Introduction to Drilling Technology for Surface Mining

Prof. K. Pathak
Dept. of Mining Engineering,
IIT, Kharagpur-721302

1 Introduction
Drilling is the process of making a hole into a hard surface where the length of the hole is very
large compared to the diameter. In the context of mining engineering drilling refers to making
holes into a rock mass. Surface mining requires drilling for different purposes that include:
1. Production drilling i.e. for making holes for placement of explosives for blasting. The
objective of drilling and blasting is to prepare well-fragmented loose rock amenable to
excavation with better productivity from the excavation machinery. The holes drilled for
this purpose are defined as blast hole.
2. Exploration drilling for sample collections to estimate the quality and quantity of a
mineral reserve. The samples are collected as core and the drilling for such puposes are
referred as Core drilling. As diamond bits are used for such drilling, core drilling is often
called diamond drilling.
3. Technical drilling during development of a mine for drainage, slope stability and
foundation testing purposes.

Opencast mining involves removal of waste rock and subsequent winning of the mineral. In case
of deposits underlying hard and compact waste rock called overburden loosening of the rock
mass is essential prior to excavation. Thus drilling and blasting is the important ground
preparation job. Unless the rock mass is highly weathered and very much unconsolidated drilling
of holes for placement of explosives and detonating them for blasting is required for any mining
operation. Modern machines like continuous surface miner can however eliminate the need of
drilling and blasting in certain surface mining operations.

Successful drilling under specific site conditions requires blending many technologies and
services into a coherent efficient team, particularly if it is for deep exploration drilling. Blast hole
drilling is comparatively simpler. However, to minimise costs and optimise the performance and
post drilling operations technical managers and decision managers must understand the
language and technology of drilling operations.

This lecture covers the basic elements of drilling to give you a good understanding of the
drilling process and how it integrates into the 'overall mining success'. You will learn:

9 An overview of drilling technology to develop an awareness of the equipment

terminology and operations associated with the drilling process in surface mines.
9 Classification of drilling methods
9 Principle of rock tool interaction in drilling
9 Definition and terminology

1
 9 Application of different drilling methods
9 Selection of drills
9 Method of measuring drilling performances
9 Bailing and hole clearance
9 Measure while and log while drilling
9 Current safety practices
9 Drilling trends and new technology
9 Basic communications and supervisory skills to ensure a safe, efficient
operation

2 Classification of Methods and Machines

Drilling is basically method of penetrating rock. The machine that carries out the drilling
operation is called drill. Rock can be penetrated by overcoming its resistance to penetrate by
providing external energy. Depending on how this energy is imparted and how the broken mass
produced by drilling is removed to get new surfaces to drill, the drilling methods and the drill can
be classified into several category. Table 1 illustrates how drilling and drills can be classified
Figure 1 further gives the claasificationn of drilling methods.
Table 1 Classification of drilling and drills

Sl No Basis Variants Example

1 Mode of energy Percussion Churn or cable tool drill, jack hammer,

application.
Top Hammer For shallow holes, the whole drill strings
offer hammering

For hole larger than 150 mm and deeper

Bottom Hammer (Down holes, offers increased rod and coupling life
the hole hammer or DTH) and less noisy.

Rotary Auger or rotary drill,

Diamond drill,

Rotary Percussion DTH, Top hammer drill

2 Size of Hole Small Hole 150-200 mm for coal

Large Hole 250-315 mm for OB

Very Large Hole > 315 mm for dewatering well

2
3 Method of Hand held Jack Hammer
mounting

Skid mounted

Wagon mounted Typical hole size 63-150 mm (Percussion)

Crawler mounted Single pass drilling from 7.6 to 15.2 m, hole

size 120 to 229mm(Percussion)

Type of power Electric

Pneumatic Less costly, high noise

Hydraulic May be diesel or electrically powered

hydraulically operated and controlled. New
development, lesser noise

Flushing Wet drilling Water flushed

Dry drilling Air flushed

Direction Vertical

Horizontal

Inclined

On board With Measure while

Facilities drilling (MWD) and
automated Drill
Monitoring (ADM)

Without measure while

drilling

With automation

Semi automatic

3
 Remotely controlled

The above methods are deployed in drilling. However, one must remember that the drilling could
be carried out provided the following requirements are fullfilled ( Gokhale, 2003)1:
1. The drilling bit meant for disintegrating the formation must be sufficiently hard so that it
can disintegrates the formation for a longer period.
2. The cuttings formed in the process of formation disintegration must be taken out of the
hole as soon as possible. One should avoid crushing and grinding of the drilled chips
inside the hole.
3. Drilling tool must be advanced in the intended direction of the drilled hole
4. The hole walls must be competent to avoid collapsing and blinding of the hole
5. After completing the hole the drilling components and the drill should be removed from
the place.
6. The dust and noise generated during the drilling should be contained as far as practicable.

4
 Drilling Methods

Conventional Drilling Method Non-Conventional Drilling Method

Rotary Percussive Rotary-Percussive Water Jetting

Cable Tool Churn Top Hammer Down-the -Hole

Drilling Drilling Drilling Hammer Drilling

Uncases OD ODEX
Drilling Drilling Drilling

Full Face Large Diameter Diamond Auger drilling

Tunnelling Rotary drilling drilling
Calyx Drilling
Rotary drilling

Thermal Drilling Chemical Drilling

Jet Piercing Induction Microwave ILaser

Drilling Drilling Drilling

Figure 1 Classification of Drilling Methods

3 Principle of Rock tool interaction in drilling

The principle of rock drilling involves the rock tool interactions to make a penetration in rock. In
the normal drilling process mechanical energy is dissipated through a bit to a rock. Based on the
behaviors of drilling system and rocks the bit responds differently. The principle of rock drilling
is concerned with providing a scientific basis of such responses, so that for a given job the right
method can be selected.
5
Formation disintegration in drilling is mainly due to mechanical energy. However, there
are drilling technique in which heat energy or chemical energy is used. Water jet energy is
also used in certain cases for rock disintegration.
The mechanical energy can disintegrate rock mass by crushing, impact crushing or
scratching. Crushing takes place when heavy and steady force is exerted on the rock mass
through hard drilling bit. The resistance to penetration of rock is called drilling strength
or drillability of rock. This is different from other rock properties as it is related to
number of controllable and uncontrollable parameters.
3.1 Rock Penetration in Percussion Drilling
In percussion drilling a chisel type or button type bit hammers or blows the rock mass
while turning the tool in between two successive blows called blow indexing. An axial
thrust is applied to keep the bit in contact with the rock when the blow is applied. The
rock penetration takes place because of formation of a crater under the action of the
blow. The sequence of crater formation is illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure2 sequence of crater formation under percussive drill

