Safety Plug with Flared Anchoring for Bore Hole Impact Arrest
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the mining industry, drill rods often become stuck or bogged in bore holes, posing a safety risk if they fall out, as existing solutions fail to reliably prevent their egress and protect personnel or equipment from potential impacts.
Innovation Solution
A safety plug with flared portions and radially expansible annular elements, such as split rings, is inserted into the bore hole, which expands laterally to engage the bore wall and resist axial displacement, combined with conical body members that absorb impact forces to prevent drill rods from falling out.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If drill rods are left in the bore hole after becoming stuck, then productivity is maintained by not having to redrill, but safety risk increases as the rods may become loose and fall out
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a safety plug as an intermediary device placed in the bore hole to prevent drill rods from falling. The safety plug includes a body with flared portions and anchoring elements that engage the bore wall, creating a physical barrier between the stuck drill rods and the area below, thus resolving the safety risk while allowing the rods to remain in place
2Reliability
If the safety plug uses anchoring elements that expand laterally to engage the bore wall, then reliability of preventing rod egress is improved, but device complexity increases due to the expansion mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring elements are designed to be dynamically adjustable, transitioning from a compressed state during insertion to an expanded state for anchoring. The spring-loaded or resiliently deformable anchoring elements automatically expand when the safety plug is inserted and driven into the bore hole, engaging the bore wall to prevent rod egress without requiring complex external actuation mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The safety plug body is divided into multiple flared portions, each with its own anchoring element. This segmentation allows each anchoring element to independently engage the bore wall at different locations, providing distributed anchoring that enhances reliability while keeping each individual anchoring mechanism relatively simple
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the safety plug includes expander elements to absorb impact forces, then protection against falling rods is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expander elements are designed to change their physical parameters under load. When impact forces are applied, the expander elements deform elastically and plastically, changing their shape and absorbing energy. This passive response to loading conditions provides impact absorption without requiring complex active control systems or multiple manufacturing steps
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The safety plug effectively arrests falling drill rods, reducing the risk of injury or damage by utilizing frictional engagement and force dissipation through elastic and plastic deformation, ensuring safer operations in underground mining environments.
Implementation Method 1
Each annular element may be a split ring of a resiliently deformable material, each annular element having a roughened outer surface to resist axial displacement relative to the bore wall
Implementation Method 2
The at least one expander element in the active, laterally expanded condition being configured to at least partially absorb a load applied to the leading end of the body
Implementation Method 3
The at least one expander element in the active, laterally expanded condition being configured to at least partially absorb a load applied to the leading end of the body
Data Source
AI summary
A safety plug for use in a bore hole comprising a bore wall. The safety plug comprises a body having a leading end and a trailing end, and at least one flared portion. An anchoring element extends at least partially around an associated flared portion. Axially displacement of anchoring element relative to its associated flared portion causes the anchoring element to bear against the flared portion and transitions the anchoring element between an unexpanded condition and an expanded condition. A nose, comprising conical elements, extends longitudinally from the leading end of body. The nose is longitudinally compressible.