Abstract: A mineral mining machine suitable for working shortwall faces is provided with a pivotted cutter member including a guideway for a cutter chain carrying picks and paddle devices for scooping debris. The guideway is divided at or about its mid point into two parts which are interconnected by guide means and actuating rams. The guide means are in the form of bars slidably engaged by runners attached to the guideway. Operation of the actuating means can effect tensioning of the cutter chain. The base of the machine has two interchangeable sections facilitating a change of hand when this is desired, the disposition of the chain tensioning arrangement in the middle of the guideway being of advantage in this connection.

Abstract: An improved roof drill bit for use in mining operations in which a carbide insert is diametrically located in a cylindrical body and held on axial prongs in diametrically opposed quadrants of the body by a brazed connection; diverging axial holes for coolant are positioned in said prongs to open at the trailing side of the cutting edges of the carbide insert to flood the edges with coolant liquid and flush cuttings into the other quadrants. The coolant passages also pass near the brazed face of the insert to cool the body in this area and minimize softening of the braze. The bit shank and driving steel have cooperating axial grooves forming a passage for the coolant liquid to the bit body. The driving steel and bit body also have aligned chordal sides providing a passage for flushing drilling chips and fines toward the mouth of the hole.

Abstract: A rotary abrasive drilling bit disclosed herein is of a construction wherein teeth are equipped on the fore part of a bit body attached to a rotary drill pipe, each of said teeth is composed of a plurality of chips which are made of cemented tungstencarbide and the matrix thereof which is soft and inferior in abrasion resistance relative to said cutting elements or chips, each chip is shaped like a thin stick and extends along the cutting direction of said bit body, the matrix surrounds said chips, and in the matrix of each tooth the chips are orderly arranged to leave a desired interspace along the direction of radius as well as the direction of circumference of the bit body.

Abstract: A drill collar string is provided for use in the drilling of a well. The string comprises a plurality of drill collars having straight tubular sections vertically spaced apart along the length of the string. Each of the sections are weight relieved along one side thereof to produce an eccentric weighting of the sections such that they act to maintain the drill collar string so that it has little, if any, rubbing contact with the sides of the borehole. Such a drill collar string is also provided with a lowermost drill collar which is likewise eccentrically weighted so that the overall combination can increase drilling rates over those afforded by standard slick drill collars and winged stabilizers.

Abstract: A roof drill assembly comprising a roof drill having a drill bit of a cylindrical configuration when used with a specifically designed drive rod and a means for retaining the drill bit within the drive rod enables a better dust removal during drilling and an increased load carrying ability of the shank. The drill bit body has two opposing symetrical lands including a web of uniform width extending across the diameter of the cylinder. The configuration forms a specific point angle, a chisel edge angle and a rake angle. The web contains a refractory metal carbide as a cutting surface and a shank extends from the body to engage a drive rod. The drive rod contains a tubular portion having an outer portion diameter compatible with the drill bit and an inner diameter to provide dust removal. A transition portion contains two channels that communicate from the opposing walls of the transition portion to the inner opening in the tubular drive portion that extends from the tubular portion.

Abstract: A method for removing material from directional wells using centralized tubing to circulate foam in the well at a velocity in excess of 30 feet per minute.

Abstract: A rotary rock bit is constructed having rolling cutter members for forming a borehole in the earth. Each rolling cutter member includes an annular row of cutting elements for cutting portions of the borehole. The cutting elements comprise cutting teeth or cutting inserts. Varied pitches are provided between the inserts/teeth. The pitches between pairs of inserts/teeth are varied so that the pitches between no two pairs of inserts/teeth in a row or group are the same. Since no two pairs of inserts/teeth have the same pitch, the probability of tracking will be remote. This increases the rate at which the bit penetrates the formation and generally decreases the probability of insert/tooth breakage therein. The present invention reduces or eliminates tracking and stumbling encountered in prior art earth boring bits.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for diverting fluid when treating a subterranean formation penetrated by a well provided with casing having a plurality of perforations. Ball sealers having a density less than fluid in the casing are lowered down the casing between upper perforations and lower perforations. A screen means is positioned above the ball sealers to prevent upward migration of the balls to a level adjacent the upper perforations. A preferred screen means comprises a cage which is open at its lower end and has openings in its upper end which prevent passage of ball sealers therethrough and permits fluid flow down the casing and through the cage. The cage with the ball sealers therein is lowered down the casing by a conventional wireline. Once the cage and ball sealers are between the upper and lower perforations, a treating fluid more dense than the ball sealers is injected into the well to cause fluid flow.

Abstract: A raise bit for enlarging a pilot hole into a larger diameter hole by disintegrating the earth formations that surround the pilot hole is provided with a cutter arrangement that provides a continuous angle bottom configuration in the range of 134.degree. to 60.degree..

Abstract: A thrust device for a coal cutter running on a sectional string of trunking of a chain conveyor comprises a pinion on the coal cutter cooperating with a rack located on the conveyor. The rack is formed of a plurality of linked sections only one of which is firmly attached to the conveyor, the other sections being guided for longitudinal movement relative to the conveyor. The purpose of this arrangement is to avoid straining the rack or producing tooth pitch variations at the junctions of adjacent rack sections when the trunking flexes due to geological disturbances.

Abstract: An improvement on the tool shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,187, this tool also embodies in a single structure inner and outer telescopically related tubular elements confining a body of operating liquid and comprising a hydraulically retarded up-blow jar, actuated by placing a lifting strain on the drill string, and a simple mechanically retarded down-blow jar actuated optionally by a controlled downward pressure of the drill string on the jar. This jar differs from the patented jar by inverting said structure and actuating said two jar mechanisms respectively by upward and downward movements of said inner element. It also embraces improved specific control devices for said up-blow and down-blow jar mechanisms.