This involves:
1. The rock is inelastically deformed, with crushing of surface irregularities
2. Subsurface micro cracks form from stress concentrations and confinement at the bit/rock
interface enclosing a wedge of material, which is crushed
3. Secondary cracks propagate along shear trajectories to the surface, forming large
fragments or chips
4. Broken particles are ejected by the rebound of the bit and the cleaning action of any
circulation fluid, resulting in formation of crater.
This process is repeated at each blow and drilling propagates.
6
3.2 Rotary Drilling
Rotary drilling uses different type of rotary bits like conventional drag bit, tricone roller bit or
pollycrysta-lline diamond (PCD) bit. Figure 3 illustrates rotary bits and their components. The
principle of the extensively used tricone roller bit is explained below.

Cones for tricone bit for hard rock

7
 Cone for tricone bit for soft rock
Figure 3 Rotary bits

Figure 4 shows the basic designs of rotary bits for different rock formations.

8
 Figure 4 Selection of rotary bit design
Biggs and Cheatham (1969)[1] considered an idealized drill bit as two dimensional wheel and
chipping action was illustrated as shown in Figure 5 Cheatham and Gnirk (1966)[2] determined
that for producing chis some initial penetration D must be there. As shown in the figure Dc is the
thickness of the chip. For chipping to occur the maximum bit penetration must exceed both D
and Dc . The chipping occurs between a penetrating tooth and the adjacent withdrawing tooth
shown as tooth 5 and 6 respectively in the figure. Further frictional forces on the withdrawing
tooth causes tensile stress and leads to a horizontal fracture at depth Dc between the two teeth.
Fracturing occurs when
1. the penetrating tooth reaches a depth equal to or greater than both D and Dc.
2. The withdrawing tooth has risen to a depth Dc or less.
Thus the chipping is result of rotation of roller under axial thrust.

9
 b

15
14 1 D

13
2
D: Initial penetration
12 3 D c:Thickness of the chip
Fy D max : Maxi mum Penetration
Fx 4
T
11 Penetrating tooth
W ithdrawing tooth 5
5 6
10 D
Dc
9 8 6 D max
7

Fracturing occurs when

1. the penetrating tooth reaches a depth equal to or greater than oth
b D and Dc
Idealised drill bit 2. The withdrawing tooth has risen to adeoth D c or less.

Figure 5 Rock tool interaction in rotary drilling

AXIAL TORQUE
(For Shearing)
AXIAL THRUST
(For penetration)

Bit Face
Rolling Resistance

Figure 6 Forces on a roller bit

The torque applied to the bit makes the bit to interact with the rock mass to overcome the bit face
rolling resistance as shown in Figure 6. The total torque required to rotate the bit under an axial
thrust to get a penetration depends on the rock type.
The bit performance depends on use of drill, bit design and rock properties. It was observed
(Pathak, 1989)[3] the life of bit was unpredictable, though Smith Gruner bit used to give longer
life

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Table 2 Life of different types of Bit at Jayant OCP
Sl. No. Make Bit Number Size mm Drill Machine Total meter
drilled
1 HK 317 311 60-R-BE 5271
2 IIA 250 IDM-V 2388
3 WIDIA V872182 250 IDM-V 1505
4 IIA 250 IDM-VI 1414
5 WIDIA V872181 250 IDM-IV 1071
6 Smith Gruner BJ44802 250 9625
7 Smith Gruner 158 KK 311 60R-BE 11141
8 Smith Gruner BJ44859 250 10695

One of the factors that influence the performance of drill bit is the size and type of bearings. The
latter have to withstand various forces-longitudinal, radial, tangential, shock and vibration. The
longer the bearing, the more capable for withstanding these forces. Large diameter bits have
larger bearings.
Bits for soft formations generally need more room for the teeth as they have less space for
bearings. Bearings may fail if more weight is applied n bit. The maximum weight that can be
applied on a bit varies greatly. On the basis of a study by Ingersol Rand, USA the maximum axial
thrust on bit for longer bit life is shown in Table 3 below:
Table 3 Bit diameter and weight on bit
Bit Dia Weight on Bit
mm (inches) Kg( lb)
3 13, 600 (30,000)
169 ( 6
4
3 15,900 (35,000)
184 ( 7 )
8
7 20,400 (45,000)
200 ( 7 )
8
229 (7) 25,000 (55,000)
251 27,200 (60,000)
5 27,200 (60,000)
270( 10 )
8
1 40,800 (90,000)
311 ( 12 )
4
381 (15) 49,900 (110,000)

11
While analyzing the performance of a bit the effect of number of teeth on the cones is also to be
considered. The required number of teeth and their spacing depends on the rock formation. For
stronger formation shorter teeth with higher density are used. Since the teeth are shorter the net
failure moment at the base of the teeth is less. Also more teeth at hole bottom means more steel
to provide resistance to wear.

