Hindawi

Shock and Vibration

Volume 2021, Article ID 6653390, 13 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6653390

Research Article
Design Optimization and Performance Analysis of the Pneumatic
DTH Hammer with Self-Propelled Round Bit

Kun Bo,1,2 Siyuan Sun,1,2 Yong Hu,3 and Maosen Wang 1,2

1
College of Construction Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
2
Key Laboratory of Ministry of Natural Resources on Complicated Conditions Drilling Technology, Jilin University,
Changchun 130021, China
3
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130025, China

Correspondence should be addressed to Maosen Wang; wangms@jlu.edu.cn

Received 30 November 2020; Revised 8 June 2021; Accepted 25 June 2021; Published 6 July 2021

Academic Editor: Ling Zhou

Copyright © 2021 Kun Bo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Although pneumatic down-the-hole (DTH) hammers have good performance of high penetration rate and minimal deviation
tendency in the vertical section of oil and gas wells, they have not been successfully used in directional drilling due to drill tool
wear and wellbore disturbance. Herein, we developed a novel type of pneumatic DTH hammer with a self-propelled round bit to
overcome the technical difficulties of directional drilling. Nonlinear dynamic modeling developed by the authors was used to
analyze the working principle and performance of the novel DTH hammer. The kinematics and dynamics simulation of this
hammer were carried out using MATLAB language, and the motion law of the piston was revealed. The performance of the novel
hammer was numerically simulated and evaluated by considering fluctuations of the front and rear chamber pressure, impact
energy, acceleration, and frequency. The results show that our novel DTH hammer’s working principle is feasible and has an
adequate structural design. The simulation results demonstrate reasonable design parameters. Compared to the numerical results
for conventional DTH hammers, the velocity and acceleration of the piston of the novel hammer changed smoothly. The
frequency was slightly higher than that of conventional hammers, while other parameters were nearly equal. The novel DTH
hammer can be used in directional drilling, trenchless drilling, and seabed sampling drilling.

1. Introduction Many scholars have performed theoretical and experi-

mental research on the improvement of pneumatic DTH
Pneumatic DTH hammer drilling is a rotary percussive hammers. Ryu et al. [8] developed a novel technique for
drilling technique widely used in many fields, such as open- micro-tunnel excavation using a multihammer drilling
pit mines [1], geological core exploration [2], and petroleum machine and identified the optimum operating conditions of
exploration [3]. The existing pneumatic hammer drilling the system. Bu et al. [9, 10] studied the phenomenon of the
technology has many advantages: high drilling efficiency, drill string’s axial forced vibration with a periodic impacting
excellent bit lift, and good hole quality [4–7]. In conven- force under DTH drilling in an innovative manner.
tional DTH hammer drilling, the hammer is fixed at the Depouhon et al. [11] presented a novel dynamical model to
bottom of the drill string that has the primary function of analyze the long-term response of the percussive drilling
providing rotational torque and axial pressure. The hammer system. They subsequently used a low-dimension model to
driven by compressed air transforms the inner energy into study the process of percussive drilling [12]. Chiang and
the kinetic energy of the piston, and the impact energy is Stamm [13] presented a nonlinear dynamic model to
transmitted to the bit in the form of stress wave for rock compute the hammer performance, and the results were in
breaking. Meanwhile, the rotational torque rotates the bit to agreement with the predicted values. Eremenko et al. [14]
tear and cut rock. determined the causes of performance drop in induced block
2 Shock and Vibration

