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FD3/Front cover 29/3/04 6:35 am Page 1

The

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POWER AND

If you want more information,

please contact your local

Atlas Copco representative or

Atlas Copco Rock Drills AB,

SE-701 91 Örebro, Sweden.

Fax: +46 19 670 7393.

www.atlascopco.com

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The Rocket Boomer M2 C drills faster, moves faster and can be serviced faster. Ideal for drifts up to 45 m2, this im pres sive new drill rig gives you power and performance like never before.

Higher drilling outputThe M2 C features the powerful COP 1838 rock drill, which incorporates the latest tech- nol o gy in an intelligent control sys tem. The system “feels” the rock and adjusts im pact and feed to the actual rock conditions for max i mum penetration and drill steel life.

Higher availabilityA high-speed network system enables fast, active and ac cu rate control of the drilling proc ess. The electronics are highly tol er ant to disruption and cope extremely well with harsh en vi ron men tal conditions. Our interactive di ag nos tic system gives easier de tec tion and cor rec tion of mal func tions.

Higher effi ciencyErgonomically designed operator’s panel with full colour dis play contains all in for -ma tion needed for direct op er a tor-ma chine communication. PC card with preferred drill ing set tings and logging enables the operator to work fast er.

Interested? Visit our web site: www.facedrilling.com

PERFORMANCEThe Rocket Boomer M2 C

Rocket Boomer M2 C.indd 1 2004-03-19, 15:33:10

Foreword2 Foreword by Veikko Suvanto, product line

manager for face drilling, mechanized boltingand production drilling at Atlas Copco RockDrills AB.

Talking Technically3 Automation for Quality Drilling 6 Blasting Technology

11 Selecting Rocktools for Tunnelling15 Getting Into Perfect Shape17 Getting the Drift with Magnum SR 19 Economic Case for Bit Grinding22 Rock Drilling With Diarot26 Iredes Initiative 28 Rocket Boomers Install Rock Reinforcement

Case Studies31 Spain: Vielha, Pyrenees with Rocket Boomer

WL3 C and L2 C rigs and Swellex Mn 12rockbolts.

35 Switzerland: Mitholz, Lötschberg with Swellexand drillrigs with advanced boom control (ABC).

39 Sweden: Trollhattan, Gothenburg with XL3 Crig drilling accurate holes for grouting.

43 Norway: Spitsbergen, breaking records withRocket Boomer L2 C in Arctic conditions.

46 Finland: Viikinmäki wastewater, using XL3 Crig with COP 1838HF rockdrills and Diarotanalysis.

49 Norway: Tyin hydro, Atlas Copco rigs usingSecoroc rock tools, and Robbins raise borerwith RCS.

53 Sweden: Zinkgruvan mine, where mechanizedbolting has increased capacity with better safety.

55 Germany, Norway, US: improving limestoneproduction efficiency with job-matchedhydraulic rigs.

60 Norway: Skatestraum, fjord crossing usingthree-boom WL3 C drillrig with ABC Total.

63 Portugal: Venda Nova hydro using RocketBoomer L2 Cs, Swellex, and Robbins raise borer.

67 Czech Republic: Mrazovka, Prague with L2 Ctwo-boom rigs installing Boodex.

71 Japan: Agatsuma, ABC Total produces lessoverbreak when tested against ABC Regular.

74 China: MTRC and West Rail, Hong Kong withcomputerized L2 C and WL3 C drillrigs.

77 Austria: Removing bottlenecks in the highwaysystem using Rocket Boomers L3 C and L2 C.

82 Finland: Kemi Mine, where RCS drillrigs arehelping optimize the production process.

85 Sweden: Sodra Lanken, Stockholm’s southernlink road where MWD was used effectively.

Product Specifications88 Rocket Boomer Drilling Rigsi-iv COP 3038 Rock Drill101 Hydraulic Rock Drills103 Drillrig Options112 Hydraulic Booms113 Hydraulic Drill Support115 Rod Adding System116 Hydraulic Feeds118 Secoroc Rock Tools131 Grinding Machines136 Boltec Mechanized Bolting Rigs139 Swellex Manganese Line140 MAI Self Drilling Anchors141 Grouting Equipment142 Wagner Scooptrams and Minetrucks145 Pusherlegs and Stopers146 Air Line Accessories151 Aftermarket ProductsFront cover: Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer XL3 C at work inTrollhattan railway tunnel, Sweden.

