47
january-february 2015
international
construction
Critical equipment
DRILLING
The Bench Remote can be installed
in a vehicle, trailer or container and all
controls and screens are the same as in the
real cabin on the rig. Communication,
including machine control and safety
functions, takes place over a closedWiFi
network. This makes it independent
of local network infrastructure. If the
network is lost due todistance to thedrill
rig, it will shut down for safety reasons.
Atlas Copco said all its SmartROC
D65drill rigs canbe upgraded for Bench
Remote operation.
A specialist area like drilling is never
really awash with new machines being
launched, but last November’s Bauma
China exhibition saw some interesting
new products unveiled.
AtlasCopco launched its PowerROCT50drill rig at the show,
which was designed and is manufactured at the company’s
Nanjing, China plant.
The company said the aimwhen developing this machine for
quarrying andopenpitmineswas todevelop a robust, powerful,
fuel-efficient rig that could deliver performance in an easy-to-
use, straightforward design. Key features include a new type of
extendable boom, a powerful hydraulic COP 3060 rock drill,
and a choice ofTier 3 orTier 4 engines.
The new boom has been designed for quick and easy
positioning and the company said the high feed force helps
ensure straight holes. Other features include a straightforward
hydraulic and electrical system for easy operation, push-button
controls, aROPS/FOPS certified cabinwith largewindows and
extra vibration dampers, and good ground clearance for easy
tramming in rough terrain.
Product manager York Yang said, “The PowerROCT50 is an
importantmilestone for Atlas Copco inNanjing butmostly for
our customers around the world. We know that this product
>
ground manually drilling the dowel-pin
holes,” said Robert Antoun, of Antoun
Civil Engineering.
Each slab being replaced required 45
holes, so this potentially lengthy process
was cut to about 35 minutes with the
single-gang drill and 20 minutes with
thedouble-gangunit. Another plus point
was that each drill only required one
person to operate it. After two and a half
weeks of an aggressive schedule, working
six nights a week, Antoun Civil Engineering completed the
project ahead of time and under budget.
Stabilisation
Robit is pioneering a ground stabilisation system that uses
fibreglass grout-injection tubes instead of steel ones, having
acquired the patent for the system in 2014. The idea is that
these form an easily-demolished temporary structure, so they
are suitable for reinforcing tunnel faces in between phases of
excavation.
The drilling for the reinforcement work
canbe carried out eitherwith surface rigs
or in tunnels with jumbos and the grout
injection also uses standard equipment.
The company has supplied the system
to the A.T.S. Infratunnel rail project
in Switzerland where there was a risk
of a face collapses. The roof was being
supported with traditionally grouted
steel tubes (forepolling), but 76 mm
diameter fibreglass tubes were drilled up
to21m into the face to reinforce it ahead
of excavation. This meant the tunnel
could advance up to 12 m, with 8 – 9
m of fibreglass tubes still supporting the
face before new 15 m steel tubes had to
be drilled and grouted into the roof.
Robit said the method proved a better
solution than self-drilling anchors, which had been unreliable
on the project and hard to demolish as the tunnel progressed.
It added that its solution alsomet the project’s requirement for
hole straightness, which the anchors did not.
New equipment
New from Atlas Copco is Bench Remote, an operator station
that acts as a full remote control for up to three surface drilling
rigs simultaneously.
The unit was designed to reduce the risk of working close to
unstable and hazardous benches or close to unstable faces.The
Bench Remote operator station can be used up to 100m away
from the drilling area and up to 30m above the rig, as long as
there is a direct line of sight with the drill rig doing thework.
And it is not only a question of safety. Atlas Copco product
manager Mattias Hjerpe said, “The Bench Remote can handle
up to three SmartROCD65 rigs in parallel.Thismultiplies the
operator efficiency andwas made possible by the full drill cycle
automation.”
TwoMinnich dowel pin drillswere
crucial to the success of a high-
pressure project to replace runway and
taxiway slabs at Sydney Airport.
Sandvik launched two new
surface drilling rigs at Bauma
China, the Tiger DG700 and
Tiger DG800, which together
cover the 64 – 127mm
diameter hole range.
Robit is
pioneering a
temporary tunnel
face support
system using
grouted fibreglass
tubes instead of
steel ones. The
company says its
system is easier
to demolish
as the drive
progresses.