a. abrasion phase b. fatigue phase c. Chipping out d. spalling

phase

e. Excessive pressure
Figure 7 Rock failure under rotary drilling
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Figure 7 shows the different types of rock failure under tricone bit. The first phase of rock failure
under tricone roller bit is the abrasion failure. This is result of insufficient axial thrust on the bit.
The inserts or the teeth are contacting the rock under very low axial thrust. The cuttings in this
case are very fine. Thus if you are getting very fine cuttings one possible reason may be
insufficient axial thrust.
In the second case the rotational speed is same as in the previous case but a higher axial thrust
has been applied to the bit. The additional force causes increased penetration of the inserts into
the formation without actual failure of the rock. This phase is termed as fatigue failure and can
be inferred from the cuttings which will be a mixture of small chips and a high percentage of
fines. Though rock failure can be accomplished with this type of loading and insert penetration, it
may require many impacts on the formation to cause the rock to fail. The penetration rate will be
considerably less than desired.
In the third case under the same rotational speed sufficient axial thrust has been applied on the bit
for most effective insert penetration for the particular rock mass.
The figure for spalling of rock is under proper loading. Chips are removed by circulating air
allowing the bit to advance. This condition will give maximum penetration rate and the cuttings
will have more chips and less fines.
Under excessive axial thrust the bit will wear faster. These cases are described in Figure 7

3.3 IADC Code for Rotary Bit

International Association for Drilling Contractors (IADC) has formulated a four digit code for
specifying the tricone rotary bit. First digit of the code represents type of bit and formation
hardness for which the bit is suitable, 2nd digit indicates for which formation the bit is suitable,
3rd digit expresses the type of bearing used in the bit. All the first 3 digits are numeral whereas
the 4th digit from the left is an alphabet and indicates extra features in the bit. Various numeral
codes are given in Figure 8.

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 Figure 8 IADC coding for rotary tricone bit

4 Assemblies in Rotary Blast Hole Drill

The rotary blast hole drills are consist of number of components. There are some assemblies that
are directly or indirectly involved in the drilling process and some are essential for better
performance. These primary assemblies and auxiliary facilities of a rotary blast hole rig are
mentioned in the Table 4 below.

Table 4a Primary assemblies in a rotary drill rig

Sl No Assembly Purpose
1 Mast i. To accommodate the rotary head and enable its up and down
translatory motion
ii. To accommodate the pipe changer
iii. To support the components that move the pipe changer in desired
position
iv. To support the components that enable making and breaking tool
joints
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2 Rod Changer i. To hold the drill pipes while they are not being used in the drill
string
ii. Accommodate the components that enable locking and
unlocking of the drill pipes

3 Rotary Head i. To accommodate all components for transmitting the rotary

motion with desired torque at desired speeds to the drill pipes.
ii. TO accommodate the hydraulic or elelctric motors that generate
rotary motion
iii. To accommodate the components that fasten the rotary head to
the pull down mechanism
4 Pull Down To exert the necessary downward or upward force on the rotary head in
Mechanism the mast
5 Air To supply desired volume of compressed air at the desired pressure
Compressor
6 Drill Pipes To transmit the pulldown force and rotary speed and torque to the drill
bit
7 Hydraulic To transmit energy from mechanical or elelctrical form to hydraulic
System form and thus generate desired hydraulic flow at desired hydraulic
pressure
8 Dust Ducting To prevent mixing of the dust with atmosphere by means of a hood
around the blast hole and dust ducting
9 Dust To filter the dust to the desired level from the dust laden air receiver
suppressor through the dust ducting
10 Prime mover To act as main source of power and give desired quantity of power to
various components for drilling or traveling operations
11 Drill frame
12 Operators Cab i. To allow a driller and helper to properly sit and control the drill
ii. To accommodate all the components and instrument for
controlling the drilling and travel operations
iii. To give desired protection to the operator from heat or cold, rain
and falling objects or flyrocks
iv. To properly place annunciation panel for indicating equipment
condition.

Table 4b Auxiliary facilities in the rotary blast hole drill

Sl No Assembly Purpose

15
1 Piping To allow flow of compressed air , hydraulic oil, foam or water
2 Fuel Tank To accommodate desired quantity of fuel oil for consumption over desired
time period
3 Hydraulic To accommodate desired quantity of hydraulic oil
Tank
4 Cabling To allow flow of high voltage elelctic current for elelctric drills
5 Cable reel To enable automatic winding and unwinding of the elelctric cable while the
drill is moving
6 Lighting To generate low voltage electricity for the purpose of providing desired
alternator lighting in and around the drill
7 Wiring To allow flow of low voltage current to desired points
8 Lights To illuminate the drill and the drilling site to desired level
9 Lubricating To accommodate desired level of lubricating oil
oil Tank
10 Lube oil To carry desired quantity of lubricating oil to the components that need to
piping be lubricated
11 Machinery To guard the assemblies mounted on the main frame from rain, sun rays and
House flyrocks
12 Air To control the temperature of the interior of the operators cab
conditioner

5 Hole Cleaning and Bailing Velocities

For efficient drilling and higher penetration rate the chips are to be removed as soon they are
produced. Air flushing is normally used in blast hole drilling. The return air velocity in the hole
varies according to the drilling conditions i.e. weight of cuttings, hole depth, amount of moisture
encountered in the hole etc. As a thumb rule it was considered that 5000 feet per min i.e 1524
/minrepresents a minimum value.
For better performance of thedrill when heavy cuttings result from the drilling peration, or
excessive hole depth or under high moisture content, higher return velocities are required.
Bailing velocity can be determined from the following formula:

CFM ×144
BV =
A
Where, BV= bailing velocity in feet/min
CFM= air feed in cubic feet per min
A= area of annulus, square inch
The bailing velocity can be determined using the nomogram given in Figure 9 below.
16
 Figure 9 Determination of bailing velocity
While drilling a 6.5 inch hole using 4.5 inch drill pipe with 450 CFM air volume passing through
the annulus. As shown in the dotted line, you start moving up from the hole diameter axis to meet
the pipe size ( as shown in A). Come down from the annulus air volume rate (top ) 450 CFM.
Moving horizontally from A will meet the line at B. This corresponds to bailing velocity near
400 FPM.
The circulation air as drilling fluid medium has two primary functions
• Cooling of the bit
• Removal of the cuttings from the hole
The compressed air from the compressor is carried through the mast stand pipe, hose, swivel and
tool string to the bit. There is sudden relelase of pressure as the air leaves the bit, this causes
considerable drop of the temperature of the air around the bit.
Annular velocity is determined to calculate the air quantity for the cutting removal. The annular
17
velocity depends on the hole diameter, drill pipe outer diameter and air quantity.
For maximizing the upward air velocity for a given quantity of air, the annular area between the
hole wall and the drill pipe should be minimized. However, the linear gap between the hole wall
and the drill pipe should be sufficient to permit the free upward flow of cutting chips. This
clearance will depend on the chip size, however, the minimum clearance should be 7 mm. If the
clearance is not sufficient to allow free flow of chips and cleaning of the hole is not effective, it
may damage the drill stem. Thus it is necessary to estimate the optimal uphole air velocity for
effective chip removal. It is recommended to use air velocities from 1200 m/min to 2500 m/min
depending on the rock type being drilled. Lower values should be utilized for drilling through
soils and soft rocks and higher values for harder rocks. The air quantity required can be
calculated as:
π (Dh2 − D p2 )V
Q=
4 × 10 6
Where,
Q= Air quantity in the annular space, m3/min
Dh= Hole diameter, mm
Dp= Outer diameter of drill stem, mm
V= air velocity in the annular space, m/min

Air Pressure:
For conventional rotary drilling upto depth of 80 m the air pressure is not very high. 3.5 kg/cm2
may be sufficient. In DTH the penetration rate is proportional to the air pressure in exploratory
drilling pressure upto 24 kg/cm2 has been tried. Commonly, used DTH work at 7.5 kg/cm2.

Selection of Compressor
The pressure rating and air volumes required for any particular drilling operation will determine
the most type of compressor needed. Where the demand for compressed air is relatively small
and intermittent, compressors of reciprocating type should be employed considering economy.
Where demand is continuous efficient compressor like vane or screw type may be the choice
though they are costly.

For the purpose of drilling blast holes rotary and rotary-percussive drilling are often used. For
very hard formations and abrasive formations the rotary-percussive drills are proved to be a
better choice. However, in most strata conditions rotary drills are extensively used.
Harder formations normally require special types of bits with medium and hard steel teeth or
tungsten carbide inserts. In case of percussive drilling the penetration rate decreases with
increase in hole diameter and increase in rock strength. The diameter of the hole in percussive
drilling is kept within a limit of 228 mm or 9inches. The hammer operating pressure is normally
around 0.7MPa. However, increasing it to 1.7 Mpa (250 psi) certain manufacturer has claimed to
18
get double the penetration rate. Normally, the hydraulic percussive drill offer a 20 to 100% gain
in the penetration rate.
The modern hydraulically operated drills have number of advantages over pneumatic drills.
These are:
1. The self contained diesel powered hydraulic percussive drills do not require auxiliary
compressor for drill operation.
2. Energy delivered per stroke being higher, hydraulic percussive drills offer higher
penetration rate compared to the pneumatic drill.
3. Less noisy
4. Many hydraulic drill claims enenrgy saving as high as 66% than pneumatic drilling.
5. Machine wear and bit wear is less compared to the pneumatic drills.
6. The investment cost on hydraulic drill is generally higher by about 27%. However, the
energy cost , drill steel cost and overall operating cost are claimed to be 24%, 86% and
76% less respectively.

Vertical blast holes are most common. However, to avoid formation of hard toes and to obtain
better fragmentation and reduced vibration level inclined blast holes are more useful in many
situations. A hard strata occurring at depth in the lower horizon of a high bench is better blasted
by horizontal blast holes. However, horizontal drilling is not normally carried out in opencast
mining due to the difficulties associated with drilling and charging.

6 Factors Affecting Drilling

The performance of drills are affected by factors related to various aspects of drilling as shown in
the Table 5:
Table 5: Factors affecting drilling performance
Sl No Category Factors

1 Operating Drill 1. Drill power

Variables 2. Drill Thrust
3. Drill Torque
4. Drill Rotary Speed
5. Blow energy
6. Blow frequency
Rod 1. Rod dimensions
2. Rod Geometry
3. Material Properties
Bit 1. Bit diameter
2. Bit geometry
3. Material Properties
Circulation Fluid 1. Fluid flow rate
2. Fluid properties

19
2 Drill Hole Factor Hole 1. Size
specifications 2. Depth
3. Inclination
3 Rock factors Material 1. Resistance to penetration
Properties 2. Porosity
3. Moisture content
4. Density
5. Shore hardness
6. compressive strength
7. Coefficient of rock strength
8. Specific energy consumption
for drilling
Geologic 1. Petrologic and structural
Condition bedding
2. Fractures
3. Folds
4. Faults
5. Joints
6. Rockmass composition
State of stress 1. In situ pressures
2. Pore pressure
4 Job or service Operational 1. Labour quality
factor variables 2. supervision quality
3. Scale of Operations
4. Power availability
5. Weather conditions
Site factors and 1. nature and scope of task,
job site conditions 2. achievement targets, working
conditions,
3. site lighting conditions,
4. defects on equipment, hazards
and
5. coordination
requirements/issues.
6
The most common diameters for blast hole adopted in Indian open cast coal mines are 150-200
mm for coal benches and 250 mm for overburden benches. For high dragline benches blast holes
of diameter 315 mm are drilled. The optimal penetration rate in drilling blast holes by a
particular bit size depends on appropriate pull down force necessary for the rock types being
drilled. Table 6 shows approximate pull down force required for medium hard conditions. Figure
10 and 11 show the performance of drill in Indian coal measure rocks.
Table 6 Pull down force (Kg) for blast hole drilling.

