Machine and method for earth-working

Abstract

A machine and a method for earth-working with a machine, having a mast, along which a top drive can be moved vertically by an adjusting device, through which top drive a telescopic kelly bar is displaceably guided, which has at least one outer kelly bar, which is designed to come to lie on the top drive, and one inner kelly bar, which comprises a rope suspension for a rope, through which the inner kelly bar is moved vertically by a rope winch. The adjusting device for the top drive and/or the main rope winch for the kelly bar is/are automatically controlled, wherein the inner kelly bar is moved relative to the top drive in some areas in a rapid travel mode at a first speed and in some areas in a conservative travel mode, in which the speed is reduced in comparison with the first speed.

Claims

1. A machine comprising a mast, along which a top drive can be moved vertically by means of an adjusting device, through which top drive a telescopic kelly bar is displaceably guided, which has at least one outer kelly bar which is designed to come to lie on the top drive, and one inner kelly bar which comprises a rope suspension for a rope, through which the inner kelly bar can be moved vertically by means of a main rope winch, wherein an automatic control device is provided, which is designed to automatically control the adjusting device for the top drive and/or the main rope winch for the kelly bar in such a way that the inner kelly bar can be moved relative to the top drive in some areas in a rapid travel mode at a first speed and in some areas in a conservative travel mode, in which the speed is reduced with respect to the first speed of the rapid travel mode, the automatic control device provides movement according to the rapid travel mode or the conservative travel mode before or after a drilling operation, and the movement in the conservative travel mode is realized at a transition, at which the inner kelly bar is moved inside the outer kelly bar, wherein the outer kelly bar has a first locking element, the inner kelly bar has a second locking element, and in the conservative travel mode, the first locking element is configured to move past the second locking element without locking being provided.

2. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the kelly bar has one or more intermediate kelly bar elements, which are arranged between the outer kelly bar and the inner kelly bar.

3. The machine according to claim 1, wherein an earth-working tool, in particular a drilling bucket or an auger, is detachably attached to a lower end of the inner kelly bar.

4. The machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one input device is provided, with which a type and/or size of the kelly bar, a position of the adjusting device for the top drive, a position of the rope and/or a type and/or size of the top drive can be input.

5. The machine according to claim 4, wherein the input device has at least one sensor for automatic input.

6. The machine according to claim 4, wherein depending on the input via the input device, the areas in which the movement is provided according to the rapid travel mode or the conservative travel mode are fixed by the control device upon movement of the kelly bar.

7. The machine according to claim 1, wherein to reduce the speed in the conservative travel mode, the rope can be moved via the main rope winch and the top drive via the adjusting device at the same time in the same direction.

8. A method for earth-working with a machine having a mast, along which a top drive can be moved vertically by means of an adjusting device, through which top drive a telescopic kelly bar is displaceably guided, which has at least one outer kelly bar, which is designed to come to lie on the top drive, and one inner kelly bar, which comprises a rope suspension for a rope, through which the inner kelly bar is moved vertically by means of a main rope winch, wherein the earth is worked with an earth-working tool, which is attached to a lower end of the inner kelly bar, the method comprising: automatically controlling the adjusting device for the top drive and/or the main rope winch for the kelly bar by means of a control device, wherein the inner kelly bar is moved relative to the top drive in some areas in a rapid travel mode at a first speed and in some areas in a conservative travel mode, in which the speed is reduced in comparison with the first speed of the rapid travel mode, providing movement with the control device according to the rapid travel mode or the conservative travel mode before or after a drilling operation, and realizing the movement in the conservative travel mode at a transition, at which the inner kelly bar is moved inside the outer kelly bar, wherein the outer kelly bar has a first locking element, the inner kelly bar has a second locking element, and in the conservative travel mode, the first locking element is configured to move past the second locking element without locking being provided.

9. The method according to claim 8, comprising: moving the inner kelly bar alone or together with other bar elements of the kelly bar.

10. The method according to claim 8, comprising: realizing the movement in the conservative travel mode directly before the kelly bar comes to lie on the top drive, and/or before the earth-working tool comes into contact with the ground.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the control device determines, using input values, when the movement in the rapid travel mode or the movement in the conservative travel mode is realized.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the input values are automatically detected at least in part by the control device by means of an input device.

13. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the automatic control device provides the movement according to the conservative travel mode before a portion of the top drive makes contact with an upper end of the kelly bar, or the automatic control device provides the movement according to the conservative travel mode before the earth is reached by an earth-working tool attached to a lower end of the kelly bar.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the control device provides the movement according to the conservative travel mode before a portion of the top drive makes contact with an upper end of the kelly bar, or the control device provides the movement according to the conservative travel mode before the earth is reached by an earth-working tool attached to a lower end of the kelly bar.

