Tricone bits are rock drilling tools with three rotating cone-shaped heads equipped with multiple rows of teeth. Developed in 1933, they are cost-effective and efficient due to their multi-axis cutting mechanism. The heads have two types of teeth, cutter, and insert, and are generally discarded once the teeth have worn or broken.
A tricone bit is a rock drilling tool found in the mining and well drilling industries. The bits consist of three cone-shaped rotating heads equipped with multiple rows of concentric teeth. The heads are inclined at about 45° and arranged around the body of the bit with their apexes facing inwards. Each head is equipped with a bearing to ensure smooth rotation. The tricone bit is typically mounted on the end of a drill string and rotated against the surface of the drill, so that the teeth on the heads pull material off the surface and advance the hole.
This particular bit was developed by engineers at Sharp-Hughes Tool Company in 1933 using the company’s two conical bits as the basic design. The original two-cone design featured a pair of opposing rotating cones equipped with rows of teeth. When rotated against a rock face at the end of a drill string, the dual-axis rotational friction on the teeth of the head abraded the rock material to form a hole. The tricone insert followed the design concept quite closely with the exception of the addition of a third head. This configuration has proved to be much more efficient, therefore drilling faster and with less wear on the individual drill heads.
The basic concept behind the efficiency of rotary cone drills is the dual axis action of the drill. When drilling, the body of the drill rotates about its own axis while the heads themselves rotate about their own at an angle to the axis of the body. This multi-axis action is a particularly effective cutting mechanism, thus making the tricone bit a popular choice for deep hole drilling operations. The design is also cost effective because the three drill heads improve the ratio of bit wear to drilling progress.
Tricone bits consist of a cylindrical bit body with three head attachment points arranged in a cloverleaf shape around its circumference. The bit heads are conical in shape and fitted with integral bearings which ensure smooth rotation under heavy loads. The heads are attached to the body of the drill at an angle of approximately 45° with their apices facing the center of the body. Each head is equipped with several concentric rows of hardened teeth which form the support or cutting points of the tip.
There are two types of basic drill head teeth used on the tricone drill bit: cutter and insert. The tooth of the cutter has a flat wedge shape profile while the insert type is a rounded cone shape. When rotated under pressure against the rock face, the teeth cause crushing-type material failure causing a layer of rock to be cut with each rotation of the bit. Although bit heads can be refurbished when worn, the heads are generally discarded once the teeth have worn or broken.
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