caving using fans of two types of the hammer and discussed Since the spiral nut fixed in the rear end of the piston is in
alternatives of improvement in drilling efficiency. Kim et al. a splined joint with the spiral rod, the latter connected
[15, 16] developed a pneumatic dynamic model of DTH with the ratchet wheel mechanism will rotate clockwise to
hammer to predict drilling performance and validated the a certain degree while the spiral nut is going down with the
model through laboratory tests. The application of the DTH piston. At this moment, the pawls fixed on the head of the
hammer in the vertical section of oil fields has shown that its spiral rod are turning along with the ratchet wheel, and
penetration rate is several times that of conventional rotary the spiral rod is in idling condition. The hammer casing
drilling. However, many technical problems persist in using and the bit are in the nonrotating stage.
a DTH hammer for directional wells and horizontal wells, In the backhaul stage, compressed air will get into the
such as greater friction and rotary table driving difficulty. top sub to open the valve and flow into the front chamber,
The gas screw cannot drive the air hammer due to a low- i.e., from distributor to inner cylinder. Then, the piston
pressure drop and other issues, especially the issue that makes a return strike under the pressure differential.
friction force consumes a tremendous amount of energy Meanwhile, the spiral rod connected with the ratchet
imparted to the drilling string. This often generates torsional wheel mechanism rotates counterclockwise to a certain
vibration [3]. The authoritative publication Air and Gas degree, and the pawls hold the internal teeth of the ratchet
Drilling Manual states that pneumatic DTH hammer has wheel. When the helical moment of the spiral rod is
only been applied in vertical drilling. Zhao et al. [17] verified sufficient enough to overcome the resistance moment of
that the adequate power and drilling rate would decline with the hammer case and rocks, pawls on the spiral rod drive
the increase of devotion angle. the ratchet wheel to move and make it rotate with the
Nowadays, since conventional DTH hammers have a spiral rod to a certain degree. As the ratchet wheel is in a
well-tried structure, their modified versions were threaded joint with the hammer case, and the hammer
designed to solve the above problems. Klishin et al. [18] case is in a splined joint with the drill bit, it is easy to make
created an elastic valve to enhance the air hammer’s the hammer case drive the drill bit to rotate simulta-
energy performance and drilling durability in directional neously and realize self-propelled round motion.
drilling. Liu and He [19, 20] designed a novel rotation air The most distinguishing characteristic of the proposed
hammer and used the LS-DYNA program to analyze the hammer is the self-propelled round mechanism. When
impact dynamics problem of its piston and drill bit to compressed air flows into the hammer, the drill bit can rotate
obtain their stress change rule in the impact process. The driven by the hammer casing, while the drill pipe is static
present article introduces a novel DTH hammer and without a drilling rig. Due to the drill pipe being stationary
describes its working principle and design method. This in this hammer design, the quality of the wellbore and
hammer inherits the pneumatic hammer’s advantages, ade- stiffness of the drill pipe will be improved, and the efficiency
quately utilizes the energy of the returning stroke of the piston, of breaking rocks will increase, thus having a great signif-
and achieves a self-propelled round of the bit [21]. Further- icance to directional drilling in construction engineering
more, we redesigned the air distributor, a special-purpose applications.
piston, and the rotation joint. The ratchet wheel mechanism is
also introduced to realize the separate motions of the drill pipe
and the bit. 2.2. Working Principle of the DTH Hammer. During the
reciprocating linear motion of the piston, the front and rear
2. Mechanical Structure and Working Principle chambers will go through the intake phase, expansion
(compression) phase, and exhaust phase. The working
2.1. Structure Design. The structure of the novel pneumatic principle of the DTH hammer is briefly shown in Figure 3
DTH hammer with a self-propelled round bit is shown in [22]. In the following sections, a dynamic model derived for
Figure 1. The impact mechanism and rotation mechanism the DTH hammer is constructed and used for a design
are included in the hammer that is driven by compressed optimization methodology based on a secant approximation
air. The impact mechanism mainly consists of a valve, air to the gradient of space of design variables, which allows
distributor, inner cylinder, and piston. The rotation searching for an optimal solution.
mechanism primarily involves a spiral rod, piston (with As shown in Figure 3(a) and Table 1, compressed air
the rear ends equipped with a spiral nut), rotary joint, flows into the front chamber at the initial stage, and the
connector, and ratchet wheel mechanism (Figure 2). The piston moves backward; air in the rear chamber is
head of the spiral rod is equipped with pawls, and the tail exhausted to the bottom hole. When the displacement of
ties in with a spiral nut. These pawls support the internal piston is between the L5 and L3 (stage b), air in the rear
teeth of the ratchet under the force of a tower-shaped chamber begins to be compressed due to the closed rear
spring. The ratchet wheel and the air distributor are exhaust channel. At stage c (L3 ≤ L < L4), when the upper
designed into a single part. surface of the midstep of the piston reaches the lower
In the strike stage, compressed air is delivered from surface of the inner cylinder, the front intake channel is
the air compressor through the push valve, and it flows closed, and air in the front chamber starts to expand,
into the rear chamber through the distributor and the pushing the piston continuously backward. At stage
inner cylinder. The piston travels down in a straight line d (L4 ≤ L < L2), when the lower surface of the rear step of
with high speed under the action of pressure difference. the piston reaches the lower surface of the inner cylinder
Shock and Vibration 3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Figure 1: Main parts of the pneumatic DTH hammer with the self-propelled round bit: 1, drill bit; 2, driver sub; 3, bit retainer ring; 4, piston;
5, hammer casing; 6, spiral nut; 7, inner cylinder; 8, spiral rod; 9, air distributor; 10, thrust ball bearing; 11, rotary joint; 12, connector; 13,
valve; 14, top sub.

