Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
11~1410
This is a divisional application of Canadian patent
application Serial No. 359,750 filed September 3, 1980.
The present invention relates to an earth boring appa-
ratus and more particularly to an apparatus and method for boring
substantially horizontal holes of various sizes between two spac-
;~- ed apart trenches.
Earth boring apparatus of the present type find applica-
, . . .
tion in the laying of pipes, conduits, cables or virtually anyother type of underground transmission medium normally laid in a
~ 10 trench dug in the ground. When laying such transmission media
over any distance, various surface installations such as roads,
... . .
~ driveways, bridges or rail lines to name but a few are usually
;~,j.:
~- encountered. To avoid disruption of these installations and the
;; expense of broaching them to lay the line, it has proven desir-
able and indeed necessary in certain cases to be able to bore a
hole of adequate size beneath the surface installation to receive
` the transmission line. Typically, a trench or operating pit is
~;~ dug on either side of the surface installation, the pit being of
adequate size to receive the necessary boring apparatus at either
: ~ :
-: 20 end of the hole. A pilot hole or coring apparatus is then "shot"
from one pit to the other to form and align the hole so formed
with the incoming transmission line, which will, for the purposes
of illustration, be hereinafter referred to as a pipe. A typical
method and apparatus by which such boring has been accomplished
to date is illustrated in Canadian Patents 760,841, 773,006 and
779,148 to Atkins which issued in 1967. Atkins teaches an appara-
tus and a four step procedure for performing the bore holes.
Firstly, a pilot hole is shot from one trench to the other using
a pilot hole cutter. Power is supplied by means of a hydraulic
power head situate in one trench. The pilot hole is then expand-
ed by pushing spherical expanders
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having diameters greater than that of the cutter through the
hole to compress the surrounding soil. Once through, the pilot
hole cutter and expanders are removed and an earth cutter is
affixed to the end of the rod string. The earth cutter is then
drawn back, being guided by the pilot hole, to incise a bore
hole. The direction of movement of the cutter is then reversed,
~.
that is, it is pushed back towards the end of the hole, to
extrude the plug. A relatively small downturned flange on the
trailing edge of the cutter is intended to score the core to
reduce friction between it and the surrounding wall when the
hole is being incised and to grip the core when the earth cutter
is pushed back to thereby extrude the core.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
this manner of forming bore holes suffers from a number of dis-
advantages. For one, a multiplicity of steps is required,
adding complexity, prolonging the operation and increasing the
wear and tear on the machinery and hence increasing the risk that
breakdowns or problems will be encountered. A prolonged pro-
cedure results of course in increased costs.
Another disadvantage is that the pilot hole cutter is
easily deflected by stones or other obstructions encountered in
the soil, necessitating the use of a relatively unreliable pro-
cedure whereby a new hole is shot from the opposite trench using
a corrector head. The corrector head must be propelled by its
own source of power and is shot in the hope of linking up with
the partially formed pilot hole. This is obviously an expensive
and time consuming procedure.
A further disadvantage lies in the fact that additional
equipment is required, including pilot hole expanders of differ-
ent sizes and shapes, retaining means to hold the expanders in
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`: 11114~0
place, a pilot hole cutter and a winch for drawing and guiding
the earth cutter back through the bore to extrude the plug.
.:
Yet another disadvantage of the prior art is that
some types of soil are simply not amenable to compression by
pilot hole expanders. Soils like glacial tills, usually referred
j to as "hardpan", often can not be penetrated by the expanders,
'~ making it necessary to abandon the boring procedure and to
excavate the surface installation for the laying of the pipe,
~` resulting in great expense, long delays, and disruptions.
Yet another disadvantage is that the small downturned
flange on the earth cutter is often inadequate to exert the
forces necessary to cause extrusion of the plug. This will
-` occur when the plug is composed of soil which is either somewhat
; unconsolidated, in which case the soil merely flows through
the cutter without being extruded, or is a very viscous, heavy
~.:
medium such as clay, in which case the small flange will be
`~ unable to get a sufficient grip on the plug to overcome its
.