Description

(1) The invention will be further described by reference to preferred embodiments, which are shown schematically in the appended drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a machine according to the invention; and

(3) FIG. 2 shows a diagram of the speed pattern when a kelly bar element is lowered.

(4) A machine 10 according to the invention, which is designed as a drilling unit, has according to FIG. 1 a carrier vehicle 12 with a crawler chassis and a rotatable upper structure. In the known way, a vertical mast 14 is pivotably attached to the carrier unit 12, along which mast a carriage 18 with a top drive 20 is mounted so that it can be moved. To move the carriage 18, a feed winch is arranged as an adjusting device 22 at the rear side of the mast 14. The adjusting device 22 is connected to the carriage 18 via a feed rope 24, which is guided via a mast head 16 of the mast 14.

(5) A kelly bar 40 is guided through the annular top drive 20, the kelly bar being suspended on a rope 50 via a rope suspension 49. The rope 50 is guided via the mast head 16 to a rearward main rope winch 30.

(6) The kelly bar 40 has an outer kelly bar 42 with an upper tube collar 44, which is designed with a larger diameter to come to lie on the top drive 20. By means of entrainment strips (not illustrated in greater detail), a torque of the top drive 20 can be transmitted to the outer kelly bar 42 and thus to the kelly bar 40. Within the tubular outer kelly bar 42 an inner kelly bar 46 is displaceably mounted, at the upper end of which the rope suspension 49 is attached. At the lower end of the inner kelly bar 46, a damping pot 48 is arranged, to which an earth-working tool 60 designed as a drilling bucket is attached in a rotationally fixed way.

(7) According to the illustration of FIG. 1, the kelly bar 40 is telescopically retracted, wherein the inner kelly bar 46 has moved into the inner space of the tubular outer kelly bar 42. Telescopic retraction and extension of the kelly bar 40 are realised automatically by a schematically shown control device 70. The control device 70 can be operated by a machine driver by means of actuators 74, for example foot controls, joysticks or GUI. To create a borehole, the rope 50 is firstly lowered via the main rope winch 30 until the tube collar 44 on the outer kelly bar 42 lies on the upper side of the top drive 20.

(8) Further lowering of the kelly bar 40 can be realised through a movement of the top drive 20 by means of the adjusting device 22, wherein the top drive 20 is moved downwards along the mast 14 by means of the carriage 18. The outer kelly bar 42 and the inner kelly bar 46 are moved simultaneously. The outer kelly bar 42 can be locked to the top drive 20 and thus axially fixed. Alternatively or subsequently, in the case of a stationary top drive 20, the rope 50 can be further lowered via the main rope winch 30, wherein the inner kelly bar 46 is moved out of the outer kelly bar 42. By means of corresponding incremental encoders and sensors the control device 70 receives values on the position of the top drive 20, the outer kelly bar 42 and the inner kelly bar 46. Furthermore the control device 70 can request data from a data memory 72, for example on the size and length of the kelly bar 40, the dimensions of the earth-working tool 60 or the top drive 20. Depending on these data, the movement of the kelly bar 40, and in particular the inner kelly bar 46, is automatically controlled. In principle, a movement of the kelly bar elements is provided in a rapid travel mode at a high first speed. In certain movement areas, for example directly before the tube collar 44 comes to lie on the top drive 20, or the earth-working tool 60 comes into contact with the ground, or at the transition of two kelly bar elements, the control device 70 switches from the rapid travel mode to a conservative travel mode, in which the speed is reduced. The speed reduction can be carried out abruptly to a low, second speed value or preferably gradually to a reduced speed or as far as 0.

(9) A possible speed pattern of the rope 50 with respect to borehole depth is shown schematically in FIG. 2. From a maximum rope speed in the rapid travel mode, before a critical movement area, for example at a kelly transition, a switchover to a conservative travel mode is initiated by the control device 70 at a braking point 1. In the conservative travel mode the rope speed is gradually reduced from a first maximum value to a second minimum value. If the critical area is passed, for example a passing of locking recesses arranged along the kelly bar elements and in particular at the start and end thereof, there can be a switchover back to the rapid travel mode by the control device 70. The rope speed of the rope 50 is increased again to the first speed value in the rapid travel mode.

(10) The control device 70 can be adaptively designed as a learning system, wherein for example the braking point is changed from a first braking point 1 to a second, later braking point 2, in order to keep the movement times short.