2.

2.1

Rock Drilling
Introduction

Drillingisusedinminingfor: placementofexplosives geologicalexploration installationofrockboltsforsupport installationofrockanchorsforhangingofequipment Thegreatmajorityofcuttingtoolsareindenters,whichbreaksrockbyapplyingaforceina directionnormaltotherocksurface.Drillbitsareconnectedtothedrillingmachinethroughthe drillholeviaadrillrod(mayalsobetermedasteel). Bothdrillingsystemsthemselvesandthedrillbitstheyusecanbeclassifiedintotwomaingroups: rotarypercussive(orhammer)androtary.

2.2
2.2.1

Rotary percussive (hammer) drilling

Components of the drilling system Theprimemover,convertingelectric,hydraulicorpneumaticenergy intomechanicalenergybymeansofapistonandarotarymechanism. Apneumatic,hydraulicpistonormechanicalmechanismthatapplies thrusttothedrillrodandbit. Transmitsthepercussiveandrotaryforcesdownthedrillholefromthe drilltothebit.Alsotermedasteel,stemorpipe. Inthecaseofrelativelyshortholes(e.g.upto5m),onlyonesteelisused atanyonetime.Forthedrillingoflongerholes(upto100mfor productionblasting),additionalrodsareattached,generallybymeansof screwthreadsattheendsoftherods,astheholeisdeepened.Thelength ofroddependsonthetravelofthefeedmechanism.Aseriesofconnected drillrodsistermedadrillstring.

Drilling machine Feedmechanism Drillrod

Bit Circulationfluid

Appliesthedrillenergydirectlytotherocktoachievepenetration. Cleansthehole,suppressesdustandcoolsthebit.

2.2.3

Rotary percussive bits

Percussivedrillbitsbreakrockbyrepetitiveimpactionandindentation.Themajortypesof percussivedrillbitforuseinquarriesisthebuttonbit.

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ButtonBit Thistypeofbitfeaturescylindricaltungstencarbideinsertsthatarepressfittedintoholesinthe endofthebitbody(Figure2.1).Theendsthatprotrudefromthebitaredomed.Thebuttonbit designisgenerallylimitedtotoolsgreaterthan50mmdiameterbecauseofthespaceavailablefor mountingthebuttons.Theadvantageofbuttonoverbrazedbitsinlargerholesisthatthereisa moreevendistributionofcuttingelementsoverthebaseofthehole,resultinginhigherdrilling rates.Generally,buttonbitscannotberesharpened.

Fig.2.1:Buttonbits 2.2.3 Top hammer drilling

Tophammerrigsareusedunderground,inquarriesandinsurfaceminesusingsmalldiameter holes(suchasgoldmineswhenbenchheightsarekeptrelativelylowtoimprovegradecontrol). Tophammerdrillsperformbestwithsmalldiameterholesandrelativelyshortdepths,astheir penetrationratedecreaseswithdepthanddrilldeviationincreaseswithdepth(Workmanand Szumanski1997). Costsassociatedwithtophammerdrillingvary,ofcourse,dependingontherocktypeandcan rangeapproximatelyfrom$3.5to$16.5/mforholesofdiameter64127mmandrockofuniaxial compressivestrength(UCS)69206MPa(WorkmanandSzumanski1997). 2.2.4 a) Pneumatic top hammer drills Operation

Inacompressedairrockdrill(figure2.2),thesupplylinecomesintoamanifold.Thepercussive actionofthedrillisproducedbytheactionofavalvewhichdirectsliveairtoeithersideofthe piston.Thepistonstrikesthebaseofthedrillsteel,heldinachuckatthefrontofthemachine.A waterhoseisalsocoupledtothedrill.Waterisfedthroughthemachinebody,downacentralhole inthedrillsteeltothebit.Rotationmaybeproducedbyeitherariflebarandratchetsystemthatis integraltothepistonmechanismorbyanindependentmotormountedoutsidethehammer mechanism. Inthecaseofanintegralrotationsystem,thehexagonaldrillsteelfitsintoasimilarholeinthe chuck.Thechuckengagesthechuckbushing.Inthebushing,achucknutengagesthestraight

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splinesonthestemofthepistonsothatrotationofthepistoncausesrotationofthedrillsteel.The riflenutintheheadofthepistonengagesspiralflutesonariflebar.Aratchetmechanismallows thebartorotateduringthepowerstrokebutnotonthereturnstroke.Consequently,thepiston mustrotateonthereturnstrokeandthroughthevariousconnectionsthedrillsteelalsorotates. (HoodandRoxborough1992.)Thissystemisappliedtohandheldrockdrillsasitlimitsthesize andweightofthemachine.