~-` frictional engagement with the bore hole wall. In the result,
..
the cutter will merely rescore the surface of the plug while
sliding ineffectually back over it. Further, if only a portion
of the core at a time is to be extruded, as is often the case,
the small flange is relatively ineffective in "biting" off
a piece of the core for extrusion.
It is an object of the present invention to provide
an earth boring method and apparatus which obviates and mitigates
-; from the aforementioned disadvantages and difficulties of the
prior art.
According to the present invention, then, there is
provided a guide head for attachment to a broaching head com-
; 30 prising, a central portion adapted at one end thereof for releas-
,:,
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111~410
able connection to the boraching head; and a plurality of radial
fin members disposed about the central portion to provide direc-
tional stability during the pushing of the broaching head through
the ground.
Embodiments of the present invention as well as that
described in Canadian application Serial No. 359,750, will
: now be described in greater detail with reference to the accom-
panying drawings in which:
. Figures 1 to 4 illustrate the formation of a bore
hole in a manner to be described herein;
Figure 5 is a partially sectional, side-elevational
- view of the broaching head as described herein;
Figure 6 is a front-elevational view of the broaching
: head of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a side-elevational view of another embodi-
ment of the broaching head of Figure 5;
Figure 8 is a front-elevational view of the broaching
head of Figure 7;
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Figure 9 is a schematical representation of a gate
mechanism affixed to the broaching head of Figures 5 to 8;
.-. Figure 10 is a plan view of an alternative gate
.
mechanism;
, Figure 11 is a sectional view of the gate mechanism
of Figure 10 taken along line A-A thereof;
Figure 12 is a side-elevational view of a guiding
~ head for attachment to the broaching head of Figures 5 to 8;
'~! Figure 13 is a front-elevational view of the guiding
.
. 10 head of Figure 12;
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:.
Figures 14 and 15 illustrate an alternative method
of forming a bore hole in a manner to be described herein;
`~ Figure 16 is an elevational view of a coring tool for
use with a method illustrated in Figures 14 and 15;
Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A
of Figure 16;
Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view along line B-B
of Figure 16;
Figure 19 is an elevational view of an embodiment of
the broaching head of Figure 5 including a venting mechanism;
Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view of the venting
apparatus of Figure 19;
; Referring now to Figures 1 to 4, there is illustrated
- an earth coring procedure according to an embodiment of the
present invention. Operating trenches or pits 5 and 6 are
formed on either side of a surface installation (not shown) such
as a road. Into pit 5 is placed a power head 2 of any suitable
type although very good results are obtained using an hydraulic
apparatus. The hydraulic pump itself may be mounted on a truck
` 20 with merely the hydraulic lines being led to the power head in
the pit. The power head actuates a string of rods 3 connected
at their leading end to one end of a broaching head 8. When
power is applied, broaching head 8 is pushed through the ground
in the direction of arrow A towards pit 6 to cut or incise a
- bore 12. To ensure that head 8 remains on target when proceed-
.
, - 6
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` 11114:10
ing toward pit 6, a guiding head 10 is affixed to the leading
end of head 8. Guiding head 10 is provided with a plurality of
radiating fins 9 to provide directional stability so that head
8 runs true when being shot from pit 5 to pit 6. Further
details of guiding head 10 will be provided below. It will be
appreciated that when the guide head and the broaching head are
used in the combination suggested, the need to both form and then
expand a pilot hole is eliminated. Further, the bore hole
.
itself is actually incised with the first shot of the apparatus
between the operating pits, streamlining the process considerably.
Upon emergence into pit 6, guide 10 is removed and
broaching head 8 is reversed in orientation and reaffixed to
rod string 3. The direction of drive of the power head is
- reversed and head 8 is drawn back into the bore hole incision
in the direction shown by arrow B in Figure 3. Head 8 may be
withdrawn all or part way back towards pit 5, the actual length
of the withdrawal depending upon the length of the bore and the
rigidity and weight of the soil forming plug 13. When head 8
.;,
has been withdrawn an appropriate distance, the direction of
thrust exerted by power head 2 is reversed as shown by arrow C in
Figure 4, whereupon head 8 is effective in a manner to be
described below to cause the extrusion of plug or core 13 into
pit 6. The extruded material may be either manually or mechani-
cally removed from the pit. This process is repeated, if necess-
ary, until all of plug 13 has been ejected.