20
 Rock Type Bit Diameter

200 mm 250 mm 300 mm

Shale 10800 18600 27300

Sandstone 11700 20400 29700

Limestone 12300 21500 31000

General Recommendation for better drilling performance:

1. Drill at minimum bailing velocity of 1524 m/min
2. After each hole, the bit should be inspected to ensure that all the cones are at the same
temperature. One excessively hot cone usually indiates obstruction of air passage to the
bearing
3. Air valve should be fully opened before rotating bit and are kept on while the bit is
rotating
4. The bit and the drill steel should not be dropped to avod damamge of cones or bearings
5. The bit should never be forced into soft, loose formations faster than the cleaning of the
hole by the circulating air. Operating the bit while buried under formation cuttings to lock
when cuttings can cause bearings to lock when cuttings may be fixed inside the cone.

Figure 10 Performance of rotary blast hole drill (Pathak, 1989)

21
 Figure 11 Performance under different initial bit wear.
It can be noted that :
1. The penetration rate generally increases with increase f axial thrust. However, beyond a
certain limit the drilling is affected by excessive vibration set in. This limit is dependent
on the diameter of the bit, the drill speed and the wear state of the bit as well as the
formation type.
2. The penetration rate can go down by 50% for a 92% change in the initial bit wear.

6.1 Performance Measurement

Drilling performance is normally measured in terms of:
1. Energy or power requirement
2. Rate of penetration achieved
3. Bit wear per meter drilled
4. Cost of drilling
The formulae used for the measurements are shown in the following Table 7:
Table 7 Formulae for performance measurement

Sl System Formulae Reference

No

1 Percussive Blow Energy: E=1/2 mv2=cWL2B2 Wells (1950),

Drilling Pfleider and
Power P= BE = cWL2B3 Lacabanne, 1961

22
 where m: piston mass=W/g

v: piston impact velocity

c: constant=0.3 to 0.5x 10-6

W: piston weight

L: piston stroke

B: Blow frequency

if p: gauge pressure

E α p and P α p1.5 and B α π0.5

if a: area of cross section of the piston

Pα p1.5 a1.5 L0.5 / W0.5

2 Rotary Energy (work per revolution) E=Ef +Er Teale , 1965

where Ef = Thrust energy and Er is rotational energy The thrust

component being
= Fh +2πT small is often
neglected (Rowland,
where F: Thrust, T: Torque, h: depth of penetration per 1974).
revolution =R/N, R is rate of penetration, N is rotary
speed.

Power P = Pf + Pr = FR +2πNT

3 Rotary Specific energy consumption(e) per unit volume drilled.

Percussion
E =E/V= P/AR

V is th evolume of rock, A is area of cross section of

hole,

V is proportional to E, energy applied

Percussion 1. Drilling Rate, R= BE/(Ae) Hartman, 1959;

Mauer, 1967
R=(VcBn)/A

23
 Vc is the volume broken per cutting edge and n is the
number of bit cutting edge, e is specific energy. e and Vc
are to be determined experimentally.

BE
R=
2. Ae

Vc Bn
R=
A

Rotary 1. Rotary drag bit,

Mauer 1967
2πNT
R=
Ae − F
2. drag bit,
2. Tandanand, 1973
2πNrF cot(φ − α )
R=
Ae − F

r= effective bit radius

φ= angle of cutting friction

α = rake angle of bit

Vc nt N
R=
A
3.

nt is the number of tooth impacts per revolution, Vc is

volume broken per cutting edge

Bit wear affects the performance of drilling. Pathak (1989) established that the bit wear is related
to the grain size of the rock as well as other rock properties and operating parameters of the drill.
The bit wear mechanism and wear rate is not precisely known. However, it is well observed that
wear of percussive and rotary drills are influenced by number of factors as shown in the Ttable 8
24
below:

Table 8 Factors that affect the performance of drill

Type of Driling Directly Proportional Inversely Proportional

Percussive 1. Blow energy 1. Cutting edge angle

2. Fluid viscosity 2. Number of edges
3. Rock hardness 3. Bit hardness
4. Fluid flow rate

Rotary 1. Thrust 1. Bit cutting angle

2. Rotary Speed 2. Bit hardness
3. Rock Hardness 3. Fluid flow rate

From the bit wear study it was established that drag bit drills are useful only in soft and medium
hard rock. For medium and hard rock rotary-percussive and roller cutter bit drilling are effective.
While for very hard rocks only percussive drills are effective.

7 Selection of Drilling Method and Drilling Execution

Selection of machine for production drilling calls for your value judgement. Capp (1962)
suggested the following steps as guide to select the right drill:
1. Determine the job factors:
i. Labor and skill availability
ii. Site conditions. From this one will specify if the site preparation for drilling will need
a flat surface or inclined surface
iii. Weather
iv. Safety Requirements
v. Power availability
2. Define Job Objectives of rock breakage vis a vis relationship with other production cycle
operations: Clearly state:
i. Excavation constrints and restrictions
ii. Haulage constraints and restrictions
iii. Pit slope stability and pit geometry
iv. Crushing capacity for size and rate
v. Production targets
vi. Fragmentation demanded
vii. Muckpile through expected
viii. Ground vibrations restrictions

25
 3. Design the drill hole pattern that would be use. This will be based on the blasting
requirements. The pattern will consists of:
i. Hole size
ii. Hole depth
iii. Hole inclination
iv. Burden
v. Spacing
vi. Toe Burden
4. Determine the drillability factor and select suitable drill
An approach for selecting suitable drill is to find the drillability of the rock under different
drilling method. A guideline is shown in Figure 12 below:

26
 Figure 12 Selection of drill (after K. McGregor, Drilling of Rock, 1967 CR Books Ltd,
London)

5. Specify Operating conditions: The drill selection should be done with the drill
manufacturer and the operating variables should be properly defined considering the site
conditions. For this the safety information and procedures will have to be learnt from the
legislation and regulations, relevant Indian and International Standards. Management
plans, manager's rules, company's policy, code of practice, equipment manufacturers
instructions and safe job procedures will have to be referred to specify the operating
conditions and and work instructions. The needs for positioning information through
GPS, drill hole condition information through bore hole camera, hole depth
measurements, dust suppression requirements should be assessed.
6. Determine Coordination Requirements: For the drilling operations it may be necessary to
coordinate with the electrical department to arrange for elelctric supply through trailing
cable. There will be necessity for site preparation equipment like dozers or grader, it may
also require water truck to supply water for wet hole drilling, service vehicles, cranes and
floats may also be necessary depending on the site conditions. The manager must
coordinate these needs in consultation with the drilling in charge.
7. Estimate Performance parameters. This will include:
i. Estimations of machine availability
ii. Estimation of cost of operations
iii. Determination of specifications of power source used
iv. Identification of cost items like bit, oil and lubricants
v. Determination of depreciation, labor cost, maintenance cost, power cost, bit costs,
spare costs
vi. Select a system on the basis of optimal cost, and maximum safe operation.

8. Monitoring of Operations:
i. Drill operations monitoring includes monitoring of rotation and pull-down pressures,
ii. Monitoring the status of the gauges, alarms and other warning devices
iii. Inspecting the conditions of the rods, bits and associated equipment for ensuring
optimal performance.

8 Small diameter blasthole drill

It is necessary for drifting in underground and for small size blasts in surface mines.
This is basically a pneumatically operated percussion drill of top hammer type. DTH can also be
used. Crater is formed by the blow of the drill steel and the debris formed is removed by the
flushing air and new surface is impacted to make progress in drilling the required hole.
The drilling requires the drill rig and the compressor. The components of the drill rig are shown
in Figure 13 below:

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 Figure 13 ICM drill
This light weight drill is easily maneuverable and easily positioned for drilling vertical, angular
or horizontal holes. The operations are hydraulically controlled. It tows its own compressor for
powering.
The components of this are:
1. Rotary Head: Comprises of a hydraulic motor and a suck assembly to hold the drill pipes
2. Feed motor: To apply an axial thrust on the bit through the drill rod by having a chain
feed mechanism.
3. Drill guide to position the drill rod and bit at proper angle to make vertical or angular
hole.
4. Drill pipe or drill rod: A tubuler rod with a central hole to send compressed air and male
and female ends for connecting to the next rod and to the suck of the rotary head.

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 5. Hammer: It is a pneumatically acting hammer. When the compressed air is entered in this
a valve released pressure energy to a piston to blow the bit connected to it provide the
impact on the rock mass.
6. Drill bit: It is tungsten carbide button insert bit connected to the hammer.
7. Undercarriage or crawler unit which allows the drill to be propelled.
8. Propel control valve for releasing the hydraulic to power the hydraulic motor to drive the
crawler.
9. Propulsion Motor is the hydraulic motor that provides the power to propel the machine.
10. Hydraulic control unit having pressure regulator for rotation of the drive head, pressure
regulator for the control of the feed motor, blow valves, hydraulic control, rotation
control and feed control

9 Management of Drilling Operation

What should you do while planning and preparing for the drilling job?
1. You may have to learn the work requirements from the previous shift operations.
Your mine might be having prescribed form for shift briefing. In those form you
may get handover details from the previous shift. In certain work culture, there
may be messaging through wireless communication system or telephones. All
such instructions written or verbal must be obtained, clearly interpreted and
clarified before proceeding to the drilling job.
2. For the drilling job with ultimate objective of quality control of ROM, the
geological and survey information should be accessible. While following the site
procedure those information should be interpreted and applied.
3. Depending on the site, equipment and specific operations planned safety
information and procedures may vary. The drilling operation executives must
have access to these information and they must apply them throughout the work.
1. This information may be what is the noise level of the
machine and what is the safe exposure limit? For example
the manager should know the permissible noise levels as
shown in Table 9 below
Table 9: Permissible noise exposure (after OSHA, 1978).
Duration, Hr SPL, dBA (Slow)
8 90
6 92
4 95
3 97
2 100
1.5 102
1 105
0.5 110
ii. Similarly he should know how the size of blasts affect ground vibration and
what are the safe vibration level for the particular site.
4. Every mine develops their own safety information and procedures. The drilling

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 executive must collect and apply those procedures through out his work while
constantly examining if they are adequate and needs modifications
5. The drill site should be well examined and procure the required tools and man
power for preparing the site for drilling.
6. The drill pattern is designed as per the technical requirements of the overall
mining. The drilling personnel need to get this drill pattern and accurately mark
the drilling pattern. Modern equipment and control technology can automate the
drilling machine to move to subsequent holes based on the instructed pattern.

Better drilling management involves the following:

z Planning for surface blast hole drilling
z Set up and conduct of surface blast hole drilling
z Relocation of drilling equipment
z Basic maintenance of the equipment in the work site
z Maintaining safety and quality work standards in site operations

8.1 Drilling Proper

The exact drilling operation is carried out by the drill operator. Many a times he may not be
aware of the technical requirement of specific drilling job. Thus it is very essential that he is
properly instructed and his job is coordinated with the other operations like blending and
reclamation in site. Further the drilling incharge must be careful to :
1. follow the instructions and procedures prescribed by the equipment supplier in
operations like pre start, start up and shut down of the machines
2. The drill must be positioned and leveled according to pattern while taking care of
the trailing cable, edge clearance, bench stability in the site etc.
3. The drill operator should be trained to use the monitoring instrumentations in the
machine.
4. Based on the site conditions and the selected equipment there may be certain
precautions and specific actions necessary. The drilling in-charge must know and
implement those.
5. The drilling personnel must have knowledge of the hazardous and emergency
situations. On such situations the drilling personnel must follow the stipulated
actions laid out by the manufacturer of the machine or adopted by the mines
without any panic.
6. Drilling operations should be properly logged. Whenever, there is no measure
while drilling system are installed close observations of the operating parameters
and recording in the logbook as much detailed as possible should be practiced.
Recording requirements are normally dictated by site conditions.
7. As far as practicable the operations should be carried out as per the agreed plans
without overloading the equipment in any form.