This edition published 2004. Atlas Copco reserves the right toalter its product specifications at any time. For latest updatescontact your local Sales Office or refer to www.boomer-rig.com

FACE DRILLING 1

Contents

Produced by Reference Editions Ltd for Atlas Copco Rock Drills AB, SE-701 91 Orebro, Sweden, tel +46 19 670-7000,fax -7393. Publisher Ulf Linder ulf.linder@atlascopco.com Editor Mike Smith mike@reference-editions.comPicture Editor Jan Hallgren jan.hallgren@atlascopco.com Contributors Ake Ekloef, Alf Stenqvist, Anders Arvidsson,Gunnar Nord, Hans Fernberg, Jorgen Appelgren, Lennart Soderstrom, Mark Bernthaler, Mohinder Singh, Olle Karlsson,Rolf Andersson, Rolf Elsrud, Stig Olofsson, Turgay Ozan, all name.surname@atlascopco.com and Thierry Borcaresearch@tunnelbuilder.com

Copies of all reference editions are available for multi-channeldelivery from the Editions section at www.reference-editions.comReproduction of individual articles only by agreement with thepublisher.

Designed and typeset by Dorchester Typesetting Group Ltd.

Printed by Stephens & George, Dowlais, Merthyr TydfilCF48 3TD, UK.

FD3/p1 29/3/04 6:37 am Page 1

2 FACE DRILLING

ForewordDevelopment With the User in Mind

Edison believed in hard work, sometimes working twenty hours a day. He was quoted as saying “Genius is one percentinspiration and 99 percent perspiration!”.

Hard work, systematic planning and strict discipline are also the main ingredients in the successful face drilling casestudies you can read about in this reference edition. Another common denominator, in all cases, has been high performanceequipment, and the participation of Atlas Copco.

There is always a better way of doing things, and Atlas Copco has a long history of continuously striving to arrive at moreefficient solutions. Involvement of customers, and listening to their needs, is one important part of our design process. Highperformance is also important, and, in achieving this, the focus has been on simplicity in operation and maintenance.

The users’ needs are basically for reliable, high-capacity equipment, and economic drilling to contribute to the lowest costper tonne. The new generation of Atlas Copco equipment offers modular design with a computer-based drilling system, anduser-friendly communications with interactive diagnostics for easier trouble shooting and fault-diagnosis.

Technological development in equipment and supporting systems encourages all of us to move in this new direction. Thekey driving forces are that both parties are focusing on their core competencies, and that the supplier can take a greaterresponsibility for long term equipment performance. Customers know how to drive tunnels efficiently, and get ore out of theground safely and economically. This is why we have close interaction with our customers in our commitment to continuouslyimprove the quality and cost-effectiveness of our products and service.

Even though a new generation of drill rigs is ready to meet the current market demands, such as full automation andextended software options, development work must go on. We are fully committed to our customers’ business, and are alwayslooking for ways to increase their productivity. If you want more information about the use of our products, you are morethan welcome to contact Atlas Copco.

Veikko SuvantoProduct Line Manager, Underground Drilling Equipment,Atlas Copco Rock Drills AB

veikko.suvanto@atlascopco.com

FD3/01 p2 29/3/04 6:38 am Page 2

Introduction

Atlas Copco has introduced a numberof new drillrigs for undergroundexcavation, using a common technol-ogy platform. This approach allowsdevelopment of new functionalities forthe drillrigs, by working in closerelationship with skilled tunnellingcontractors.

The current generation of drillrigsis designed for high productivity,quality drilling, and a comfortableworking environment for the operator.Hole drilling constitutes an ever-smaller share of the direct cost andtime of tunnelling, but has a majorimpact on the other productionprocesses, because it affects fragmen-tation, overbreak, underbreak, supportand mucking.