Referring now to Figure 5, broaching head 8 comprises
a central rigid shaft 16 adapted at both ends 17 and 18 thereof
- for attachment to either one end of rod string 3 or to guide 10.
The ends may be either screw threaded or adapted for the insert-
ion of a locking pin or a combination of both.
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410
.~
Radiating outwardly from shaft 16 are a plurality of
vanes 20 which may be welded to the shaft. Any number of radial
vanes 20 may be provided but it will be appreciated that the
greater the number of vanes, the greater will be the power
requirements necessary to push the head through the ground. It
has been found that the provisions of three vanes 20 affords an
- optimal combination of strength versus push resistance. Each
of vanes 20 is attached proximal to end 17 of shaft 16 and
projects therefrom radially outwardly and rearwardly towards
end 18 to a point of connection to the leading edge 22 of peri-
pheral vane 21. Vanes 20 then continue rearwardly in a direction
parallel to shaft 16 until they emerge at the trailing edge of
vane 21, from which the outer edges of vanes 20 taper inwardly
towards shaft 16 to a point of connection with leading edge 24
of peripheral vane 23. This inward tapering of the vanes is due
to the fact that the diameter of vane 21 exceeds that of vane
23. Vanes 20 then continue on in a direction parallel to shaft
16, terminating at the trailing edge of vane 23. Radial vanes
20 thus define planar surfaces connected to andsupporting peri-
pheral vanes 21 and 23. Leading edges 22 and 24 of vanes 21 and
23, respectively, and the leading edges 26 of vanes 20 are all
..
beveled to define sharpened cutting edges to facilitate the
passage of head 8 through the ground. It will be appreciated -
that in addition to their cutting and support functions, the
vanes, and particularly vanes 20, cooperate with guide fins
9 to maintain head 8 on a true and correct course towards the
target destination in pit 6.
With particular regard to Figure 6, peripheral vanes
21 and 23 are illustrated as being hexagonal in shape although
: 30 the actual shape may be varied to include cylinders, squares or
other appropriate shapes as may be necessary to form the shape
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- and size of bore required. It has been found that for the boring
of holes having diameters of five inches or less, a hexagonally
shaped vane provides good results, whereas for holes in excess
of 5 inches in diameter, the dodecahedral shape illustrated in
Figures 7 and 8 offers good results. Again, the actual diameter
of head 8 will be chosen depending upon the requirements of
the job at hand.
Because the diameter of vane 21 is greater than that
of vane 23, two concentric cuts will be incised, one slightly
larger than the other. In the embodiment illustrated, the
outer surface of vane 23 is coplanar with the inner surface of
vane 21, as can be clearly seen in Figure 6. Accordingly, a
layer of soil of a thickness approximately equal to the thick-
ness of vanes 21 and 23 together will be displaced or squeezed
from around core 13 by the action of the vanes. Core 13 is then
spaced from the wall of bore 12 and friction therebetween is
substant~ally reduced, greatly facilitating the extrusion of
the core.
.
It is also contemplated that the spacing of vanes 21
and 23 from shaft 16 may be such that the inner and outer sur-
faces thereof, respectively, are not coplanar but are spaced
:
apart. Soil passing between the vanes, then, will be squeezed
or otherwise displaced to again result in the formation of
either a space between core 13 and the surrounding walls or an
annulus of soil therebetween, again having the effect of facili-
tating the extrusion of the core and lessening the compressive
forces on rod 3.
It is further contemplated that vane 23 may be inclined
slightly towards end 18 of shaft 16 as shown in Figures 16 and
19. This has the effect of causing the compression or compaction
~ll'L410
of core 13 so that again there is less friction to overcome when
extruding the core. Further, because the core is thusly
- isolated from the surrounding soil, the compressive forces
exerted on rod 3 are substantially reduced. Excellent results
have been obtained by tapering vane 23 by ~ inch from front to
back. It will be appreciated that the tapering of vane 23 may
be used in the alternative to decreasing the diameter of vane
23 relative to vane 21.