Pawls Tower-shaped spring

Ratchet wheel

Spiral rod

Figure 2: Structure diagram of the ratchet wheel mechanism.

Rear air
chamber

.
L5

mf
L4
L3

.
mr
(b) (c) (d) (e)

Front air
L2

chamber

(f) (g) (h) (i)

(a)
Figure 3: Schematic of the pneumatic DTH hammer.
4 Shock and Vibration

Table 1: Air condition and bit motion at each stage.

Stage Displacement of the piston (L) Air condition (front chamber) Air condition (rear chamber) Piston motion Bit motion
a 0 ≤ L < L5 Air intake (m_ f > 0) Air exhaust (m_ r < 0) Backhaul stage Rotation
b L5 ≤ L < L3 Air intake (m_ f > 0) Air compression (m_ r � 0) Backhaul stage Rotation
c L3 ≤ L < L4 Air expansion (m_ f � 0) Air compression (m_ r � 0) Backhaul stage Rotation
d L4 ≤ L < L2 Air expansion (m_ f � 0) Air intake (m_ r > 0) Backhaul stage Rotation
e L2 ≤ L ≤ L1 Air exhaust (m_ f < 0) Air intake (m_ r > 0) Backhaul stage Rotation
f L4 ≤ L < L2 Air compression (m_ f � 0) Air intake (m_ r > 0) Strike stage Nonrotation
g L3 ≤ L < L4 Air compression (m_ f � 0) Air expansion (m_ r � 0) Strike stage Nonrotation
h L5 ≤ L < L3 Air intake (m_ f > 0) Air expansion (m_ r � 0) Strike stage Nonrotation
i 0 ≤ L < L5 Air intake (m_ f > 0) Air exhaust (m_ r < 0) Strike stage Nonrotation
L5, L3, L4, and L2 represent a specific key location of the piston where the air conditions change at each stage, especially L1 representing the piston’s actual
strike. m_ f and m_ r represent the instantaneous mass flow rate passing through the front chamber and the rear chamber (Figure 3), respectively.