Fig.2.2:Compressedairdrillingmachine Independentrotationisappliedtodrillingmachinesmountedonlargemechanisedrigs. Cylindricalgearingisusedtotransmitrotationtothedrillsteel.Advantagesofthissystemare: Forthesamediameterpistonthepistonreceivesmoreenergybecause,whentheriflebaris eliminated,thepistonareaonwhichthecompressedairactsisincreased. Theindependentsystemsallowrotationandpercussioncanbeadjustedtosuittherock conditions. (JimenoandJimeno1995) b) Advantagesanddisadvantages Disadvantages Inefficientsystemlossesinairtransmission Noisy Highcompressedairconsumption Highrateofwearoncomponents

Advantages Simpleconstruction Reliabilityandlowmaintenance Easytorepair Lowcapitalcost 2.2.5 Hydraulictop hammerdrills

Thedevelopmentofhydraulicrockdrillinginthelater1960sandearly1970srepresentedan importanttechnologicaladvance.Hydraulicsystemsareinherentlymoreefficientandalsosafer thancompressedairpower.Featuresofhydraulicdrillingmachinesarelistedbelow(Jimenoand Jimeno1995) a) Advantages

Greaterefficiencyfluidpressureishigherandpressurelossesarelower. Lesswearondrillsteelapneumaticallyactuatedpistonproducesshockwavethedrillsteela

shockwavethathashighpeaks.Thesehighstresslevelsinducefatigueinthedrillsteel.In comparison,theshockwaveproducedbyanhydraulichammerismuchmoreuniform. Greaterdrillingcapacityimprovedenergytransmissionproducespenetrationrates50to 100%higherthanthoseofpneumaticdrills.

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 Betterenvironmentalconditions.Noiselevelsmuchlower,nocloudofair/oil,hydraulics

allowbetterergonomicdeignofequipment. Greateroperationalflexibilityhydraulicpowersystemsallowbettercontrolofpressureand fluidflowrates. Mucheasiertomechaniseoperationssuchasdrillstringextension. b) Disadvantages

Highercapitalcostofequipment Hydraulicsystemsaremorecomplex,requiringhigherskillsofthemaintenancestaff. Replacementpartsaremoreexpensive 2.2.6 a) i) Down-the-hole drills ApplicationsofDTHdrills Surfaceminesandquarries

Downthehole(DTH),orInthehole(ITH),drillsdifferfromconventionaldrillsinthatthepiston itselfislocateddowntheholeattheendofthedrillstringandimpartspercussiveforcedirectly tothebit.Ithastheadvantagethatnoenergyisdissipatedalongthelengthofthedrillstringand thepenetrationrateremainsvirtuallyconstant,regardlessoftheholedepth.Forthedrillingof largediameterholesof165228mmdiameter,aDTHrigiseasiertodesignthantheequivalenttop hammerdrill(WorkmanandSzumanski1997).Largediameterholesimprovetheefficiencyof blastingandDTHsystemsareincompetitionwithrotarydrillingfordiametersabove150mmin hardrocksurfaceminesandlargequarries. ii) Undergroundmines

DTHrigsbecamepopularforundergroundlongholeproductiondrillinginthe1980sduetothe adoptionoflargerdiameterblastholes(upto102mmindiameter)andsignificantoperational advantagesoverpneumatictophammermachines(seeTable2.3).However,inrecentyears, advancesinhydraulicdrillingtechnologyhaveledtohydraulictophammersbecomingbyfarthe mostwidelyusedtype. iii) OperationofDTHdrills

Figure2.6illustratesaDTHhammerandFigure2.7thebasicoperationandcomponents.Thedrill pistonispoweredbycompressedairdeliveredthroughthecoreoftherodsatsupplypressures rangingtypicallyfrom5901720kPa(85250psi).Asimplepneumaticorhydraulicmotormounted onthesurfacerigproducesrotationandflushingisachievedbytheexhaustairfromthehammer.