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8.2 Drill Relocations

It may be essential to march the drilling machine from one location to another. Such requirement
may arise in ore mining for maintaining the grade of the ROM by blending output from different
zones. The relocation may be by walking, driving, towing, transporting or floating. Whenever such
situation arises, the drilling crew should consider the following:
1. Properly inspect the site and collect the location and route plan from the
surveyor.
2. For marching the machine site preparation work should be carried out with
proper coordination with other working unit like civil construction, if
available. If the drill is an electrically operated drill, it may be necessary to
relocate the supply kiosk and cable handling. Depending on the location there
may be requirements for construction of ramps, culverts etc. Such work
should be planned beforehand and logistics should be arranged with pre-
thoughts to eliminate avoidable delays.
3. There may be regulatory compliance to fulfill while handling cables, laying
out ramps or roads. If so that should be given priority.
4. Overall arrangements for drilling may require services from other concerned
departments like maintenance and electrical supply. For the success of
operations proper coordination will be essential.
5. Prior to relocation and after relocation certain inspections of the machine may
be prescribed by the manufacturers. That should be strictly followed. A check
list of such inspection should be readily available to the supervisor.

8.3 Operation and Maintenance

The drilling personnel should orthodoxly follow the operating manual of the machine provided
by the manufacturer. Some important points regarding operation and maintenance are:
1. The drilling personnel should have enough exposure to the
manufactuirer’s instruction for operation and maintenance.
2. The mine might have developed certain housekeeping norm. In absence of
such norms, the technical officers can take up proper faultfinding
methodology whenever such needs arises and should document them for
future reference.
3. The manufacturers normally provide routine tests and services guideline.
Such guideline should be followed without failure.
4. In case of major failure of the machine or major repair work , the
manufacturer’s presence may be expected for developing future
procedures.
5. Depending on the size of operation, maintenance organization and system
should be preplanned.
6. Proper operational records should provide input for operation control
software.
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 7. Proper coordination of workshop personnel, storage control etc would be
necessary.

8.4 Competency Assessment

As a manager of the mines and in charge of drilling operation it is important to know how to
judge competency of the persons involved in the drilling operations. The following
considerations may be used to judge drilling competency:

a. Applying personal and operational safety procedures involved in drilling

b. Interpreting and communicating information on drilling operations
c. Knowledge of the requirements in drill site preparation and executing them
d. Completing drill equipment pre-start, start-up and shut-down procedures at every
drilling operations
e. Operation of the drill (system)
f. Completion of drilling to pattern/specification
g. Efficient relocating and positioning of drills
h. Knowledge of maintenance needs and organizing drill maintenance
i. Capability of collecting, analysing and organising ideas and information.
j. Efficiency in communicating ideas and information.
k. Skill in planning and organising activities.
l. Attitudes and ease in working with others and in teams.
m. Approach and ability to solve problems.
n. Using mathematical ideas and techniques as well as latest technology.

8.5 What a Drilling Operation In-charge must do

1. Plan and prepare for operations:
i. For this the engineer should be provided with information regarding legislative
requirements, site requirements based on the geo-technical and geo-mining
conditions, requirements suggested by the manufacture of the deployed
equipment as well as the requirements for the established procedure for the job.
The officer must be able to interpret and clarify these requirements
ii. For the satisfactory completion of the job the officer must specify the work
requirements like the target to be achieved, the type of tools and worker he will
require and he must understand how to allocate those requirements at proper time
and at proper location.
iii. The officer should have access to the geological and survey data and he must
know how to interpret these data and apply the knowledge in field. This is
important for the drilling engineer to know how his drilling pattern and drilling
sequence contribute to the quality and grade control.
iv. The officer must inspect the work area and prepare it if necessary prior to
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 mobilizing exact drilling operation.
v. The officer must identify, manage and report potential hazards and risks in
accordance with legislative, site and manufacturer’s requirements and
procedures.
vi. The drilling officer must understand the links of his job with the other operations
in the mine and must coordinate his requirements with others. Resolving
coordination requirements is very important for overall productivity.
vii. The drilling officer/in-charge like any other job -in charge must be very careful
regarding the protective equipmnet with due consideration of the site
requirements and procedural demands.

10 Safety at Drilling Operations

The hazards and risks are involved in drilling mainly due to the following:
• Noise (hearing): the drilling operations normally produce higher level of noise. The
operator and helper must use personnel protective equipment as prescribed by the
manufacturer of the drill or the mine management.
• Explosives material: Drilling is followed by blasting and the drilling personnel must be
aware of explosive risks.
• Burst hoses: the machine comprises of hydraulic and pneumatic hose ppes. They must be
properly maintained and replaced after prescribed use. Accidental bursting may cause
accident.
• Air and hoses.: The drilling personnel must be aware f the high pressure lines and the
risks to work with them.
• Couplings: The couplings at drill rods are not supposed to break, however, poor
workmanship may lead to improper coupling that get dislodged while oeration may create
serious injury to men or machine.
• Compressed air: All the precautions to work with compressed
• Dust: dusts can cause lung disease as well as inconvenience in working. Dust collector
facilities in the drill must be well maintained.
• Loose clothing: No person with loose garment should be alloqwed to work with the drill.
• Pre-start checks should be conducted orthodoxy during every starting in accordance with
specified requirements particularly with respect to the compressor, drill rig and the
consumables. Ground area should be checked to ensure working conditions comply with
specified requirements.
• At the the drill work site while working inspections must be conducted to know if there is
any misfires and old explosives in the site as well as the high wall stability to ensure a
particular position of the drill is safe.
• All precautions prescribed by the manufacturer and norms suggested at the mine should
be followed during tramming the drill to the bench, moving it into position, starting up
and running to operating state, and positioning to the leveled position using the jacks.