groove, compressed air flows into the rear chamber motion, then dQ � 0. In the equation, dMi denotes the
and generates an opposite force acting on the piston, so kinetic energy of inflow, dU denotes the internal energy
that the backward motion of piston begins to slow down. of the gas in the chamber, dM0 denotes the kinetic energy
Stage e is a particular condition where the air in the front of the outflow, and dW indicates the work of gas
chamber is exhausted, and the piston stops at L1. Under the expansion.
push force of compressed air in the rear chamber, the The gas volume change in the front and rear chambers is
velocity of piston becomes zero. Throughout the above given by
procedure, high kinetic energy moves backward, driving
the spiral rod rotation. The ratchet on the spiral rod moves dV
Vn+1 � Vn + Δt, (3)
the ratchet wheel to drive the hammer case and the drill bit dt
to rotate together, realizing the self-rotational movement of
the bit. After a motion direction change at stage e, the where n and n + 1 represent the respective quantity at the
piston is accelerated forward to the drill bit. The conditions current and following time step values; for example, Vn+1
of air at stages f, g, h, and i are similar to the above stages of denotes the volume of the chamber at (n + 1)th time step.
a to e. K
dP � RT0 dM − PdV􏼁. (4)
V
3. Numerical Simulation
Considering the relationship between specific heat at
3.1. Modeling of the Pneumatic DTH Hammer. The mathe- constant volume Cp, specific heat at constant volume Cv , and
matical modeling of the DTH hammer is mainly based on a adiabatic index K of the ideal gas, the variation of gas
one-dimensional gas flow equation of state, energy con- pressure at any time step is given as
servation equation, continuous equation in the front and
K
rear chambers, and piston motion differential equation dP � RT0 dM − PdV􏼁, (5)
[23–25]. The piston movement distance can be calculated by V
selecting the time step, and the state parameters in each time where V denotes the volume of the front and rear chamber,
step can be regarded as those in a quasi-static process T0 is the absolute temperature of gas, dM denotes the
(Figure 4). variation of gas mass in the chamber, and dV denotes the
As shown in Figure 4, the piston is a vital component in variation of volume in the chamber.
the operating mechanism of the pneumatic DTH hammer. The variation of gas temperature at any time step is
Therefore, the corresponding mathematical models were expressed as
established based on the ideal gas law:
T R K−1
Pi Vi � Mi RTi , dT � · 􏼂(K − 1)T0 dM􏼃 − T − dV. (6)
(1) V P V
where Pi , Mi, and Ti denote the absolute press, gas mass, and When determining the mass flow rate in the front and
absolute temperature in the front and rear chamber, re- rear chambers, we should first calculate the gas velocity
spectively; Vi denotes the front and rear chamber volume; passing through the exhaust port and then choose the
and R is the ideal gas constant. corresponding calculation formula. The critical pressure
When there is gas exchange between the chamber and ratio ζ determines the type of sound speed:
the outside, the influence of gas mass must be considered; Pci 2 K/(K+1)
thus, the energy equation of the chamber can be expressed as ζ� �􏼒 􏼓 . (7)
Pco K+1
dQ + dMi � dU + dW + dMo . (2)
When Pci /Pco > ζ, the gas velocity is less than the acoustic
Assuming that there is no heat exchange between velocity and is equivalent to subsonic speed. The mass flow
the gas in the chamber and the outside during piston rate in the chamber is then calculated as follows:
Shock and Vibration 5

Valve rod represents the acceleration of gravity (g � 9.81 m/s2), α

X represents the angle of inclination, and M is the mass of the
. piston.
mri Rear chamber
Pr,Vr,Tr The motion equations of the piston can be determined by
selecting the time step, and the state parameters in each time
.
mro Piston step can be regarded as those of a quasi-static process. When
the piston makes a reciprocating motion, the velocity vn+1 of
the piston at the (n + 1)th time step can be calculated as
Front chamber
dX
vn+1 � � vn + an Δt, (11)
Pf,Vf,Tf dt
.
mfi
where an denotes the piston acceleration at the (n + 1)th time
.
mfo step.
Furthermore, the displacement Xn+1 of the piston at the
Drill bit (n + 1)th time step is calculated as follows:
x(t)
O
1
Xn+1 � Xn + vn Δt + an Δt2 . (12)
α 2