Referring to Figures 6 and 9 together, radial vanes
20 are spaced at equidistant points about shaft 16 such that an
angle of 120 is defined between each adjacent pair of vanes.
Provided on each of vanes 20 at a point intermediate shaft 16
.
and peripheral vane 23 is a gate assembly 27 comprising a swing-
able gate 28 pivotally mounted on a wedge-shaped mount 29 by
` means of a hinge pin 30 rotatably received into mount 29. Alter-
natively, gate 28 may be pivotally mounted about hinge pin 30,
with the latter fixedly received into mount 29.
- In operation, gate 28 is disposed to open, as is
illustrated by the solid lines in Figure 9, as head 8 is pushed
:.-:
or pulled in the direction indicated by the arrow marked E.
This allows for the passage of soil through the head without
excessive resistance. It will be appreciated, however, that
notwithstanding that the gates are disposed to minimize friction-
al drag, they are nevertheless useful to help compress the core
somewhat or, in the case of such hard materials as consolidated
- tills, to help crumble it for easier extrusion. Further, during
extrusion of the core, the gates prevent the core from passing
through head 8, thereby lending directional stability to the
rearward thrust of the broaching head, limiting the tendency
of the peripheral vanes to nibble at or perhaps catch the
~ 10 1
4~0
surrounding walls during the extrusion process. This added
stability provided by the core virtually eliminates the need
for a winch in assisting the extrusion process.
When the broaching head is pushed or pulled in the
direction indicated by arrows F in Figures 5 and 9, the gates
catch the soil and are pivoted into the closed position illus-
trated by the phantom lines in Figure 9. The gate is held in
this position by the action of gate stop 32 integrally formed
with mount 29. Depending upon the size of the gate, then, the
open spaces 33 defined between adjacent pairs of vanes 20 and
peripheral vane 23 are wholly or partially closed up such that
when head 8 is pushed towards pit 6, it acts as a ram to
extrude the core as illustrated in Figure 4, biting off a
a piece of the core, if necessary.
With reference to Figures 10 and 11, there is
illustrated an alternative method of mounting the gate which
considerably reduces the exposed profiles thereof and, corres-
pondingly, their frictional resistance to movement through
~ the ground. A T-shaped opening or slot 52 is formed into the
- 20 trailing end of radial vanes 20. A hinge plate 53 having a
hinge pin socket 54 formed at one end thereof is securely fixed
to vane 20 adjacent the wide end of slot 52 so that socket 54
projects into the slot. Gate 55 is then pivotally mounted to
hinge plate 53 by means of a hinge pin 56 rotatably received
into socket 54. Accordingly, gate 55 will project outwardly
and rearwardly from slot 52 to present a very limited profile
when head 8 is being pushed or pulled in the direction denoted
by arrow F in Figure 11. Of course, when the direction of
movement is reversed, the outwardly projecting end of gate 55 will
catch the soil and be pivoted into the closed position thereof
denoted by the phantom lines in Figure 11.
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11114~0
If plug 13 is composed of heavy, viscous or otherwise
difficult to displace soils such as clay, it may be desirable
to form the gates to close up only a small portion of space 33.
When pressure is applied to head 8 via power unit 2, the smaller
gates will be effective to gouge out a portion of the core,
reducing its mass until the remaining portion of the plug can be
completely removed by a repetition of the step illustrated in
Figure 4.
; In the event that very large bore holes are required,
successively larger broaching heads 8 can be used until the
- desired size of bore is attained.
It will be appreciated that other means of extruding
the core are contemplated. By way of example only, head 8
may be formed without gates but upon emergence into pit 6,
the guiding head 10 may be removed to be replaced by an extruding
attachment which may take the form of a third peripheral vane
; supported by radial vanes having gate means mounted thereon.
- This assembly is then drawn into the incision and is used to
extrude the core in the manner aforesaid.
Similarly, both head 8 and guide 10 may be removed
: .,
- and an extruding attachment such as that just described may be
attached directly to rods 3 for the purpose of extruding the
core.
