Compact Rock Drill Chassis with Modular Vertical Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rock drill systems are cumbersome, heavy, and require mechanical assistance for transportation and setup, posing safety and convenience issues due to their large size and weight, and they lack efficient mechanisms for safe operation and precise hole placement.
Innovation Solution
A compact, ergonomic rock drill chassis with a vertical frame member, wheel support, and a three-point support structure that allows for easy transport and setup by a single operator, featuring a drill guide post, pneumatic feed cylinder, and hand-actuated valves for safe operation and precise control, along with anti-vibration and hose restraint systems for enhanced safety and convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If rock drill components are fully assembled onto the chassis, then the system provides stable support and drilling capability, but the chassis becomes large and heavy requiring mechanical assistance for transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The chassis is divided into modular components including a vertical frame member, wheel support member, foot member, and drill guide assembly that can be assembled and disassembled independently. This segmentation allows the system to be transported in smaller sections and assembled at the worksite, reducing the weight burden during transportation while maintaining structural stability when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The chassis incorporates movable wheel assemblies that can be deployed for transportation and retracted or locked for stable operation. The three-point support structure (two wheels and one foot member) provides dynamic adaptability, allowing the chassis to transition between mobile and stable states as needed.
2Ease of operation
If mechanical assistance is used for loading and unloading the chassis, then the chassis can be transported, but additional workers and heavy machinery are required increasing setup time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The chassis incorporates a wheel support member with wheel and bearing assemblies that provide mobile support, counteracting the weight of the assembled chassis. This allows a single operator to easily move and position the chassis without requiring additional workers or heavy machinery for transportation.
3Productivity
If the rock drill is manually guided, then the drill can be operated without additional equipment, but the operator experiences fatigue and precision is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The chassis introduces an intermediary drill guide assembly that includes a drill guide post and drill guide sleeve. This intermediary structure provides a stable reference frame and guidance mechanism, allowing the drill to be accurately positioned and maintained during operation without requiring continuous manual guidance, thereby reducing operator fatigue and improving hole placement precision.
4Productivity
If the drill bit becomes stuck or operator becomes incapacitated, then drilling continues, but dangerous situations occur
Solution Approach 1:
The chassis incorporates a control system with hand actuated valves that provide feedback control of the drill operation. The system includes a drill valve with spring-centered closed position that automatically stops drill rotation, and a feed valve with spring-centered closed position that automatically retracts the feed cylinder. These feedback mechanisms ensure automatic shutdown under dangerous conditions, eliminating the hazard of continuous drilling when the operator becomes incapacitated or the drill bit becomes stuck.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a utility chassis for use with rock drills for automatic and safe drilling of target surfaces. The utility chassis has a lightweight vertical frame member with an overall center of gravity that allows for manual lift handles to be arrayed about the center of gravity for easy loading and unloading onto transportation vehicles without the need for separate heavy machinery. The utility chassis incorporates a spring-centered closed position valve for drill rotation and a three-way spring-centered retract with two open feed positions valve for increased safety. A hinged drill rod guide cap is incorporated into the drill rod guide for quick removal of the chassis from lodged or broken drill rods. The chassis is lighter, more ergonomic, and safer than prior art chasses.