Figure 4: Mathematical schematics of the DTH hammer. All of the working parameters of the DTH hammer
depend on the motion parameters of the piston and the
physical gas parameters in the front and rear chamber. They
􏽶�����������������������������������
􏽴 are calculated based on the above integral equations.
2/K (K+1)/K
2 K P P The impact energy of the hammer is calculated by
m_ � A · η · Pco · 􏼒 􏼓 · ⎡⎣􏼠 ci 􏼡 − 􏼠 ci 􏼡 ⎤⎦.
R · Ti K + 1 Pco Pco
1
(8) E � mv2end . (13)
2
When Pci /Pco ≤ ζ, the gas velocity is equal to or more The frequency of the hammer is calculated by
than the acoustic velocity and is equivalent to critical rate
and subsonic speed. The mass flow rate in the chamber is 1
f� . (14)
then calculated as follows: Ts
􏽳�������������������
K 2 (K+1/K−1) The air consumption of the hammer is calculated by
m_ � A · η · Pco 􏼒 􏼓 , (9) n
R · Ti K + 1 • • Δt
Q � k•f•⎡⎣􏽘􏼒mfo + mro 􏼓• ⎤⎦, (15)
i�1
ρ0
where Pci and Pco denote the air pressure at the inlet and
outlet of the chamber, respectively; K represents the adia- where m denotes the piston mass; Vend denotes the final
batic index of gas and K � 1.4; Ti indicates the downstream impact velocity of the piston; Ts denotes the motion cycle of
airflow temperature; A means the section area of the flow •
the piston; k denotes the flow rate coefficient; mfo represents
channel; and η is the resistance coefficient of gas flow. •
the mass flow rate of the outlet in the front chamber; mro
The coordination of the DTH hammer is shown in denotes the mass flow rate of the outlet in the rear chamber;
Figure 4. The coordination origin of the piston is at the end Δt denotes the time step; and ρ0 denotes the free gas density.
of the front chamber, and the upward motion is positive The torque of the self-propelled DTH hammer is used to
when the front face of the piston is in contact with the upper overcome the moment of resistance force of rock acting on
face of the bit; Vf0 and Vr0 , respectively, denote the front the bit and the hammer case during drilling. Torque is also
and rear chamber’s initial volume. one of the leading technical parameters of the DTH hammer
Force acting on the piston mainly consists of gravity and and can be calculated by
pressure-induced forces. The friction force is sufficiently low
and is ignored in the modeling process. The acceleration 1
MT � KM rFr P0 tan(α − φ), (16)
equation of the piston is given by Newton’s second law as 2
follows: where r denotes the average diameter of the spatial rod; α
d2 X 1 denotes helix angle; φ denotes the friction angle of the screw
a � 2 � 􏼐Pf Af − Pr Ar + Pc Ab 􏼑 − g cos α, (10) pair; KM denotes torque coefficient, and KM � 0.3∼0.4; P0
dt M
denotes the pressure; and Fr denotes the effective section
where Pf and Pr, respectively, denote the gas pressure in the area of the piston during the backhaul stage.
front and rear chambers; Pc denotes the backpressure in the There is backhaul motion of the piston drive during the
borehole; Af and Ar denote the effective area of the piston in rotary motion of the drill bit through the ratchet wheel
front and rear chambers, respectively; and Ab denotes the mechanism, and the resistance of the piston during the
area of the front surface of the piston. In addition, g backhaul stage can be calculated by
6 Shock and Vibration

2 MT parameters of the hammer, such as impact energy, impact

Fc � • . (17) frequency, air consumption, and required pressure, were
r tan(α − φ)
finally obtained.

