Reedrill, Inc.

Other

Marvin L Haines

Charles R Herron

Hans E Edlund

Hans F Edlund

Roger L O'Quinn

A rotary blasthole drilling apparatus comprises a rotary blasthole drill and a drill automation control system. The apparatus includes a pull-down motor and a drill motor. The pull-down motor is driven by a pump to provide a pull-down force to a drill string, and the drill motor is used to provide rotary force to rotate a drill bit of the drill string. The drill automation control system includes a number of functional components including a user interface. Through the user interface, an operator sets a rotary torque set point that determines an amount of torque applied to the drill bit by the drill motor. The control system further includes a detector, for detecting pressure in the pump during a drilling operation, and a processor, which is operative under the control of a program stored therein and responsive to the rotary torque set point and signals from the pull-down pressure sensor for generating an error signal. The error signal is applied to a proportional control valve for modulating the pull-down pressure to provide a substantially constant torque to the system. The rotary torque set point may be varied as a function of one or more of the following external factors: excessive mast vibration, bit air pressure or bit plunge.

Drill automation control system

Headlight comprises a hollow metal housing with a circular rim defining a forward opening. A side outlet socket assembly is provided in the housing, at the rearward end, to receive the transverse pins of a side-pin style bulb. The housing rim has external threads on the outside and a conical, tapered surface on the inside. A separate bulb and lens retainer ring has an external conical, tapered surface, sealingly engageable with the conical surface in the housing rim to provide a tapered flame path in the event of an internal explosion and also allows easy removal of the bulb and lens. The bulb and lens retainer ring has an inner bore with counterbores at the front and rear ends. A rubberlike ring in the rear counterbore provides an elastic seat for a flange on the front of the bulb and cushions it against shock. A heavy lens is potted by epoxy, or otherwise permanently sealed into the front counterbore. A generally U- or V-shaped spring bail has a flat intermediate portion pressed across the rear end of the bulb base and has two transverse tine portions engaged within diametrically opposed holes in the bulb and lens retainer ring to hold the bulb, retainer ring, and lens as a separately removable and replaceable sub-assembly. A front cover ring has internal threads engageable with the external threads on the housing rim and has a radially inwardly extending flange engageable with the front edge of the bulb and lens retainer ring to press the conical surfaces into sealing, explosion-proof engagement when the cover ring is tightened.

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Roanoke, VA, United States of America

Marvin L Haines