PRE-ORIENTING NOZZLE ASSEMBLY

摘要

A nozzle assembly (10) for use in a drill bit (11) includes a nozzle body (12) having a nozzle oriented at an angle to the longitudinal axis (26) of the nozzle body (12) and a positioning ring (14) that is rotationally and axially locked to the nozzle body (12). The nozzle body (12) includes a plurality of facets (40) extending between a pair of retention surfaces. The positioning ring (14) has a plurality of teeth (54) and is operatively disposed between the retention surfaces (58, 60) to axially retain the ring (14) on the nozzle body (12). When positioned between the retention surfaces (58, 60), the teeth (54) engage the facets (40) to rotationally lock the ring (14) to the nozzle body (12). The positioning ring (14) may have a longitudinal split, to allow the ring (14) to ratchet relative to the nozzle body (12), and a pair of spanner-receiving apertures (62).