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Fig.2.6:DTHHammerdrill

Fig.2.7:operationofDTHHammer

ThepistonsizeinaDTHdrillislimitedbythediameteroftheholebutproductivitycanbe improvedbyincreasingtheairsupplypressure.Theintroductionofhighpressurecompressors meansthatDTHdesignswithoperatingpressuresof1.7to2.4MPaarenowavailable(Workman andSzumanski1997). 2.2.7 a) Performance parameters Percussion

Thekineticenergyofthepistonistransmittedfromthehammertothedrillbit,throughthedrill steelorrod,intheformofashockwave(Jimeno&Jimeno1995).Thewavetravelsathighspeed anditsshapedependsbasicallyonthedesignofthepiston.Whentheshockwavereachesthebit onlyaproportionoftheenergydoesusefulwork,causingthebittopenetratetherock.Therestof theenergyisreflectedbackalongthedrillrod.Energyisalsolostthroughthecouplingsdueto reflectionoftheshockwaveandfrictionatthethreads.Hydraulichammersaremuchmore efficientthanpneumatic.Inpneumatichammercylinderstheairpressureis3040%lowerthanat thecompressorduetochargingandexpansionlossesandairleaks. b) Thrustload

Inordertotransmitthehammerenergytotherockwithoptimumefficiency,itisnecessaryto havethedrillbitinpermanentcontactwiththebottomofthehole.Thiscontactisachievedby meansofthethrustloadorpulldown,whichisproducedbyafeedmechanism.Typicalthrustloads are3to5kNforsmallequipmentand15kNandaboveforlargedrills(Jimeno&Jimeno1995). c) Flushing

Flushingisthemeansbywhichchipsofrock(cuttings)brokenbythedrillbitcanberemovedfrom thebaseofthehole.Ifcuttingsarenotremoved,thenthedrillcanjam,largeamountsofenergyare wastedinregrindingthecuttingsandpenetrationrateswillreduce.Holeflushingisachievedby meansinjectingwaterorair,atpressure,downthroughthedrillrods.Theairorwaterexitsfrom holesinthedrillbitandflushesthecuttingstothesurfacealongtheannulusbetweentherodand theholewalls. i) Rotaryairblast(RAB)

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Rotaryairblast(RAB)flushingisappliedinsurfacedrillingwheredustcanbepreventedfrom dischargingintotheenvironmentbymeansofdustcollectors.Theairvelocityforefficientcleaning liesintherange1530m/s.Theairalsoservestocoolthebit RABflushingisusedwherehammerdrillsarebeingusedforgeologicalsampling.Cuttingsare systematicallycollectedonthesurfaceandbaggedforlateranalysis(seesection2.2.11). ii) Waterflushing

Inundergrounddrilling,workingspacesareconfinedandmovementofmaterialsisconstrained bymoredifficultaccesstoandfromtheworkingarea.Hence,thereisofteninsufficientspacetofit adustcollectorandadifficultytheremovalofcollectedmaterialisadifficulty.Waterflushing mustbethereforebeusedinundergrounddrilling.Thesystemisalsomoreefficientat suppressingdust,averyserioushazardinconfinedundergroundairwaysandincoolingthebit. Themaindisadvantagewithwaterflushingisthatitreducespenetrationratesby1020%(Jimeno &Jimeno1995).

2.2.8

Feed mechanisms

Thefeedmechanismofadrillingmachineprovidesthethrustloadthatmaintainscontactbetween thebitandtherock.Inallthesystemsdescribedbelow,withtheexceptionofairlegs,thedrilling machineismountedonatravellingmountwhichcanslidealongasteelbeam.Thefeed mechanismprovidestheforcethatmovesthedrillupanddownthebeam,providingboththe thrustloadandameansofretractingthedrillrodsandbits. a) Airlegs

Airlegsareusedinconjunctionwithhandhelddrillsandcomprisebasicallyacompressedair poweredpiston.Inastopertheairlegisanintegralpartofthedrillingmachinebody.Inadrifter isattachedtothemachineviaofacouplingthatallowsrotationinoneplaneandtheairlegisused tosupporttheweightofthedrillaswellasprovidingathrustforce.Theoperatorcontrolsthe thrustforceoftheairlegisusingamanualvalve. b) Chainfeed