4. Experiment Validation of Structural Design

3.2. Numerical Methodology. Based on the pneumatic DTH
hammer modeling process, the method of solving the nu- Figure 5 depicts a schematic of the test device, which consists
merical integration was used to simulate the kinematics and of several components: mainframe, air compressor, DTH
dynamics of the piston. In the engineering simulation, the hammer, data acquisition system, and rocks. We executed a
Runge–Kutta method has rigorous mathematical derivation series of experiments to study the working behavior and to
power and high calculation accuracy. Therefore, this method verify the rationality of the proposed mechanical design.
was selected as the computer simulation analysis method of This test device, driven by chains, can adjust the inclination
the DTH hammer with a self-propelled round bit. of the mainframe from 0° to 90°. The hammer can be
The basic principle of the Runge–Kutta method is to use controlled at constant angular velocity and extrusion force
the linear combination of f(x, y) values at some points to by a geared brushless servomotor and chain mechanism. The
construct a kind of calculation formula. The expression of air supplied by a compressor is infused through the motor
fourth-order in the Runge–Kutta method is as follows: and enters the hammer via a short drill rod joint.
⎪
⎧ k + 2k2 + 2k3 + k4 􏼁 A pressure transducer installed at the gas injection port
⎪
⎪ yn+1 � yn + , was used to measure the inlet pressure. A photoelectric whirl
⎪
⎪ 2
⎪
⎪ measuring apparatus recorded the angular velocity of the
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ hammer. In order to accurately establish the motion law of
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ k1 � hf xn , yn 􏼁, the piston, an acceleration transducer was embedded in the
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ inner surface of the piston. This transducer can record the
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ motion of the piston under varying conditions of different
⎨ h k
k2 � hf􏼠xn + , yn + 1 􏼡, (18) working pressures, such as velocity, acceleration, displace-
⎪
⎪ 2 2
⎪
⎪ ment, and impact frequency. All of the experimental data
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ captured by high-speed data acquisition are used to precisely
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ h k record and analyze the operational status of the hammer.
⎪
⎪ k3 � hf􏼠xn + , yn + 2 􏼡,
⎪
⎪ 2 2 Under working pressure, the novel hammer can perform
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ regular working cycles, and the self-rotating motion of the
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎩ drill bit is realized during the backhaul stage. The acceler-
h4 � hf xn + h, yn + k3 􏼁.
ation transducer can measure the movement of the piston
In theoretical modeling, the motion process of the piston and record some data. Based on the displacement curve and
and rotary assembly was divided into several steps, and the velocity curve (shown in Figures 6 and 7), we can analyze the
boundary conditions were invariant in each step. The dif- motion laws of the piston and determine technical pa-
ferential equation of gas flow was established according to rameters such as velocity and frequency. The experimental
the boundary conditions. The fourth-order Runge–Kutta data are generally smaller than the simulation data, though
method was used to solve the differential equation. We the error is still within the allowable range (Table 2).
adopted MATLAB language to calculate the differential
equation of each stage of the hammer and obtain the piston 5. Results and Discussion
and rotary assembly motion in each step.
As shown in Table 3, the initial conditions of simulation are
Firstly, the subroutine m function file was built
input into the calculation program. The numerical simu-
according to the modeling of each stage. In order to facilitate
lation can accurately express the gas state parameters in the
the assignment of initial conditions, the initial state also
front and rear chamber at any time step. These parameters
formed an independent file, and the judgment conditions of
include the position, velocity, and acceleration of the piston
changes between each stage were unified in the main routine
and other working parameters such as frequency, impact
file. The latter was used to call the subroutine to solve the
energy, and air consumption. According to the simulation
differential equations of each step and then obtain the
results, the rationality of the design scheme can be analyzed,
calculation results.
and the structure of the hammer can be further improved.
For each stage, there were two main tasks to be carried
out. One was to choose the calculation formula and calculate
the gas flow rate in the unit time step according to the type of 5.1. Simulation of Pressure Change in the Chamber.
gas flow. Another was to calculate the pressure in chambers Figures 8 and 9 show the change of air pressure in the front
and determine the force of the piston at each time step of the and rear chambers in an approximate impact period. In the
strike and backhaul stage according to pressure change, backhaul stage, the pressure increases rapidly in the front
volume change, and temperature change in the front and chamber during its air intake process (0 < L < L3). With the
rear chambers. The motion law, air consumption, and closure of the rear chamber, its pressure increases while the
pressure change of piston and rotary assembly were de- rate of pressure growth decreases. When the pressure rises to
termined through iterative calculation. The technical a certain level, the rear chamber enters a closed state, and its
Shock and Vibration 7

Pressure transducers

Air compressor
Pressure-stabilizing tank

Motor

Joint

DTH hammer

Piston
Acceleration
transducers

Main frame Monitoring system

Drill bit
Cable

Rock

Figure 5: Schematic view of the multifunctional pneumatic hammer test device.

50

40
Displacement of the piston (mm)

30

20

10

–10

–20
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 850 900 950 1000
Time (ms)
Figure 6: Impact piston displacement curve.

pressure increases. The compressed air entering the front continues to decrease with the change of volume. At the
chamber gradually decreases and tends to stabilize at same time, due to the start of the exhaust stage, this dual
0.32 MPa. effect decreases the front chamber pressure opposite to an
During the expansion process of the front chamber increasing one.
(L3 < L < L2), the pressure increases with the volume due to Once the piston has moved to the top dead center po-
the reduced airtight front chamber space. During the ex- sition (L � L1), it enters the strike stage. During air exhaust
haust process of the front chamber (L2 < L < L1), the pressure (L2 < L < L1), the front chamber’s volume decreases, and its
8 Shock and Vibration

8.0

6.0

Velocity of the piston (m/s) 4.0

2.0

0.0

–2.0

–4.0

–6.0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 850 900 950 1000
Time (ms)
Figure 7: Impact piston velocity curve.

