MINING SURFACE 2A

SMMMNA2

Learning Unit 2C
SURFACE MINE DRILLING :
ROTARY DRILLING MACHINES

Prepared by Nyadzeni Makhado JANUARY 2023

 INTRODUCTION: ROTARY DRILLING MACHINES

❑ Drill and blast is the most preferred method of fragmenting hard unbroken
rock
❑ Rock drilling may be accomplished by the following range of machines that
are currently available for surface mine drilling:
❖ Tri-cone rotary drill;
❖ Drag-bit rotary drill
❖ Top hammer drill and
❖ Down the hole hammer drill
❑ The top hammer and down the hole drills are generally considered the
“smaller series of drills”
❑ A typical rotary drilling machine is capable of drilling holes of up to 254mm
diameter to a depth of 40m or more

Slide 2
 Typical Rotary Drill and Main Components

Slide 3
TYPICAL ROTARY DRILL AND MAIN COMPONENTS

4
 INTRODUCTION: ROTARY DRILLING MACHINES

❑ Typical main components of a rotary drill:

❖ Levellling (cylinders)
❖ Propel (motors)
❖ Bailing air (compressor)
❖ Mast positioning (cylinders)
❖ Pipe handling (cylinders)
❖ Down pressure/Retreat (motors or cylinders)
❖ Rotary torque (motors)

Slide 5
 MAIN COMPONENTS OF A TYPICAL TRICONE ROTARY DRILLING MACHINE

❑ The main components of a tricone drill are:

❖ Machine room: - contains engine (diesel) generator or electric
motors for hydraulic system
❖ Cabin: - must give operator a view of the work area and borehole
collar
❖ Tracks; - width depends on ground conditions
- width also depends on the allowable bearing capacity
of the material under the machine
- tracks provide stability during the drilling process
❖ Mast: - it is important to choose the mast according to the
depth of the blasthole that is required in single pass
drilling
- inclined borehole need a mast that is supported. For
instance, a mast of 25m, if a hole of 30m must be drilled,
will require an external drill steel. An extra drill steel
requires extra handling equipment in the mast itself. This
reduces productivity
Slide 6
 MAIN COMPONENTS OF A TYPICAL TRICONE ROTARY DRILLING MACHINE

❑ The main components of a tricone drill are:

❖ Drillhead: - contains the drill steel rotation motor which is
subjected to heavy torque and loadings
- Rotation speed generally between 60 and 12o rpm,
depending on rock type
❖ Pulldown system: - used for loading the drill bit, mostly by
cylinders and/or chain system
- the pulldown can vary o (zero) ton to 68 ton
(depending on drill bit diameter)
- system also used to pull the drill steel out of the
blasthole
- when the drill hole is deep, the system is used
to reduce drill bit loading (because of the weight
of the drill steel)

Slide 7
 MAIN COMPONENTS OF A TYPICAL TRICONE ROTARY DRILLING MACHINE

❑ The main components of a tricone drill are:

❖ Levelling cylinders: - for the alignment of the machine in the x –
and – y – plane in order to achieve and
maintain correct blasthole direction

❑ Drill bit design: - button or tooth design

- depends on the compressive strength of the rock

❑ Tricone bit : - a tricone bit is a drill bit with a head that is divided into three
main parts. It consists of three rotating cones working inside each other and
each with its own row of cutting teeth or buttons.

Slide 8
 INTRODUCTION: ROTARY DRILLING MACHINES

❑ The choice of a specific rotary drilling model depends on a number of

factors such as:
❖ [A] Type of mining method (strip mining; terrace; or open-pit mining);
❖ [B] Rock characteristics:
▪ Hardness
▪ Compressive strength
▪ Density
▪ Cohesiveness
▪ Mineability
▪ Drillability (Specific energy Ev. The in-situ characteristics (e.g.
coefficient of rock strength KR) are best established on site)

Slide 9
 INTRODUCTION: ROTARY DRILLING MACHINES

❑ (Continued) - The choice of a specific rotary drilling model depends on a number of

factors such as:
❖ [c] Production Requirements:
▪ Required ore production (total meters drilled at the penetration speed
of the drill in ore);
▪ Amount of waste that must be moved to expose the ore;
▪ Geometry of the pit:
➢ Bench inclination;
➢ Pre-split;
➢ Hole spacing
▪ Support equipment requirements;
➢ Self-propelled;
➢ Electric transformers;
➢ Cable handlers;
➢ Diesel-powered
➢ Explosive choice
• burden and spacing (tramming distance between
holes);
Slide 10 • diameter limitations – based on sensitivity of explosive
 INTRODUCTION: CRITICAL FACTORS