Although great attention is paid topenetration rate, and wear of drill steeland bits, Atlas Copco is also interested

in what drilling can do to improverock excavation overall. The inputs tothis ongoing process come fromcustomers, and from research projectswhere new technology is applied todrilling operations.

Rig Control SystemThe automation platform for AtlasCopco drilling and bolting equipment isthe Rig Control System (RCS), whichis based on standard PC-computer

TALKING TECHNICALLY

FACE DRILLING 3

Automation for Quality DrillingTechnology Platformfor DrillrigsThe current series of Atlas CopcoRocket Boomer drillrigs is basedon the latest, well provencomputer and information tech-nology. These drillrigs are ofmodularized design in bothhardware and software, so theirfunctionality is upgradeable stepby step. Options such as ABCRegular, ABC Total, drillplangenerator, and communicationproducts are available to facili-tate quality drilling.

Atlas Copco has applied thesame new automation technol-ogy for other drilling equipmentsuch as Simba production drill-rigs, Boltec rockbolting rigs, andROC surface crawler rigs. For thecustomer, this means commonal-ity of components and training,leading to a better understandingof both the capability and themaintenance of Atlas Copcoproducts. For the company, itallows continuous product devel-opment, which can be appliedright across the range.

ABC TotalHigh level ofautomation– automatic, semi-

automatic or manualround drilling

– hole to hole movestragegy

– boom collision control– hole sequence

programming

ABC BasicLowest level ofautomation– manual positioning– angle indication of

feed– hole length indication– basic logging

ABC Regular Medium level ofautomation– computer guided

positioning– feedback on

operator’s display– navigation to tunnel

laser– logging of drilling on

PC card

FD3/02 p3-5 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 3

technology. The new generation ofRCS rigs has taken a quantum leapforward with respect to logging capa-bilities, serviceability and drillingaccuracy. CAN-bus technology providesthe backbone of the new rig controlsystem, RCS. This system is flexibleand easily expandable, allowing newunits to be added anywhere along thedata bus, without adding another cable.

The electronic modules are alldeveloped solely for the rigs, and areruggedized and protected from exter-nal magnetic and electric influences.

For face drilling rigs, the flexibilityof the system is highly utilized, andcan be adapted and configured for alldifferent types of products. Customerscan start at a low level of automationand, as their requirements change, canupgrade. New functionality can beadded, without major rebuilding of therigs.

Flexible Computerization

Included in all Rocket Boomer RCSsystems is a standard level of automa-tion. It consists of computer controlledboom and feed movement allowingaccurate proportional movement fromthe same set of joysticks on the panel,or, if there is more than one panel, thencontrol of any boom from any panel.

The unique RCS system also in-cludes precise control and supervisionof the drilling process for high produc-tivity and longer life of drill steel andbits, using RPCF and anti-jamming func-tions for straight holes, while virtuallyeliminating stuck steel, and activesupervision and diagnostic functions.

As an option, the rigs can beequipped with Advanced Boom Control(ABC). There are three levels of ABC,namely Basic, Regular and Total.

ABC Basic has the lowest level ofautomation, providing an operator-controlled, computer-supported drillfeed guidance tool for precise drillhole alignment. It includes: graphicaloperator-machine interface; all rigfunctionality electronically controlledfrom a single operator panel; systemmonitoring and fault diagnostics; auto-matic code loading procedure; angleindication of feed position; holelength indication; basic logging;manual drill unit positioning; manualrod handling functions; and basic drillfunctions, including RPCF and antijamming.

ABC Regular provides a mediumlevel of automation, assisting the oper-ator to accurately position, align anddrill holes to the required depth, and togather drilling data for office analysis.For a Rocket Boomer drillrig, ABCRegular includes the ABC basic func-tionality, plus: computer guided posi-tioning of booms and feed accordingto pre-designed drill plan; boom posi-tion feedback on operator’s display;navigation to tunnel laser; logging ofdrilled hole on PC-card which canbe analyzed in the office, using theTunnel Manager Lite software (seep.5).