Table 2: Comparison of results between measurement and simulation.

Displacement (mm) Impact velocity (m/s) Frequency (Hz) Impact energy (J)
Measurement 60 5.8 24 67.3
Simulation 62 6.2 28 76.1
Error (%) 3.33 6.89 7.69 13.07

Table 3: Initial condition of simulation.

Hammer diameter (mm) Piston mass (kg) Air pressure (MPa) Air flow rate (m3/min) Resistant force (N)
Strike stage: 100
Φ105 4 1.2 5
Backhaul stage: 50

pressure increases, but these pressure changes are minimal. process of L3 < L < L2, the acceleration increases firstly and
During the front chamber compression process (L3 < L < L2), then decreases, while the range of this change is relatively
the pressure rises with volume reduction. During the small. In the L2 < L < L1 stage, the gas pressure of the front
progress of air intake (0 < L < L3), due to the continuous chamber quickly drops, and that in the rear chamber tends
airflow and volume reduction, the trend of pressure rise to stabilize. Thus, the acceleration drop intensifies again
becomes stronger. The changing direction of pressure in the until the end of the backhaul period.
rear chamber will be opposite to that in the front chamber.
At the end of the backhaul stage, the volume of the rear
chamber is the smallest, and the pressure reaches the 5.3. Simulation of Piston Motion. As shown in Figures 12 and
maximum value of 1.2 MPa. 13, in the first half of the backhaul stage, piston acceleration
is always positive. Thus, the velocity steadily increases. When
the acceleration reaches zero, the maximum velocity is
5.2. Simulation of Piston Acceleration. Figures 10 and 11 measured at 4.6 m/s. Piston acceleration in the second half of
show the acceleration change of the piston in an approxi- the backhaul stage is negative. The velocity begins to de-
mate impact period. During the backhaul stage, at the ex- crease, reducing to zero at the minimum value of top dead
haust stage of the rear chamber (0 < L < L5), the acceleration center acceleration. Acceleration starts in the first half of the
initially shows a sharp rise due to the rapid growth of strike stage. When it reaches zero, the velocity reaches its
pressure difference between the front and rear chambers. maximum value at 7.2 m/s. With gas entering the front
Subsequently, the pressure of the front chamber changes a chamber, the pressure of the back chamber rises, the ac-
little, and the acceleration curve becomes stable. At the celeration is positive, and the velocity of the piston begins to
Shock and Vibration 9

×105
12
L5 = 0.0124 L3 = 0.0152 L4 = 0.0486 L2 = 0.0538 L1 = 0.0628 L = 0.0720

Backhaul
10
Pressure in front and rear chambers (Pa)

8
Rear chamber

Strike
6

Strike
Backhaul
4
Backhaul
Front chamber

2 Backhaul
Strike
strike
0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08
Displacement (m)
Figure 8: Pressure of the air in the front and rear chamber changes with displacement.

×105
12
Pressure in front and rear chambers (Pa)

10

8
Rear chamber

4 Front chamber

0
0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03 0.035 0.04
Time (s)
Figure 9: Pressure of the air in the front and rear chamber changes with time.

decline until it hits the bit at 6.2 m/s. Many signs are in- Based on the piston’s acceleration and speed change
dicating that the piston stroke design is reasonable. The curve, we can obtain the state parameters at any time step.
velocity curve directly and clearly describes the change of Finally, frequency and air consumption can also be calcu-
speed during the piston strike. The impact energy of the lated. All of these parameters can be compared with those of
DTH hammer acts on the bit with the kinetic energy pos- other DTH hammers, and the credibility of the calculation
sessed by the piston. Only high-impact velocity can produce can be verified.
high-impact energy. The law and trend of velocity variation As the deviation angle increases, the piston’s acceleration
of the DTH hammer are analyzed through the velocity curve will change during the whole circle, which will eventually
of the piston, and the internal parameters can be modified to lead to the decrease of the impact velocity of the piston. Due
realize the optimal design. to the decline of impact velocity, the impact energy per blow
10 Shock and Vibration

1000
L5 = 0.0124 L3 = 0.0152 L4 = 0.0486 L2 = 0.0538 L1 = 0.0628 L = 0.0720

500

Strike
Acceleration of the piston (m/s2)

–500
Backhaul

–1000

–1500

–2000
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08
Displacement (m)
Figure 10: Acceleration curve of the piston changes with displacement.