❑ Critical factors in choosing a drill machine include:

❖ Rock Drillability (compressive strength)
❖ Borehole Diameter; and
❖ Pulldown
❑ Rule of thumb for choosing a drill machine:
❖ Hard rock (Qc > 150 MPa) , diameter approximately 120mm :
Use a hammer drill;
❖ Hard rock (Qc > 150 MPa) , diameter approximately 154mm :
Use a down the hole drill;
❖ The largest diameter in hard rock mines are 180 – 400 mm:
Use down the hole drill;
❖ Strip mines, and open-pit mines : - commonly softer rock
relative to hard rock mines) : Use tricone rotary drills. Note:
Different types of drill bits are also used in these mines

Slide 11
 INTRODUCTION: TRICONE ROTARY DRILLING MACHINES

❑ Most rotary drills are either track-mounted or totally self-propelled

❑ Most rotary drills are driven either by a diesel engine (up to 27t pulldown on
drill bit) or equipped with an electric drive system (above 27t pulldown).
Emphasis: Rotary drills are powered by:
❖ Diesel engine (up to 27t pull down on drill bit; or
❖ Electric drive system (above 27t pulldown)
❑ How does drilling take place:
❖ Drilling takes place through the application of pulldown and
rotation on the tricone drill bit via the drill stell
❖ When the compressive strength of the rock is overcome,
penetration then takes place; and
❖ The resulting cuttings are removed from the hole during drilling by
air pressure (bailing air)

Slide 12
 TRICONE ROTARY DRILLING MACHINE
(SOME IMPORTANT FACTORS)

❑ The compressive strength of siltstone in Mpumalanga, South Africa, is in

the range of 65 – 110 MPa
❑ The compressive strength of sandstone in Mpumalanga, South Africa, is in
the range of 65 – 150 Mpa
❑ In general, the larger the drill-bit diameter, the greater the pulldown that can
be applied to it
❑ The maximum pulldown (Wmax) (in kg) for a drill-bit of which the diameter
is given, can be found from the equation:
Wmax = 570 000 d^2
▪ Note: The above equation is only true for button-type drill bits
mounted on a tricone system

Slide 13
 THE COST OF DRILLING

❑ The costs of drilling can be analyzed by using various techniques and

measures
❑ The bottom line is the cost per meter drilled
❑ The cost per meter drilled can be made comparable:
❖ across drill bit types;
❖ across types of drills; and
❖ across hole diameter
❑ In general larger holes are more expensive to drill (in terms of unit volume
of material removed), but may work out cheaper in terms of total bench
volume excavated (by virtue of larger burden and spacing possible with
larger holes)
❑ When analyzing the cost of drilling:
❖ the first assessment is between the types of drill bits;
❖ the second assessment is between the types of drills; and
❖ the third assessment is between the hole diameters

Slide 14
 THE COST OF DRILLING

❑ Keep complete and accurate records of blasthole bit performance

(combination of drill bit and penetration rate!)
❑ Any universal procedure for comparing bit performance must include
bit cost and drill machine operating costs
❑ The “total drilled cost per meter” of hole drilled with a rotary blast hole bits
can be determined by using the equation:

Slide 15
 PRODUCTION POTENTIAL OF TRICONE ROTARY DRILLS

❑ The drill drive power (Pd KW) – drilling requirements only, is given by:

Slide 16
 PRODUCTION POTENTIAL OF TRICONE ROTARY DRILLS

❑ The penetration tempo of a tricone drill can be calculated through the use
of empirical formulae proposed by Bauer and Praillet; and Bauer and
Calder. The penetration tempo is given by:
0.1275𝑊𝑤
Ps = 𝑄𝑐 2 𝑑 0.9
1
Where :
Ps = penetration tempo (m/hr)
𝑄𝑐 = compressive strength
𝑤 = revolutions per minute
𝑊 = pulldown (kg)
d = drill bit diameter
❑ The best calculation technique for the penetration tempo, however, will be
to refer to the manufacturers design data for the specific type of drill bit and
rock formation encountered

