the cassette and an external source, maintaining rod alignment for seamless connection and re-loading, utilizing rotating devices and mechanical stopping means for controlled movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the rod cassette is made large to store many drill rods, then the drilling operation can continue longer without reloading, but the cassette becomes heavy and hampers the drilling operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the rod storage function into two separate locations: a compact cassette integrated with the drilling unit and an external rod store. The loading arm acts as a transfer mechanism between these segments, allowing the cassette to remain small and lightweight while the external store provides bulk storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The loading arm serves as an intermediary mechanism that transfers rods between the external store and the cassette. This mediator allows the system to decouple the storage capacity from the cassette weight, as rods are temporarily held in the external store during transfer operations.
2Weight of stationary object
If the rod cassette is made small to reduce weight, then the drilling operation remains agile, but reloading must occur frequently decreasing operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a spatial dimension to rod storage by introducing an external rod store located away from the drilling unit. This external storage location allows the cassette to remain compact while the overall system provides extensive storage capacity through the distributed arrangement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual reloading of the rod cassette is performed, then flexibility is maintained, but the reloading process is time-consuming and reduces operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The loading arm provides automated self-service functionality by automatically transferring rods from the external store to the cassette. The system can perform this loading operation without manual intervention, reducing reloading time while maintaining operational flexibility through programmable control.
Solution Approach 2:
The loading arm is designed as a multi-functional device that can load rods from either the external store or directly into the cassette, and can also position rods at the drilling position. This universal mechanism handles multiple tasks that would otherwise require separate manual operations.
Data Source
Figure 1a~2
AI summary
There is provided an apparatus, a cassette (106) for drill rods (104) and a rock drilling machine that comprise a loading arm (102) for loading drill rods (104) from a cassette (106) to a drilling position in a rock drilling machine. The loading arm (102) has two loading positions for receiving drill rods (104), said two positions comprising a first position for receiving drill rods (104) from the cassette (106), and a second position for receiving drill rods (104) from an external source.