Thedrillmountisattachedtoaheavygaugechainloopthatrunsinchannelsonthefeedbeam. Thechainispoweredbyahydraulicorpneumaticmotor.Itisarelativelylowcostsystem,easyto repairandwiththefacilityforlongfeedlengths.However,itcanbedifficulttomaintainasmooth feedwhenthepenetrationrateislow(JimenoandJimeno1995). c) Screwfeed

Feedthrustisproducedbytherotationofascrew,whichisoperatedbyahydraulicorpneumatic motor.Thesystemprovidesaregularandsmoothfeedforce,isresistanttowear,verypowerful andsaferthanchainfeeds.Lengthstendtobelimitedto1.8masthescrewissubjectedtobending forcesandvibrationduringdrilling.(JimenoandJimeno1995). d) Cablefeed

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Ahydraulicorpneumaticsystemismountedinsidethefeedbeam.Thisisconnectedateachend toacablethatisattachedtothedrillmount. e) Hydraulicfeed

Basically,thissystemconsistsofahydrauliccylinder,mountedonthefeedbeam,thatmovesthe drillmountalongthebeam. 2.2.9 Geological sampling by hammer drill

Drillingisusedinthesearchformineraldeposits,water,gasoroiltocollectsamplesofrockfrom belowthesurface.Hammerdrillingisoneoftheleastexpensivemethods.RABflushingis employedtocirculateairatpressuredownthroughthedrillstringtocoolthebitsurfaceandto cleantheholeofcuttingsbyforcingthemtothesurfacealongtheoutsideofthedrillstring. Cuttingsaresystematicallycollectedandbaggedforsubsequentanalysis. Theairflowrateandpressureprovidedbyaircompressorareimportantparameters(Metz1992). Insufficientflowratewillallowsortinginthefluidisedcolumnofcuttingsandmayresultinheavy particlesbeingleftinthehole.Excessiveairflowcancauseerosionoftheholewallsand contaminationofthesample. a) Drillingmachine

Byfarthemostcommonrotarypercussivedrilling methodforsamplingusesaDTHhammer(Metz1992). Contaminationand/ordilutionofsamplesfromthehole wallshasbeenalleviatedbythedevelopmentofdual walldrillpipeandreversecirculationinwhichcuttings areforcedupthecenterorannulusofthepipetoa collector.Advantagesofthesystemincludehigh penetrationrate,upto250mperdayandlowdirectcost $35to$120permeter.Depthcapabilityhasuntil recentlybeenlimitedtoabout200mbutdemandhas stimulatedtechnologicalimprovementsthatwilltriple thatlimit(Metz1992).

Fig.2.11DTHsamplingrig

b)

Samplecollection

ForsamplecollectionwithRABdrilling,cuttingsaretransportedeitherthroughthecenterorthe annulusofthepipe.ThecollaroftheholeisusuallyfittedwithcasingandaTconnectiontodivert thefluidisedstreamofcuttingsintoacyclonecollector.Whentheendofthesampleintervalis reached,thedrillpipeisretractedashortdistancefromthebottomoftheholeandtheairflow

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continueduntilitisjudgedthatallcuttingshavebeenexhaustedfromthepipe.Theflowisthen shutoffandcuttingsdumpedfromthecyclonethroughasplittingdevicetoreducethesampletoa manageablesize(Metz1992).

2.3
2.3.1

Rotary Drilling
Operating principles

Rotarydrillingisusedforlargediameterblastholesandforgeologicalexploration.Inthelatter application,diamondbitscanbeusedtoobtainasolidrockcoresampleforexaminationandrock ofgreathardnesscanbedrilledtogreatdepth.Drillingisperformedbyforcingarotatingdrillbit intothegroundbymeansofarotarytorqueandahighdownforce. a) Rotarytorque

Rotarytorquecanbeappliedtothetopendofthedrillpipewitheitheroffoursystems:direct drive,falsekelly1drive,tabledriveordowntheholeturbinedrive(MartinEtal1982). b) Pulldownforce Fouralternativearrangementscanbeusedtoproducethepulldownforcewhichmaintainscontact betweenthebitandtherock.Allofthedrawingsassumethatatoprotarydrive.Inmostcases, duplexsystemsareemployed,i.e.onepulldownmechanismisinstalledoneachsideofthedrill mast(MartinEtal1982).Requirementsofaneffectivepulldownsysteminclude: mustbeabletodevelophighforces accommodateflexingofthestructure maintaindrillpipealignment produceatravelstrokeadequateforthelongestdrillpipetobeused highforcesandrelativelyhighspeedsmustbeavailableforbothraisingandloweringofthe drillpipe.