ABC Total enables a completeround to be drilled automatically, con-verting the operator’s role to that ofsupervising the drillrig. For facedrilling applications, the number ofoperators can be reduced from three to

one for a large three-boom configura-tion. ABC Total for a Rocket Boomerdrillrig includes the ABC Regularfunctionality plus: automatic rounddrilling from pre-selected drill plan;semi-automatic, with one hole auto-matic including positioning to the nexthole; automatic drilling, with manualpositioning, automatic collaring anddrilling; electronic parallel holding;hole to hole move strategy; boomcollision control; hole sequence pro-gramming; and computer guided posi-tioning of booms and feed, accordingto a pre-selected bolt plan.

Common Automation

All Rocket Boomer drillrigs can beequipped with a series of automationoptions, which include MeasureWhile Drilling (MWD), Mine MapNavigation (MMN), Drill PlanGenerator (DPG), and Drill RigRemote Access (RRA).

MWD logs several drill parametersduring probe hole drilling, and datacan be used for prediction of geolo-gical and geomechanical variationsahead of the tunnel face, allowingappropriate measures to be takenbefore reaching what might be diffi-cult and dangerous formations. A stan-dard Rocket Boomer equipped withRCS can be upgraded for MWD appli-cation, and will collect data from allmanner of probe holes, pregrout holes,and even normal blastholes. Eightdrilling parameters are recorded at pre-determined intervals that can be set aslow as 2 cm. One, or all, of the boomson the rig can be equipped, with thedata being recorded on a PC card,which can be immediately transferredto the office for plotting and evaluation.

MMN eliminates navigation errors,and places the drillrig at the correctlocation in the tunnel. Referencepoints and tunnel alignment are pre-sented on the operator’s display.

DPG is an option to ABC Regularthat generates a drill plan at the tunnelface to counter any roof or floor drillplan area misalignment. The drill planwill always be correctly adapted to theactual face.

The RRA option integrates thedrillrig to the customer’s site computer

TALKING TECHNICALLY

4 FACE DRILLING

Rig Remote Access affords supervision or control of a drillrig.

Mine office computer

Mine office computer

W W WExternal computer

External computer

At the worksite: Computerized rigswith RCS system and the RRA option

Worksite's local proxyserver

Loca

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twor

k

FD3/02 p3-5 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 4

network. This enables functionalitysuch as work order handling, log datatransfer, and remote troubleshooting.

Using RRA, drill plans can beuploaded to the drillrig, or log filesdownloaded to the controller’s PC, viaa modem, mobile phone or LANconnection. Drillrig status can beobserved on-line using a standard webbrowser on a remote PC.

Tunnel Manager Lite

Tunnel Manager Lite (TML) is aWindows-based support software forthe drilling operation in mining andtunnelling projects that runs on a regu-lar office PC. It is primarily used forthe creation, organization and admin-istration of drilling and tunnel data forRocket Boomer rigs equipped with theoptional ABC (Advanced BoomControl) Regular, ABC Total, MWD(Measure While Drilling), or Boltviewfunctions.

Different sets of data related to aspecific project are stored in a hierarch-ical structure with easily identifiableheadings. This allows easy and quickretrieval of data.

Well-designed, easy-to-use func-tions create relevant information, suchas tunnel profiles, drill patterns, andalignment. Data is easy to createand transfer between the office PC anddrillrig.

Before starting a tunnel, a set ofdrawings and standard information onthe project is produced. The planningdepartment uses TML and convertsthis information to detailed construc-tion plans, such as drill patterns, align-ment tables, and charts defining theposition and alignment of the laserbeam. These are transferred to thedrillrig on a PC card, on which thedata collected during drilling can berecorded for office analysis usingTML, which can then generate hardcopy reports.

On-screen, TML works with twowindows: a left window showingstructured project information; and aright window showing informationabout tunnel line, profile, and drillpatterns, laser line, and log reports.Data for different work sites are storedin a hierarchical tree structure.

IREDESIn order to facilitate use of differentequipment from different producers inthe same organization, Atlas Copco,together with other major machinemanufacturers, mining and construc-tion companies and third partysuppliers, is currently establishing astandard for data exchange betweenrock excavation equipment and users’computer systems. This InternationalRock Excavation Equipment DataExchange Standard, or IREDES, is thecommon language in data exchangefor mining and tunnelling, and isdescribed elsewhere in this edition.Atlas Copco drillrigs will be adaptedto IREDES.

