The Charles Machine Works, Inc.

Other

Gas Research Institute

Dirk A Wilson

Greg Lowell Slaughter, Jr

David Paul Thimm

Kelvin P Self

Pete Ramos

Josiah LaColla

Douglas W Lee

Cole J Rush

Clinton T Cosgrove

Seth T Matthesen

Gerald A Stangl

An assembly for a torque-transmitting connection in an inner pipe string of a dual-member drill string is formed from a collar, a retaining ring, and an inner pipe member. An endless internal groove having adjacent shallow and deep sections is formed in the collar. Formed in the inner pipe member, an external grooved region is situated in adjacent relationship with the internal groove. The retaining ring, situated within the grooves, resists disconnection of the collar from the inner pipe member. When the assembly is subjected to an axial force that might otherwise tend to pull it apart, the retaining ring resists the tendency by wedging between the bottom of the shallow section of the internal groove and the crest of the external groove.

Collar with stepped retaining ring groove

An assembly for a torque-transmitting connection in an inner pipe string of a dual-member drill string is formed from a collar, a retaining ring, and an inner pipe member. An endless internal groove having adjacent shallow and deep sections is formed in the collar. Formed in the inner pipe member, an endless external groove is situated in concentric relationship with the internal groove. The retaining ring, situated within the grooves, resists disconnection of the collar from the inner pipe member. When the assembly is subjected to an axial force that might otherwise tend to pull it apart, the retaining ring resists the tendency by wedging between the bottom of the shallow section of the internal groove and the crest of the external groove.

Horizontal directional drill

Several designs of reversible expanders (10, 50, 100, 150) are disclosed for use on an underground boring tool (14) of the type using an air impact hammer. The reversible expanders allow a borehole of larger diameter than the tool to be formed. The reversible expander (10) is interference fit on the outer surface of the boring tool by either pressing the expander onto the tool or by shrink fit. A reversible expander (50) has a split which allows the expander to be slid over the tool and then clamped in place by bolts. A reverse expander (100) is formed of two members (102, 104) which, when bolted together, form a taper lock engagement with the tool. Finally, a reversible expander (150) can be threaded onto threads on the outer surface of the tool.

Reversible expander

A reversible impact-operated boring tool and a method for reversing the direction of operation of the same rapidly and safely is disclosed. The tool according to the invention possesses a second supply line for supplying pressurized fluid to the tool. The second supply line provides pressurized fluid to a directional valve within the tool. The tool operates in the forward mode for burrowing into the soil when pressurized fluid is supplied to this directional valve. When the pressurized fluid supply is terminated and the fluid is exhausted from the valve, the tool operates in the reverse mode. The tool according to the invention can be reversed safely without any need for hose manipulation and without turning off the primary fluid supply line.

Reversible impact-operated boring tool

A reversible impact-operated boring tool and a method for reversing the direction of operation of the same rapidly and safely is disclosed. The tool according to the invention possesses a second supply line for supplying pressurized fluid to the tool. The second supply line provides pressurized fluid to a directional valve within the tool. The tool operates in the forward mode for borrowing into the soil when pressurized fluid is supplied to this directional valve. When the pressurized fluid supply is terminated and the fluid is exhausted from the valve, the tool operates in the reverse mode. The tool according to the invention can be reversed safely without any need for hose manipulation and without turning off the primary fluid supply line.

A percussive mole boring device with a location transmitter is disclosed. The transmitter is located in a forward end of a drilling assembly attached to a mole to accurately transmit the location of a boring element or cutting surface to surface detector. The transmitter is surrounded on each end by isolator means which protect the transmitter from damage due to shock created by the percussive device, e.g., a hammer driven by compressed air. In one embodiment the transmitter is located beneath a single window transparent to the transmission frequency, and the cutting surface of the bore is angled. Therefore, the travel direction of the mole can be controlled by rotating the cutting surface to a desired inclination and terminating rotation during forward motion for a short period. The mole travels in a straight path during ordinary travel due to rotation. In a second embodiment, the transmitter is located beneath three equiangularly displacent windows to create a continuous field for detection. This type of mole is not steerable and includes a boring element with a non-angled edge. In a third embodiment which is similar to the second embodiment, the windows are not present, and a transmitter coil is wound in an external groove of the drilling assembly and is covered by epoxy.

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Stillwater, OK, United States of America

Dirk A Wilson