Abstract: An earth boring machine with a rotating cutter head having a multiple of individual cutters positioned at different distances from the center of rotation and angularly spaced from one another on the cutter head while the cutter head itself is shaped to direct the cuttings into a collecting area, which may be under the center of the rotary head or which may be concentric about the center area, has elevator means, which may be mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic, to remove the cuttings from the collection area, and has one or more crushing rollers thereon arranged to crush cuttings which are too large for effective removal by the elevator means into small chips or fragments together with barrier means for restraining such oversize pieces in the path of the crushing roll or rollers so as to prevent their entry into the collection area until they have been adequately crushed. The barrier means so provided are arranged to permit the smaller fragments and chips to move into the collection area with little impedance.

Abstract: A gearhead for a shearer type mining machine comprising an elongate arm pivotally attachable at or about its mid-position to a shearer type mining machine to provide an arm pivot axis extending laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arm, to one or each end of a mining machine, the arm carrying at or towards each end a spiral vane cutting drum, the adjacent drum peripheries being spaced apart to define a nip and the drums being rotatable about axes parallel to the arm pivot axis and being contra-rotatable, the vane or vanes of one drum being of opposite hand to the vane or vanes of the other drum. Mineral loading means is located within the nip provided by said drums, said mineral loading means may be in the form of an auger, a cowl, a paddle chain, or some other type of transporting mechanism, for assisting removal of the cut mineral.

Abstract: A check valve for a rock drill comprises a valve plate carrying a cylindrical strainer. An insert is carried by the valve plate and is movable between valve-open and valve-closed positions. A spring biases the insert to a valve-closed position. The insert unit includes a lid which engages and covers the top of the strainer in a valve-open position, and a bottom plate which covers the valve plate in a valve-closed position to prevent cuttings from fouling the valve mechanism.

Abstract: Measuring and transmitting apparatus is the subject matter of the preferred embodiment which comprises an elongate tubular member functioning as a drill collar and adapted to be placed in a drill string. The apparatus utilizes a mud driven motor, while the mud flows therethrough functioning as a drill collar and out the bottom. The motor creates electric power which is used to operate selected transducers. The transducers form measurements which are encoded. The encoding portion of the equipment utilizes an oil reservoir, a mud driven pump, a valve which dumps the oil back to the reservoir if there is no signal and which otherwise delivers it to a two-position, four-way spool valve which drives a modulated signal generator. The signal generator modulates the back pressure in the mud flow by restricting the mud flow, thereby forming a signal which is sensed in the mud flow path.

Abstract: Lubricant is circulated from a lubricant reservoir to the bearings of a rotary rock bit and back to the lubricant reservoir by a lubricant circulation system that is operated by rotation of the cone cutter upon the bearing pin of the bit. A seal is positioned between the rolling cone cutter and the arm of the bit to maintain lubricant in the bearing area and to prevent fluid and materials in the borehole from entering the bearing area. A lubricant reservoir is located in the bit body. A first passage connects the lubricant reservoir with the bearing area to channel lubricant from the lubricant reservoir to the bearing area. A second passage extends from the bearing area to the lubricant reservoir to allow lubricant to be channeled back to the lubricant reservoir.

Abstract: An exhaust system and process for removing contaminant vapors from contaminated underground areas is described. The exhaust system includes a conduit directed underground with a lower end extending to the area of contamination and an upper end opening above the ground surface, a plurality of elongate perforated collection elements in communication with and extending angularly from the lower end of the conduit for receiving said vapors from the contaminated ground, a manifold connecting the collection elements to the lower end of the conduit and an exhaust means disposed in the upper end of the conduit for drawing the vapors into the collection elements from the area of contamination through the conduit and expelling the same into the atmosphere or into a suitable collection device.

Abstract: A rotary roller bit for drilling earth and rock formations, having a main body and three legs extending outwardly therefrom. Each of the legs carries a conical roller cutter with internal bearings and there is a seal around the periphery of the top of the roller cutter. The periphery of the roller cutter is spaced from the adjacent portion of the leg so as to provide a jet slot for the discharge of air. Adjacent the slot and radially inwardly is an air chamber which is formed between an annular surface of the leg and a seal ring. The air chamber is substantially greater in its dimension axially of the roller cutter and air is supplied to it under sufficient pressure to cause a jet of air to flow from the jet slot at a sufficient rate to prevent the entry of rock particles and dirt into the roller cutter.

Abstract: A tool for perforating water well pipe casings is disclosed. The tool is designed for use with air rotary water well drilling apparatus. The tool includes a slideable casing perforator wheel actuated by a pneumatic cylinder carried within the tool. The casing may be perforated and subsequent development of the well carried out while the tool is in place. No removal is necessary to carry out well development.

Abstract: A rock drill bit is disclosed of the type comprising a steel body having a plurality of longitudinally extending holes, and a plurality of metal inserts mounted in the holes. Each hole includes a cylindrical steel wall portion, a bottom steel wall portion, and a radially enlarged transition steel wall portion extending between a longitudinally inner end of the cylindrical wall portion and a radially outward end of the bottom wall portion. Each insert includes a cylindrical insert portion directly abutting against the cylindrical wall portion of the hole. A cylindrical surface portion extends longitudinally inwardly at least as far as the longitudinally inner end of the cylindrical wall portion. The transition wall portion of the hole is smoothly curved continuously from the longitudinally inner end of the cylindrical wall portion to the bottom portion. The transition wall portion extends radially outwardly and longitudinally inwardly from the longitudinally inner end of the cylindrical wall portion.