2.3.2 a)

Rotary bits Diamonddrillbits

TherearetwomainclassificationsofdiamonddrillbitSurfaceSetandImpregnatedDiamond. Boththesetypesofbithavediamondsembeddedinamatrixmaterial,suchasbronze,attheend ofthedrillpipe(Figure2.12).Diamonddrillbitsgroundtherockawaybymeansofabrasive action.Atypicaldiamonddrillbitisshapedintheformofanannulus.Thesebitsareusedfor geologicalexplorationinwhichthedrillingactionformsarockcore,whichcanberemoved, throughthedrillholetothesurfaceforanalysis.Surfacesetbitsconsistof10/1000to80/1000 caratdiamondsmountedsothattheyprojectfromthematrix.Impregnatedbitscontaina diamondgrit(1/80to1/1000carat)uniformlydistributedthroughoutthematrix.Thismatrixis designedtowearsothat,asdiamondsonthesurfacebecomeblunt,theyaretornawayfromthe matrixandfreshsharpdiamondsexposed.

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Fig.2.12:Diamonddrillbits

b)

Triconebits

Tricone(orrollercone)bitsusuallyconsistofthreeconeelementsmountedonrollingbearings (Figures2.13and2.14).Thrustisappliedtothebitandrockisbrokenbyachippingandcrushing actionascuttingelementsprojectingfromtheconesindenttherock.Atorquecausestheconesto rollontheirbearingsandbringssuccessivecuttingelementsintocontactwiththerock.Thecutting elementsthemselvesareeitherhardenedsteelteethorcementedtungstencarbidebuttons.The mainbodyofthebitcontainschannels,ornozzles.Afluid,eithercompressedairordrillingmud, isforceddownthecenterofthedrillpipeanddirectedathighvelocityontotheface.

Fig.2.13:Triconebitwithbuttoninserts

Fig.2.14:triconebitswithtungestencarbide teeth(left)andhardenedsteelteeth(right)

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c) Augers Anaugerisacuttingtoolthatoperatesonthesameprincipleasthescrew.Thecuttingsurface comprisesahardenedsteeledgeortungstencarbideteeth. 2.3.3 Rotary blasthole drilling

Rotarydrillingofblastholesusessteelortungstencarbidetriconebitsandpredominatesinsurface coalmining.Itcanalsobeappliedinharderrocks.Figures2.15and2.16showarotaryblasthole drillrigsofmediumandsmallsizerespectively.

Fig.2.15:Rotaryblastholerig a) Mast

Fig.2.16:Largeopenpitrotaryblastholerig

Themastisthecriticalstructuralmemberonthedrill(MartinEtal1982).Itissubjectedtohigh pulldownforcesand,inthecaseofthetopdrive,todrivetorquesandvibrationsandshockloads fromthedrillingaction.Itmustmaintainthedrillpipealignment.Themastalsoprovidesstorage forthesparedrillpipes,usuallybymeansofaverticalrotatingcarousel.Typically,acarouselwill holdthreetosicpipesanduptotwocarouselscanbeinstalled.Withthepiperackfull,themast mustbecapableofbeingpivotedfromahorizontalcarrypositiontoaverticaldrillingposition. b) Chassis

Chassistypesareeithercrawlermountedorwheelmounted(MartinEtal1982). Wheelmounted drillscommonlyutiliseacommercialcarrierchassiswithasolidsuspensionanddieselpower. Largecrawlermountedunitsuseelectricpowersuppliedviaatrailingcable.Typicalfeaturesare giveninTable2.5. c) Operation

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6.

7. 8. 9.