Slide 17
 PRODUCTION POTENTIAL OF TRICONE ROTARY DRILLS

❑ The penetration tempo of a tricone drill can be calculated through the use
of empirical formulae proposed by Bauer and Praillet; and Bauer and
Calder. The penetration tempo is given by:
0.1275𝑊𝑤
Ps = 𝑄𝑐 2 𝑑 0.9
1
Where :
Ps = penetration tempo (m/hr)
𝑄𝑐 = compressive strength
𝑤 = revolutions per minute
𝑊 = pulldown (kg)
d = drill bit diameter
❑ The best calculation technique for the penetration tempo, however, will be
to refer to the manufacturers design data for the specific type od drill bit and
rock formation encountered

Slide 18
 MINING SURFACE 2A
SMMMNA2
EXERCISE TO BE HANDED IN

ROTARY DRILLING MACHINES

Prepared by Nyadzeni Makhado JANUARY 2023

 BACKGROUND AND EXERCISE QUESTIONS

For drilling overburden at a strip mine in the Witbank area, 250mm

tricone button drill bit was suggested. The overburden material
comprises siltstone and sandstone with compressive strengths 110
MPa and 140 MPa respectively. The total overburden is 20m of
which the upper 8m is siltstone.

[a] Find the maximum pulldown that can be applied on the drill bit.
[b] Given the rotation tempo of 80rpm which is constant throughout
drilling the hole, if the maximum pulldown is applied, how long will it
take to drill the hole?
[c] If the drilling pattern comprises 60 boreholes and there is a pullout
time of 2 minutes, a travelling time of 3 minutes and a positioning
time of 1 minute between the holes, calculate the time it will take to
drill the pattern (assume single-pass drilling)

Slide 20
 BACKGROUND AND EXERCISE QUESTIONS

For drilling overburden at a strip mine in the Witbank area, 250mm

tricone button drill bit was suggested. The overburden material
comprises siltstone and sandstone with compressive strengths 110
MPa and 140 MPa respectively. The total overburden is 20m of
which the upper 8m is siltstone.

[a] Find the maximum pulldown that can be applied on the drill bit.
[b] Given the rotation tempo of 80rpm which is constant throughout
drilling the hole, if the maximum pulldown is applied, how long will it
take to drill the hole?
[c] If the drilling pattern comprises 60 boreholes and there is a pullout
time of 2 minutes, a travelling time of 3 minutes and a positioning
time of 1 minute between the holes, calculate the time it will take to
drill the pattern (assume single-pass drilling)

Slide 21
 ADDITIONAL SLIDES & PICTURES FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES

Slide 22
 PRODUCTION POTENTIAL OF TRICONE ROTARY DRILLS

❑ The penetration tempo of a tricone drill can be calculated through the use
of empirical formulae proposed by Bauer and Praillet; and Bauer and
Calder. The penetration tempo is given by:
0.1275𝑊𝑤
Ps = 𝑄𝑐 2 𝑑 0.9
1
Where :
Ps = penetration tempo (m/hr)
𝑄𝑐 = compressive strength
𝑤 = revolutions per minute
𝑊 = pulldown (kg)
d = drill bit diameter
❑ The best calculation technique for the penetration tempo, however, will be
to refer to the manufacturers design data for the specific type od drill bit and
rock formation encountered

Slide 23
 Long steel teeth

Slide 24
 Short steel teeth

Slide 25
Medium to short tungsten carbide teeth

Slide 26
 Buttons (med long and narrow)

Slide 27
 Typical Rotary Drill and Main Components

Slide 28
 Buttons (short and broad for the hardest rock types)

Slide 29
 Traditional cone-shaped excavation

Slide 30
 Modified terrace mining

Slide 31
TYPICAL ROTARY DRILL AND MAIN COMPONENTS

32
 Typical Rotary Drill and Main Components

Slide 33
 Short steel teeth

Slide 34
 Buttons (med long and narrow)

Slide 35
 Long steel teeth

Slide 36
Medium to short tungsten carbide teeth

Slide 37
 Buttons (short and broad for the hardest rock types)

Slide 38
Slide 39
TYPICAL ROTARY DRILL AND MAIN COMPONENTS

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