The broaching head can be fabricated from any suitable
material, e.g. high strength steel.
Referring now to Figure 12, numeral 10 generally des-
ignates the guiding head affixed at end 35 thereof to end 17
of the broaching head when shooting a hole as illustrated in
Figure 1. Fins 9 are fitted to a tube 36 by welding or any
other suitable method. Tube 36 fits concentrically over rod
37 and is held in place adjacent leading end 38 by means of
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retaining rings 40 and 41. The advantage to be gained by
utilizing concentric tube 36 is that should the fins become
damaged, the tube can be removed and replaced with another tube
having undamaged fins attached, thus avoiding downtime which
would otherwise be required for repairs. A further advantage to
be gained is that rings 40 and 41 may hold tube 36 rotatably
in place about rod 37. Accordingly, upon encountering certain
kinds of obstructions such as smaller rocks and the like, the
tube can rotate to allow for the passage of the obstructed
fin past the rock without causing a deflection of the guiding
head itself. This advantage is particularly important when
:
shooting relatively long holes for then even a small deflection
could result in a significant departure from the intended
trajectory. The fins may, of course, be affixed directly to
`~ rod 37.
The leading edges of the fins may be beveled to facil-
itate soil penetration.
Referring now to Figure 13, fins 9 are disposed
radially about rod 37 and are spaced at equidistant intervals
about tube 36. Although more fins than are illustrated may
be used, it has been found that the use of three of such fins
offers excellent directional stability for the amount of resis-
tance offered. Obviously, the more fins employed of a size
equivalent to those illustrated, the greater will be the re-
sistance to movement and of course the power required to cause
that movement. Further, the use of more fins would result in
a closer spacing thereof about tube 36, making it more difficult
to bypass minor obstacles due to the decreased latitude for
rotation of the tube to overco~.e that obstacle.
An equally advantageous method and apparatus for form-
ing bore holes is illustrated in Figures 14 and 15 wherein
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broaching head 8 and guide 10 may be affixed onto a single
rod to constitute an integral tool 11 for the formation of
holes of four to five inches in diameter or less. Upon emergence
into pit 6, and assuming that a bore of four to five inches
is all that is required, as is often the case, the incised
core may be extruded by a gated extrusion assembly or a conven-
tional ram, it being appreciated that the physical dimensions
of a broaching head of this size are too limited for the provi-
sion of gates as described above. In the event that larger
holes are required, particularly for such utility installations
as water or sewerage lines, integral tool 11 is removed and
:-; , .
replaced by a broaching head of larger dimensions. As described
above, the larger broaching head is reversed in orientation
for connection to rod string 3. The head is then drawn back
into the ground in the direction shown by arrow G in Figure
to incise a coaxial core to that formed by the passage
of the smaller broaching head. By reversing the thrust of
the power head, head 8 acts as a ram to extrude the core as
described above. It will be appreciated that the previous
passage of the smaller head including a tapered trailing vane
as shown in Figure 16 forms a compacted annulus of soil about
rod string 3, thereby reducing substantially the compressive
forces otherwise exerted on the rod by the surrounding soil.
Similarly, the larger broaching head may also include a tapered
vane 23 for compacting the larger core during the cutting thereof.
Accordingly, this method is particularly advantageous when
boring at greater depths or over longer distances or through
soils such as clays which are likely to render the passage
; of the rod relatively difficult due to their adhesive tendencies.
In the event that very large holes are required,
7/- 14 -
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successively larger broaching heads are used until the desired
- size of hole is attained.
.::
Referring to Figure 16, there is illustrated therein
an integral tool 11 comprising a broaching head 61 and a guide
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- 14a -
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head 62 formed about a central shaft 60. A blunt cap 63 is
fitted about the leading end of shaft 60, it having been found
that greater directional stability is obtained using a blunted
instrument, and abuttress thread 64 is fitted into the trailing
end of the shaft for connection to rod string 3. The basic
construction of broaching head 61 is substantially identical
to broaching head 8 described above with respect to the embodi-
; , .
ment of Figure 5. Head 61 may, however, comprise a hollow cen-
tral shaft 67 as shown in Figure 17 which fits concentrically
- 10 about shaft 60 for secure attachment thereto. Alternatively,
the radial vanes of the head may be affixed directly to shaft
60 to project therefrom. As described above, the trailing
- peripheral vane of head 61 may be smaller in diameter than the
leading peripheral vane and may be tapered rearwardly to compress
- the core during the cutting thereof.