Themachineispropelledandmaneuveredintopositionwheretheholeistobedrilled. Themastisraisedtosupportthedrillingmechanism. Themachineisleveledbymeansofjacks(wheelsand/orcrawlersareraisedofftheground). Drillingiscommenced Withincreasingdepth,thedrillpipe/stringisextendedbyconnectingadditionallengthsof drillpipe.Thisoperationrequiresonaverage310minutesandissemiautomatedwithall functionsbeingpowered. Holeflushingisachievedbymeansofhighvelocityairfeddownthecenterofthedrillpipe. Rockchipsarecarriedtothesurfaceuptheannularspacebetweenthedrillpipeandthehole wall. Blownoutchipsareaccumulatedaroundthetopoftheholeandanyairborneparticlesare collectedbyadustextractorsystem. Whentheholeiscompletedtothedesireddepth,thebitisretracted,withthedrillrodsbeing progressivelyremoved. Themachinethenstartstherelocationsequence. Diamond drilling

2.3.4

Diamondcoredrillingisthestandardmethodforconsolidatedrockwhereanintactcoresampleis requiredforgeologicallogging,analysisorassays.Itprovidesthemostusefulandaccurate samplesofsubsurfacerockandisthemostversatileofalldrillingmethods(Peters1978).The techniquesnowemployedallowcoresamplestobeobtainedfromalmostanytypeofrock(Metz 1992). a) Coreretrieval

Thecuttingactionisrotary,thebitmakinganannularholethatleavesacoreofrockintact.The coreisretainedwithinacorebarrelinsidethedrillstringandthisisbroughttothesurfacesothat therocksamplecanberemovedandanalysed.Thetwobasicmethodsofdiamondcoredrillingare conventionalandwireline. Conventional Thecorebarrelisafixedpartofthedrillrodstringandcanonlybe retrievedbyretractingandremovingallthedrillrodsfromtheholeone atatime. Aseparatecorebarrelofthinsteelfitsinsidethedrillrodstringbehind thebit.Acablerunningdownthelengthoftheholeisattachedtothe corebarrelbymeansofalatchingdevice.Withthismethod,corecanbe retrievedbothfasterandatanytimeanddrillrodsneedonlybe removedforbitchanges.Ingeneral,wirelineisthepreferredmethod (Metz1992).

Wireline

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b)

Coresizes

Fig.2.17:Wirelinecoreretrievalequipment

Diamonddrillcoresareproducedinarangeofsizes,whicharestandardthroughouttheworld. Table2.6liststhosesizesandtheirdesignation.TheletterQdenotesatripletubebarrelasused forwirelinedrillingandtheletterXdenoteasingletubebarrelasusedforconventionaldiamond drilling. Table2.6:Standarddiamonddrillcoresizes Designation AQ BQ NQ Dia.(mm) 27 36.5 47.6 c) Holeflushing

NQ2 50.5

NX 54.7

HQ 63.5

PQ 85.0

Holeflushingisachievedusingaspecialmudwhichisacombinationofwater,bentonite(avery fineclaythatswellstomanytimesitsoriginalvolumewhenhydrated)andapolymer.Inatypical mudcomposition,1020kgofbentoniteand5kgofbiodegradablepolymerwillbeaddedto1000 litresofwater(Eggington1985).ManydrillingmudsarenonNewtonian(thixotropic)fluids.They gelupwhenallowedtostandstillandbecomelessviscousagainandeasytopourwhenpumped orstirred.Anotherusefulpropertyofsuchafluidisthatitsrateofflowisconstantacrossthe diameterofapipei.e.onlyathinlayerofthefluidflowsslowlyatthepipewalls.Amorecommon exampleofanonNewtonianfluidisnondrippaint.Useddrillingmudiscleanedandrecirculated backdownthehole Agoodfluidisaveryusefultoolindrillingandtheseusefulfunctionscanbedividedintofive mainareas,asdescribedbyTable2.7. Table2.7:Functionsofdrillingmud(Eggington1985) Function Subfunctions Holemaking Coolthebit Clearthebitandthebottomoftheholeofcuttings Transmitextrapowertotherockbreakageprocess Lubricaterodsandbit Inhibitcorrosionofdrillingtools Holecleaning Removecuttingsfromhole Allowcuttingstosettleoutinmudtank Holdcuttingsinsuspensionwhenflowisstopped Holestabilisationand Controldownholepressureandtemperature Control Providesupportforweakrockformations Protecttargetrockformationsagainstcontamination
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Inhibitdeteriorationofrockformations Sampletransportand Provideinformationaboutconditionsdowntheholefrommudcolour, logging small,appearance,flowandchipcontent Preservethecoresamplesinprotectingandlubricatingfilmofmud Selfcare Mudconditionsshouldbestableundernormaldrillingconditions Ifthedesiredpropertiesarelost,treatmentshouldbeavailabletorestore lostproperties Testsandtestingequipmentshouldbeavailabletoidentifymud propertiesandindicateanytreatmentrequired. d) Surfacerigs

Surfacedrillrigscanbemountedoneitherskids oravehicle. Holesdrilledbysurfacerigshaveattained depthsofover3000m.Holediametersrange from38165mm.Figure2.18illustratesa surfacediamonddrillingrig.