Learning Curve

More than 90% of Rocket BoomerRCS drillrigs are now manufacturedwith the ABC Regular/Total options.For operators, the learning curve isshort, and both beginners and expe-rienced drillers are capable of produc-tion drilling after a couple of daysof training. To use new technologylike ABC Regular requires training innew areas, such as navigation, andunderstanding of the tunnel designdrawings.

Drilling Economy

The new generation of computerizeddrillrigs offers a very precise adapta-tion of the drilling parameters toactual rock conditions, resulting inbetter drilling economy.

Once properly set up for the actualrock conditions, the feed force canonly be increased within set limits,and correct adjustment to the rockconditions ensures precise collaring,straight holes without deviation, andextended lifetime of drill steel compo-nents. The driller’s experience counts,but RCS assists him to do a good job.

Modern tunnels are associated withvery precise requirements, becausethey are usually concrete lined or sup-ported with steel arches. To ensureefficient use of time and materials,overbreak and underbreak have tobe minimized by precise drilling and

blasting. A well-designed drill planadapted to the actual rock conditions,correct drillrig navigation, accuratedrilling, precise explosives loading,and correctly timed blasting all ensurea good profile. The Rocket Boomerwith ABC Regular or Total assists thecontractor to fulfil these requirements,and control the profile.

Since introducing the Rocket BoomerL2 C in 1998, Atlas Copco hasreleased more than 10 different con-figurations of face drilling equipment,including a diesel hydraulic poweredrig. The modular concept of mechani-cal, hydraulic, electronic, and softwarecomponents introduced with the newgeneration rigs has made this possible.

Atlas Copco strategy with RCS isto develop a complete programme ofelectronically controlled drillrig prod-ucts for the mining and constructionbusinesses, and to introduce automa-tion options for all product lines.

by Rolf Elsrud

TALKING TECHNICALLY

FACE DRILLING 5

ON THE PANELThese functions are displayed onthe operator’s control panel:

1. Displays rotation, per-cussion, feed and dampen-ing pressures.

2. ABC Basic – manualpositioning and the displayin the operator’s cabinshows feed direction.

3. ABC Regular, alsomanual positioning. Thedisplay shows drill pattern,including collaring point,hole direction and depth.

Logging via PC card of hole number,type and drill time.

4. ABC Total (Automatic) –fully-automatic drilling ofthe pre-selected drill planwith sequences.

5. ABC Total (Semi-automatic) – automatic drill-ing of individual holes inthe pre-selected drill planwith sequences.

6. ABC Total (Automaticdrilling) – manual position-ing of the feed and automaticdrilling of individual holes.

Buttons on the operator’s control panel.

FD3/02 p3-5 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 5

TALKING TECHNICALLY

6 FACE DRILLING

Recent Development

Drilling techniques have, in the last 25years, developed from pneumatic toelectro-hydraulic, and drilling jumbosnow have a very high capacity. Thefocus of this development has not justbeen on speed, but also on the qualityof drilling. Quality includes the basicparameters, such as location, straight-ness, and length of holes, togetherwith control and balancing of thedrilling parameters, such as percussionpressure, applied torque and feedforce, to reduce and practically elimi-nate jamming and loosening of thedrill string components. CAN-buscomputer technology has entered intothe drilling operation, to control andmonitor all activities performed by the

modern drillrig, and improve thequality of drilling.

The charging of the blast holes canbe carried out quickly, either manuallywith plastic pipe charges, or withmechanical charging equipment forbulk explosives. In the latter case, theamount of explosives needed permetre of blasthole can easily beadjusted. The development of explo-sives has moved in the direction ofsafer products, with improved fumescharacteristics. Modern emulsion ex-plosives are oxygen-balanced, generatinga minimum of noxious fumes, and farless smoke.

Initiating systems like NONELhave shortened the charging time, andadded further safety to the blastingoperation due to their non-susceptibilityto electrical hazards. Electronic deto-nators, giving no spread in thedetonating intervals, are also avail-able. These are sparsely used, due totheir relatively high price, but areeconomic in situations where a smoothcontour is essential, with only littleover- and under-break.

