Drilling or bolting apparatus and related methods

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface. A mast includes a rotary drill head adapted to move along an axis of the mast toward or away from the surface of the mine passage. A holder is adapted for holding a plurality of drill elements, such as a starter steel, a finisher steel, and a roof anchor or bolt. The holder extends along an axis transverse to the axis of the drill head, and may take the form of a rotary carousel. A manipulator, such as a carriage, is adapted to move from a retracted position for gripping one drill element from the holder to an advanced position. In the advanced position, the manipulator or carriage is further adapted to rotate to align the one drill element with the axis of the drill head for forming the borehole or insertion into the borehole during the advance of the drill head toward the surface of the mine passage. Related methods are also disclosed.

1 . An apparatus for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface, comprising:
 a mast including a rotary drill head adapted to move along a first axis of the mast toward or away from the surface of the mine passage;   a holder adapted for holding a plurality of drill elements, the holder extending along a second axis transverse to the first axis of the drill head; and   a carriage adapted to move from a retracted position for gripping one drill element from the holder to an advanced position, and in the advanced position rotate to align the one drill element with the first axis of the drill head for forming the borehole or insertion into the borehole during the advance of the drill head toward the surface of the mine passage.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the carriage in the retracted position is such that a first longitudinal axis of the carriage is generally parallel to a second longitudinal axis of the holder. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the holder comprises a carousel adapted to rotate about the second axis. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the carriage includes a pair of grippers adapted to retrieve the one drill element from the holder, and then hold the one drilling element during rotation of the carriage and advance of the drill head toward the surface of the mine passage. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the pair of grippers are further adapted to associate the one drill element with a drill guide associated with an upper end of the mast for guiding the one drill element during advance of the drill head. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the drill head is adapted to move toward and away from the first axis to accommodate positioning of the one drilling element in alignment therewith. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further including a boom comprising a rotary actuator for rotating the drill mast. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface, comprising:
 a drill mast including a rotary drill head adapted to move along an axis toward and away from the surface;   a holder for holding one or more drill elements; and   a manipulator being adapted to rotate from a non-vertical orientation for retrieving one drill element from the holder to a vertical orientation for associating the one drill element with the drill head for advance toward the surface.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the holder is oriented so as to have a non-vertical longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the non-vertical orientation of the manipulator is such that a longitudinal axis thereof is generally parallel to the non-vertical longitudinal axis of the holder. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the holder comprises a carousel adapted to rotate about the non-vertical longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the manipulator includes a pair of grippers adapted to retrieve the one drill element from the holder, and then hold the one drilling element during rotation of the manipulator and advance of the drill head toward the surface of the mine passage. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the pair of grippers are further adapted to associate the one drill element with a drill guide associated with an upper end of the mast for guiding the one drill element during advance of the drill head. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the drill head is adapted to move toward and away from the axis of the drill mast to accommodate positioning of the one drilling element in alignment therewith. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the manipulator is pivotably attached to the drill mast. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further including a boom comprising a rotary actuator for rotating the drill mast. 
     
     
         17 . An apparatus for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface, comprising:
 a drill mast including a rotary drill head adapted to move along an axis toward and away from the surface; and   a carousel carrying at least two drill steels and at least one anchor.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the at least two drill steels comprise a starter steel and a finisher steel. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , further including:
 a drill mast including a drill head; and   a manipulator for retrieving one of the at least two drill steels and at least one anchor from the carousel and positioning the retrieved one drill steel or anchor in alignment with a borehole axis.   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the carousel has a longitudinal axis generally transverse to the borehole axis. 
     
     
         21 . A method for forming a borehole in a surface of a mine passage or providing support for the surface using a drill head for moving along an axis of a drill mast toward or away from the surface, comprising:
 (a) selecting at least one drill element from a plurality of drill elements oriented transverse to an axis of the drill mast;   (b) rotating the at least one drill element to align with the axis of the drill mast; and   (c) advancing the one drill element toward the surface of the mine passage.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further including the step of gripping and advancing the at least one drill element in the transverse orientation from a retracted position away from the axis of the drill mast to an advanced position for performing the rotating step. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one drill element comprises a starter steel, and further including repeating steps (a)-(c) for a finisher steel. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , further including repeating steps (a)-(c) for a roof bolt.