Fig.2.18:Surfacediamonddrillrig 2.3.5 Rotary sampling rigs Rotarysamplingrigsusetricone(rollercone)bitsandrocksamplesaretakenbytherecoveryof drillcuttingsfromanRABorRCflushingsystem. 2.3.6 Auger drilling

Augerdrillingisusedforshortholesinsoilsorunconsolidatedrockformations.Theyareused mainlyinsoilinvestigationandindrillingforconstructioninsoftmaterials(Figure2.20).Auger drillingfeatureslowcapitalandoperatingcostsandmechanicalcleaningoftheholeeliminatesthe needforanyflushingsystem(Eggington1985).Figure2.30illustratesthethreemaintypesof augerdrillandTable2.8discussestheirrelativeadvantagesanddisadvantages. Continuousfight auger Thistypeofaugercanbedrivenbyanytopdriverotarymachinewithan adequatetorquerating.Cuttingsarecarriedtothesurfaceonthehelical flights. Thistypeofaugerisdrilleduntilitisloadedwithcuttingsandisthen withdrawnfromthehole.Atthesurfacethecuttingsarespunoffthe auger.Theyareusedforlargediameterholes. Thecuttingsarecollectedinabucket,hoistedtothesurface,then dumpedthroughthehingedbottomofthebucket.Rodextensionscanbe addedastheholegetsdeeper.

Shortflightandplate auger

Bucketauger

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Table2.8:Comparisonofaugertypes(Eggington1985)
Typeofauger Continuousflight Uses Siteinvestigation Geochemicalsampling Alluvialmineral investigations Electrodeholes Holesforcastinsitu foundationpiers Mineralsampling Accessholes Holesforcastinsitu foundationpiers Mineralsampling Accessholes Advantages Lowequipmentcosts Lowoperatingcosts Highpenetrationrate insuitableformations Producesdry,clean holes Drillslargediameter holes Drillslargerholes Drillsbelowwater tableandcanoperate inmudfilledholes Largerotarydrive producestorquetodrill hardermaterials Disadvantages Requirespecialequipment forgoodqualitysampling Willnotdrillbelowwater table Waterinholewashes cuttingsfromtheauger flights Limiteddepthcapacity

Shortflightandplate

Bucket

2.4

References

AltasCopcoproductinformation. Baker,R.,1996,Dothetwist,WorldMiningEquipment,November1996. Eggington,H.F.,1985(Editor),AustralianDrillersGuide,AustralianDrillingIndustryTraining CommitteeLimited. Hood,M.C.andRoxborough,F.F.,Rockbreakagemechanical,SMEMiningEngineering Handbook,Chapt9.1,vol.1,pp.680721,Hartman,(Ed.),H.L.,SocietyforMining,Metallurgyand Exploration,Inc.,Littleton,Colorado. Hustrulid,W.A.(editor),1982,UndergroundMiningMethodsHandbook,SocietyforMining, MetallurgyandExploration,Inc.,Littleton,Colorado. Jimeno,C.L.andJimeno,E.L.,1995,DrillingandBlastingofRocks,A.A.Balkema,Rotterdam. Longyearproductinformation Martin,J.W.,Martin,T.J.,Bennet,T.P,andMartin,K.M.,1982,SurfaceMiningEquipment,Martin Consultants,Colorado. Metz,R.A.,1992,SampleCollection,SMEMiningEngineeringHandbook,Chapt5.3,vol.1,pp.314 326,Hartman,(Ed.),H.L.,SocietyforMining,MetallurgyandExploration,Inc.,Littleton, Colorado.

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Workman,L.andSzumanski,M.,1987,Whichblastholerig?WorldMiningEquipment,March 1997,pp.2327.

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