Earth-boring tools including movable formation-engaging structures
View Patent ↗Earth-boring tools may have a body, a cutting element attached to the body at a first location, and a formation-engaging structure attached to the body at a second location. The formation-engaging structure may be movable during a drilling operation between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the formation-engaging structure may be located rotationally behind the cutting element at a first radial distance from a longitudinal axis of the body at which the cutting element will at least initially shield the formation-engaging structure from engaging a formation. In the second position, the formation-engaging structure may be located at a different second radial distance from the longitudinal axis of the body at which the formation-engaging structure will engage a formation.
1. An earth-boring tool, comprising:
a body comprising a plurality of blades;
a cutting element attached to one of the plurality of blades of the body; and
a formation-engaging structure attached to the one of the plurality of blades of the body, a height of the cutting element above the one of the plurality of blades being greater than an exposure of the formation-engaging structure, the formation-engaging structure being movable during a drilling operation between a first position and a second position, wherein:
the formation-engaging structure is at least partially within a cutting path traversed by the cutting element mounted on the same blade of the plurality of blades as the formation-engaging structure when the formation-engaging structure is in the first position; and
the formation-engaging structure is at least partially exposed beyond the cutting path traversed by the cutting element mounted on the same blade of the plurality of blades as the formation-engaging structure when the formation-engaging structure is in the second position.
2. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the formation-engaging structure is located on the one of the plurality of blades at a first radial distance from a longitudinal axis of the body in the first position and at a second radial distance, different than the first radial distance, from the longitudinal axis of the body in the second position.
3. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the formation-engaging structure is located at least partially behind the cutting element such that the formation-engaging structure is at least partially shielded from engaging a formation in the first position and the formation-engaging structure is located to engage the formation in the second position.
4. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , further comprising an actuation device located within a recess in the body, the actuation device being configured to move the formation-engaging structure from the first position to the second position.
5. The earth-boring tool of claim 4 , wherein the actuation device comprises a housing secured to surfaces defining the recess in the body and a support member located at least partially within the housing.
6. The earth-boring tool of claim 5 , wherein the formation-engaging structure is mounted to the support member, the support member being configured to rotate within the housing to move the formation-engaging structure from the first position to the second position.
7. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the cutting element is attached to the body at an immovable fixed location at a rotationally leading edge of the one of the plurality of blades of the body.
8. The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the cutting element comprises a primary cutting element and the formation-engaging structure comprises an additional cutting element.
9. The earth-boring tool of claim 8 , wherein a central axis of the additional cutting element is oriented at an angle with respect to a direction of movement of the additional cutting element when the additional cutting element is in the first position.
10. The earth-boring tool of claim 8 , wherein a central axis of the additional cutting element and a direction of movement of the additional cutting element relative to a formation lie in a common plane when the additional cutting element is in the second position.
11. An earth-boring tool, comprising:
a body comprising a plurality of blades;
a cutting element attached to one of the plurality of blades of the body;
a support member located within a recess in the body; and
a formation-engaging structure secured to the one of the plurality of blades of the body with the support member, the formation-engaging structure being movable during a drilling operation between a first position and a second position, the formation-engaging structure being at least partially within a cutting path traversed by the cutting element mounted on the same blade of the plurality of blades as the formation-engaging structure when the formation-engaging structure is in the first position, and the formation-engaging structure being at least partially exposed beyond the cutting path traversed by the cutting element mounted on the same blade of the plurality of blades as the formation-engaging structure when the formation-engaging structure is in the second position, wherein a height of the cutting element above the one of the plurality of blades is greater than an exposure of the formation-engaging structure.
12. The earth-boring tool of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of blades comprises radially projecting and longitudinally extending blades rotationally separated by junk slots.
13. The earth-boring tool of claim 11 , wherein the one of the plurality of blades comprises a rotationally leading edge, the cutting element being located at the rotationally leading edge of the one of the plurality of blades and the formation-engaging structure being located rotationally behind the cutting element on the one of same blade of the plurality of blades.
14. The earth-boring tool of claim 11 , wherein the cutting element comprises a primary cutting element and the formation-engaging structure comprises an additional cutting element, the formation-engaging structure being configured as a backup cutting element in the second position.
15. The earth-boring tool of claim 11 , further comprising an actuation device located within the recess in the body, wherein the support member is a component of the actuation device.
16. The earth-boring tool of claim 15 , wherein the actuation device comprises at least one of an electro-mechanical device or an electro-hydraulic device.
17. The earth-boring tool of claim 15 , wherein the actuation device is configured to allow a pressure of drilling fluid flowing through the earth-boring tool to move the formation-engaging structure from the first position to the second position.
18. The earth-boring tool of claim 11 , wherein the support member is generally cylindrical, at least a portion of the support member configured to rotate relative to the body about a longitudinal axis of the support member to move the formation-engaging structure from the first position to the second position.
19. The earth-boring tool of claim 18 , wherein the formation-engaging structure is mounted on a longitudinal end of the generally cylindrical support member at a location offset from the longitudinal axis of the support member.
20. The earth-boring tool of claim 11 , wherein an axis of rotation of the support member is transverse to a central axis of the formation-engaging structure.