Modern equipment has shortened thedrilling time, the NONEL system hasmade connecting of the detonators saferand faster, and emulsion explosives haveshortened the ventilation re-entry time.

All of the above contribute to afaster work cycle for drilling, charging,

blasting, ventilation, scaling, supportwork, grouting, loading and transport,and setting out for the next blast.Nowadays the face does not have to bemarked up, as the drillplan is stored inthe drillrig computers.

Langefors, in The ModernTechnique of Rock Blasting, saysabout drilling precision: “The scatter-ing of the drill holes as a quantitativefactor is often disregarded. It is includ-ed quite indefinitely in the technicalmargin, together with the rock factor.In discussing blasting as a whole, itwould be a great advantage if attentioncould be paid to the drilling precisionin calculating the charges, and in con-structing the drilling pattern; for theblasting of the cut it is essential.” Withcomputers, this is now possible, and itis likely that it will come about within afew years.

Free Face

The main difference between tunnelblasting and bench blasting is thattunnel blasting is done towards onefree surface, while bench blastingis done towards two or more freesurfaces. The rock is thus more con-strained in the case of tunnelling, and asecond free face has to be createdtowards which the rock can break andbe thrown away from the surface.

Blasting TechnologyImproving theQuality ofExcavationThere are two reasons to gounderground and excavate: touse the excavated space for stor-age or transport; or to make useof the excavated material. In bothcases, tunnelling forms an impor-tant part of the entire operation.In underground construction, it isnecessary to gain access to theconstruction site by tunnelling,but the tunnel can also have its own purpose as a conduit for road, railway, sewerage andutilities.

On mines, drifts are used as adits, and for preparatorywork, as well as for internalcommunication.

Tunnels can be driven horizon-tally, or close to horizontal, butcan also be inclined shaft raises,ranging from vertically upwardsto vertically downwards.

Construction of rock chambersinvolves tunnelling, as do miningoperations. Correct matching ofmodern drilling equipment withthe latest explosives technologywill yield a higher quality ex-cavation accompanied by loweroverall costs.

The look-out should only be sufficient to allow space for the drillrig to drill the next round.

L

L

L

Look-out (L)

FD3/03 p6-10 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 6

This free face is produced by acut in the tunnel face, which can be aparallel hole cut, a V-cut, or a fan-cut.After the cut opening is made, thestoping towards the cut will begin.The stoping can be compared withbench blasting, but it requires a higherspecific charge, due to higher drillingdeviation, the need for good fragmen-tation, and absence of hole inclination.In addition, overcharging of a tunnelblast does not have the same disastrouseffect as in an open air blast, wherehigh precision in calculation is a must.

In the case of Vee cuts and fan cuts,the cut holes will occupy the majorpart of the width of the tunnel.

The contour holes around the roof,sidewall and floor, have to be angledout of the contour (look-out), so thatthe tunnel will retain its designed area.The look-out should only be bigenough to allow space for the drillingequipment for the coming round. As aguide value, the look-out should notexceed: 10 cm + 3 cm/m hole depth,which keeps it to around 20 cm.

The consumption of explosives intunnel blasting is higher than in benchblasting. The specific charge is 3 to 10times higher than that for bench blast-ing, depending mainly on reasonsmentioned above, like large drillingscatter, the confinement of the round,heave of lower rock upwards to ensureswell, and lack of cooperationbetween adjacent blastholes in thefragmentation work.

The consumption of explosives willbe greatest in the cut area of the blast.A 1 m x 1 m area around the emptyhole(s) in a parallel cut will consumeapproximately 7 kg/cu m, and the

specific charge will decrease with thedistance from the cut, until it reaches aminimum value of about 0.9 kg/cu m.

Large Hole Cut

The most commonly used cut intunnelling today is the parallel holecut, or large hole cut. All holes in thelarge hole cut are drilled parallel toeach other, and the blasting is carriedout towards one or more empty largedrill holes, which act as an opening.

The parallel hole cut is a develop-ment of the burn cut, where all theholes are parallel, and normally of thesame diameter. One hole in the middleis given a heavy charge, and the fourholes around it are left uncharged. Inother cases, the middle hole is leftuncharged and the four holes arecharged.