1000

500
Acceleration of the piston (m/s2)

–500

–1000

–1500

–2000
0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03 0.035 0.04
Time (s)
Figure 11: Acceleration curve of the piston changes with time.

in horizontal condition is 18.5% lower than in vertical is slightly higher than that of similar-sized DTH hammers.
condition, as shown in Figure 14, resulting in a decrease in Due to the considerable energy required by the piston to
the drilling rate and adequate power transferred to rock drive the spiral rod, ratchet wheel, hammer case, and drill
similar to the conventional hammers. However, the self- bit, the air compressor needs relatively high pressure, and
rotation motion of the novel hammer can reduce the friction the air consumption is close to that of same-size conven-
force with the borehole, which will achieve better drilling tional DTH hammers. The results show that the output
efficiency in directional drilling. energy of the novel DTH hammer is comparable to that of
Table 4 compares the proposed DTH hammer with conventional DTH hammers, and the output of air com-
conventional DTH hammers. The frequency of our hammer pressor should be raised accordingly.
Shock and Vibration 11

6
L5 = 0.0124 L3 = 0.0152 L4 = 0.0486 L2 = 0.0538 L1 = 0.0628 L = 0.0720

4
Backhaul

2
Velocity of the piston (m/s)

–2

–4

–6
Strike

–8
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08
Displacement (m)
Figure 12: Impact velocity of the piston changes with displacement.

4
Velocity of the piston (m/s)

–4

–6

–8
0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03 0.035 0.04
Time (s)
Figure 13: Impact velocity of the piston changes with time.

80
70
Impact energy per blow (J)

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 15 30 45 60 75 90
Deviation angle (°)
Figure 14: Impact energy per blow versus deviation angle.
12 Shock and Vibration

Table 4: Technical parameters of the novel DTH hammer in comparison with other DTH hammers.
Novel hammer Valve hammer Valveless hammer RC hammer Rock drill
Type of DTH hammer
(Φ105 mm) (Φ89 mm) (Φ89 mm) (Φ108 mm) (Φ75 mm)
Impact energy (J) 76 113 210 165 >70
Frequency (Hz) 28 16 19.2 18 >33
Pressure (MPa) 1.2 0.63 1.05 1.0 —
Air consumption (m3/
3.18 9 4.5 5 <3.5
min)

6. Conclusions considerable than the experimental data. Nonethe-

less, after further structural optimization, the DHT
This paper defines and analyzes a novel pneumatic DTH hammer with a self-propelled round bit will be ca-
hammer with a self-propelled round bit, where operating pable of effectively reducing friction in directional
action is achieved through the interaction between the drilling.
dynamical impact system and ratchet wheel mechanism. The
proposed hammer has an improved structure compared to Data Availability
traditional DTH hammers. The ratchet wheel mechanism
uses the energy of compressed air to realize the self-pro- Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during
pelled rotating movement of the drill bit by converting the the study are available from the corresponding author upon
linear motion of the piston into the rotary motion of the request.
DTH hammer.
The contributions of this paper can be summarized as Conflicts of Interest
follows:
(1) Following the above line of thinking, we present The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
nonlinear dynamical modeling to assess the per-
formance of the novel DTH hammer based on the Acknowledgments
finite-difference principle. The modeling couples the
dynamic and kinematic modeling of the piston and This work was financially supported by the National Key
the rotary mechanism, which can optimize the Research and Development Program of China (no.
structural parameters of the DTH hammer, such as 2018YFC1505303) and Science and Technology Research
impact frequency, impact energy, piston motion, and and Planning Project of Jilin Provincial Education De-
air consumption. The nonlinear modeling approach partment during the 13th Five-Year Plan (no.
allows the calculation of structural parameters to JJKH20190132KJ).
achieve an optimal design.
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