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11 Monitoring of drilling conditions
While conducting the drilling operation one must monitor the following:
• Instrument readings.
• Penetration rate.
• Replacement needs for rods.
• Adding rods.
• Dust/environmental requirements.
• Chippings quality.
• Status of water in hole.
• Cracks, faults in the rock mass.
• conditions of the work area.
• Illumination standards(night work).

10.1 Measure while drilling

Drilling optimization is possible by controlling the operating parameters to match with the geo-
mechanical and structural properties of the rock mass being drilled. Measure –While –Drilling
(MWD) is the process to generate data for automatically or manually controlling the operation
parameters of a drill. During the operation of a drill the operator needs to adjust pull down
pressure (i.e. the axial thrust on the bit), rotary speed and bailing air pressure and velocity
depending on the strata encountered.
Modern drills like BE 60R or 61 R incorporates MWD system. This system comprises of an
electronic black box incorporating sophisticated transducers and current limit devices which feed
back drill performance data to a central controller. The system would respond to the monitored
signal when preset drilling and machine parameters were exceeded, through adjustments to down
feed, rotary speed and flushing rate.
Similar systems were also developed by Gardner Denever for their GD-120/130 rotary blast hole
drills and Marion for their M4 and M5 crawler rigs. The system incorporated in Marion also
controls by measuring while drilling. It controls the parameters of down pressure, bailing air
pressure and rotary speed. Limits for each of these are preset into the system and are determined
based on gound conditions, projected rotary bit life and desired rate of penetration.
Variations in the penetration rate are due to the changing nature of the rock being drilled, but
may also reflect changes in the operating skill of the drill i.e. the control of pull down pressure
and rotary speed. Variations in the rotary torque indicate very clearly the presence of strong or
weak rock units in a manner similar to the penetration rate. Variations may be due to change in
down pressure and rotary speed, which can be confirmed by examination of the drilling records.
In general, at constant or set down pressure; torque increase occurs for stronger rocks i.e
sandstone whilst decrease indicates weak rocks like mudstone, coal or weathered rocks. Thus,
measuring-while-drilling provides better control of the machine as well as important
geotechnical information for other mining operations.

12 Problems of Drilling
The problems that may occur during drilling include:
• Bit stuck.
• Broken bit (tungsten carbide).

34
 • Rods stuck that won`t separate.
• Rods broken
Other problems associated are:
• Excessive noise
• Excessive dust generation
• Excessive bit wear rate
• Poor penetration rate
• Problem of flushing
• Wall collapse during drilling
• Water in the hole

12.1 Drilling Hazard 1

Blast hole flushing by air renders the operators and his assistant exposed to airborne respirable
crystalline silica dust. This may induce lung disease like silicosis. As the drilling process itself
generated dusts and dusts are emitted at a speed from the drilled hole, it may be difficult to
contain the dust at source. Normally, fixed shrouds are used to enclose the area beneath the drill
deck. However, there are often significant amount of leakage due to:
1) gaps between the shroud and ground created by raising/leveling the drill,
2) gaps in the corner seams, and
3) torn deck shrouds.
4) less attention to keep it fixed.

Most deck shrouds are rectangular and constructed of four separate pieces of rubber belting
attached to the deck. Because of this design, there is usually a significant amount of dust
escaping from the open seams as well as the open area between the shroud and the ground. This
dust can be a significant source of silica exposure to drill operators as well as other personnel
downwind of the drill.

1
(www.cdc.gov/niosh/hc27.html)

35
 Figure 14. Dry dust collection system for blast hole drill: circular deck shroud.

Figure 15. Drill operator at the control panel.

To improve the efficiency of the dust suppression circular deck shrouds are designed. This new
shroud is circular and slightly conical in design and is without any open seams. Steel banding is
used to attach the shroud to the bottom of the drill deck and close the one seam. The shroud is
capable of being hydraulically raised to nearly flush with the drill deck and lowered to make
contact with the ground after raising and leveling the drill. A steel band is attached to the bottom
of the shroud to maintain shape as well as to provide weight for lowering. Sheet rubber material,
which is thinner than material typically used for deck shrouds, is used for flexibility. Operation is
accomplished by guide wires attached to the bottom steel band and a hydraulic cylinder. The
cylinder is controlled by a hand valve located near the other drill controls. The shroud has a
small trap door which can be manually raised/lowered so that the cuttings can be shoveled from
inside the shroud without losing dust capture efficiency. Such innovative designs can reduce dust
emission from surface mines considerably

13 Conclusion
In this lecture various aspects of blast hole drilling technology are introduced. Basic issues for
improving the drilling operations are briefly discussed. The drilling and blasting economics will
have to be looked together. In the following lecture we will discuss the blasting in surface mines.

[1] Biggs, M. D. and Cheatham, J. B. 1969, Theoretical forces for prescribed motion of a roller
bit, Soc. Of Petro. Engr, Jl, Dec 1969, p.473.
[2] Cheatham, J. B. Jr and Gnirk, P. F., 1966 TH enechanics of rock failure associated with drilling at

36
depth, Proc. 8th Symp on rock mechanics, Univ of Minota.
[3] Pathak, K, 1989 Effect of perating parameters and rok formation type on rotary blast-hole drill
performance, M. Tech Thesis, Dept. of Mining Engineering, ISM, Dhanbad p.37
[4] Gokhale, B. V. 2003, Blasthole Drilling Technology, Publisher: Multifields, Mumbai , p. 3

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