DRILLING
Unconventional drilling
Panama drills
Another manufacturer with new drill
attachments in its range is TEI Rock
Drills, and it said that while its excavator-
mounted drill was not suitable for every
type of project, it was the only option
capable of drilling high enough on the
US$ 5.2 billion Panama Canal expansion
project.
TEI’s HEM550 excavator drill supported
dry excavation of the new Gatun locks for
the project – specifically rock bolting and
blasting operations.
“This was the only drill that could
adequately reach the holes, which are
located at heights up to 40 ft (12.2 m),”
the manufacturer said.
The drill and steel operators worked
from an aerial lift to drill the holes and add or remove the drill
steels. The holes were 4 ½ in (114 mm) diameter and up to 30
ft (9.1 m) in length. An operator in the excavator cab of helped
position the drill, and TEI said it took a co-ordinated effort
>
between these three people to undertake
this difficult drilling work.
After drilling each hole, the drill basket
was returned to ground level to drop the
drill steel out of the basket and load the
bar into it, before being raised again to
manoeuvre the bar into the hole. The
bolts were grouted into place at the end
of each day.
Little Beaver has also been developing its
compact drill products and has launched
a new trailer-mounted rig for water well
drilling, soil sampling and geotechnical
drilling. Designed for longevity and ease of ownership. It said the
LS300T+ offered the capabilities of a large drill rig in a lighter,
more convenient package.
Mounted to a 7,000 lbs (3.17 tonne) capacity, towable tandem-
axle trailer, the drill is 19 in (482 mm) long and 82 in (2.1
m) wide, featuring a 6 ft x 3 ft (1.8 m x 914 mm) mast that
folds down for transport. It can be shipped fully assembled in a
standard container.
The LS300T+ can bore holes 6 in (152 mm) in diameter and
300 ft (91 m) deep in ground conditions from sand to clay to soft
rock, as well as many rock formations.
DTH for emerging markets
Meanwhile, the latest drill from Atlas Copco is the DM 30 II
down-the-hole (DTH) rotary blasthole model, manufactured
in Nanjing, China, and targeted at all non-Tier 4 emissions
countries – that is to say countries with lower diesel exhaust
emissions legislation than the US, Europe and Japan.
Upgrades on the Mark II version include a robust I-beam
frame, increased decking and component access, and improved
rod handling and breakout. Standard features now include auto
thread lube, head up tram interlock and grease manifold, plus a
wider range of options created from customer special requests.
The company said it aimed to develop a world class but affordable
product.
And in the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) field,
Vermeer has introduced a new addition to its Navigator family
Montabert has launched new drilling
attachment ranges in North America
that it says require less initial
investment than conventional drill rigs.
Wimmer Felstechnik developed a tailor-made bore hole unit
with seven synchronous drills, as opposed to the usual one
to three drills, for Thalgau. The electric-powered machine is
rail-mounted.
international
construction
january-february 2014
52
Hard rock demands
Doofor has launched two powerful drills for challenging rock
D
oofor has launched its 13 kW
rock drill, the DF538S, for the
demanding hard rock drilling
market. “The DF538S is a rock drill for
drilling up to 57 mm diameter holes in
hard rock with a very good drilling speed.
The rock drill is relatively light weight,77
kg, which makes it a versatile component
in various kinds of drilling machines. It is
designed for R38 and T38 drill steels”, said
Doofor CEO Kalle Kuusento.
Doofor’s other new rock drill is the
DF560L. While the letter L stands for
the very low physical profile of the rock
drill, making it well-suited to tunnelling
applications, it is also a powerful unit with
its 20 kW percussion pressure. Able to drill
up to 89 mm diameter holes in hard rock,
the drill can use air or water as flushing
media.
TEI’s HEM550
excavator drill
supported
excavation of the
new Gatun locks
for the Panama
Canal expansion
project.