Guiding head 62 is substantially identical to guiding
head 10 described above with reference to Figure 10. Guide 62
may be made rotatable about rod 60 in a number of ways although
excellent results are obtained in the manner illustrated in
Figures 16 and 18. A section of tubing 68 of the same stock
as shaft 60, which is hollow, is rotatably fitted about a spindle
member 69, the ends of which project beyond the limits of tube
68. The projecting ends of the spindle are received into the
hollow core of shaft 60. The spindle is fixedly held in place
; by pins 70 or any other suitable method such as welds. In a
preferred embodiment constructed by the applicant, the length
oftool 11 is approximately five feet, the diameter of rod 60
is 1~ to 2" and the diameter of head 61 is 4~ inches.
It has been found that when coring holes of diameters
in excess of 4~ to 5 inches, and particularly during the core
extrusion process thereof, a vacuum is created behind the
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L410
broaching head as portions of the core are being extruded.
Further, pressurization of the bore occurs when the head is
drawn back in to extrude the next portion of the core, it being
appreciated that the broaching head is usually packed with
mud throughout the coring operations and is therefore relatively
impermeable to the passage of air. These pressure variations
greatly increase the load on power head 2 and can also create
potential hazards to the operators. It has been known to happen
that soil packed into the broaching head has been violently
ejected as the head is drawn back into the bore. Further, the
- vacuvm induced upon core extrusion has been known to cause
collapse of the surrounding walls.
To overcome this problem, a novel pressure release
mechanism has been added to broaching head 8. With reference
to Figure 19, head 8, which is substantially identical to the
head described above with reference to Figure 5, is formed
about a hollow shaft 70 having buttress threads 71 and 72 formed
at each end thereof for connection to the rod string. Formed
into the end of shaft 70 adjacent thread 71 are a plurality of
air (or water) holes 73 spaced about the periphery thereof.
The holes may be offset along the axial length of the shaft. A
release valve 74 is slidably disposed above shaft 70 adjacent
holes 73. Valve 74 is formed having a radial flange 77 formed
thereon. Referring to Figure 20 valve 74 is restrained in its
movements towards thread 71 by stop 80 formed onto shaft 70.
Radial vanes 20 restrain the movement of the valve in the
opposite direction.
As head 8 is initially drawn back into the incision
prior to extrusion of the core, flange 77 is engaged by the
soil and is moved towards end 72 of the shaft to cover breathing
holes 73 to prevent their clogging. It will be appreciated that
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the flange is also effective to enlarge the hole formed by the
....
rod string during the first shot of the apparatus into pit 6,
thereby forming an expanded air passage 90 through the core.
Upon reversal of the thrust to head 8, the action of the soil
against the flange results in valve 74 being forced against stop
80, thereby exposing holes 73. As the broaching head is thrust
rearwardly to extrude the core portion, air flows through the
enlarged opening 90 in the core, through rod 70 and holes 73
, into the cavity now being vacated by the extruding process,
preventing the formation of a vacuum. It has been found that
the amount of energy required to extrude the core is thusly
substantially reduced.
With certain types of soil, it can be anticipated
- that the core will be readily deformed during the extrusion
thereof to block the air passage formed by flange 77. To
avoid this problem, a section of hollow tubing 92 of a length
greater than that of the core section may be affixed to thread
72 to provide an extended air passage not subject to blockage.
As mentioned previously, the broaching head is
typically full of mud so that when it is next drawn into the
bore to extrude the next core section, a potentially dangerous
pressurization of the bore will occur. However, because valve
74 remains in the open position until flange 77 contacts the
unextruded portion of core 13, holes 73 remain uncovered so
that air may escape from the bore and the pressurization thereof
is avoided.
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