However, burn cuts generally resultin a smaller advance than for largehole cuts, so this method can bedisregarded.

The cut may be placed at any loca-tion on the tunnel face, but its locationinfluences the throw, the explosivesconsumption, and the number of holesneeded in the round.

If the cut is placed close to a side-wall, there is a probability of betterexploitation of the drilling pattern,with less holes in the round.Furthermore, the cut may be placedalternately on the right or left side, inrelatively undisturbed rock. To obtaingood forward movement, and centringof the muckpile, the cut may be placedapproximately in the middle of thecross section, and quite low down.This position will give less throw, and

less explosives consumption, becauseof more stoping downwards. A highposition of the cut gives an extendedand easily loaded muckpile, withhigher explosives consumption andmore drilling, due to upwards stoping.

The normal location of the cut is onthe first helper row above the floor.

The large hole cut comprises one ormore uncharged large diameter holes,which are surrounded by small dia-meter blastholes with small burdensto the large holes. The blastholes aredrilled in squares around the opening.

The number of squares in the cut islimited by the fact that the burden inthe last square must not exceed theburden of the stoping holes for a givencharge concentration in the hole. The cut holes occupy an area ofapproximately 2 sq m. Small tunnelfaces may need only cut holes andcontour holes.

When designing the cut, the follow-ing parameters are of importance for agood result: diameter of the large hole;burden; and charge concentration.

In addition, the drilling precision isof the utmost importance, especiallyfor the blast holes closest to the largeholes. The slightest deviation cancause the blast hole to meet the largehole, or the burden to become exces-sively big. Too big a burden will onlycause breakage or plastic deformationin the cut, resulting in lower advance.

Hole Diameter

One of the parameters for goodadvance of the blasted round is thediameter of the large empty hole. Thelarger the diameter, the deeper theround may be drilled, and a greateradvance can be expected.

One of the most common causes ofshort advance is too small an emptyhole in relation to the hole depth.

An advance of approximately 90%can be expected for a hole depth of 4 m, and one empty hole with 102 mmdiameter.

If several empty holes are used, afictitious diameter has to be calcu-lated. The fictitious diameter of theopening may be calculated in accor-dance with the formula D = d �n,where D = fictitious empty large hole

TALKING TECHNICALLY

FACE DRILLING 7

Typical designs of large hole cuts.

a = 1.5 d

a = 1.5 d

d

FD3/03 p6-10 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 7

diameter; d = diameter of empty largeholes; n = number of holes.

In order to calculate the burden inthe first square, the diameter of thelarge hole is used in the case of onelarge hole, and the fictitious diameterin the case of several large holes.

The distance between the blastholeand the large empty hole should not begreater than 1.5 times the diameter ofthe larger hole for the opening to beclean blasted. If the distance is longer,there is merely breakage, and whenthe distance is shorter, there is a greatrisk that the blasthole and empty holewill meet.

So the position of the blastholes inthe first square is expressed as: a =1.5d

Where a = C—C distance betweenthe large hole and the blasthole, d =diameter of the large hole.

In the case of several large holes,the relation is expressed as: a =1.5D

Where a = C—C distance betweenthe centre point of the large holes andthe blasthole, D = fictitious diameter.

The holes closest to the emptyholes must be charged carefully. Toolow a charge concentration in the holemay not break the rock, while too higha charge concentration may throw therock against the opposite wall of thelarge hole with such high a velocitythat the broken rock will be recom-pacted there, and not blown outthrough the large hole. Full advance isthen not obtained.

Tunnel Contour

The contour of the tunnel is dividedinto floor holes, wall holes and roofholes. The burden and spacing for thefloor holes are the same as for the stop-ing holes. However, the floor holes aremore heavily charged than the stopingholes, to compensate for gravity andfor the weight of the rock masses fromthe rest of the round, which lie overthem at the instant of detonation.

For the wall and roof holes, twovariants of contour blasting are used:normal profile blasting; and smoothblasting.

With normal profile blasting, noparticular consideration is given to theappearance and condition of the blastedcontour. The same explosives as in the

rest of the round are utilized, but witha lesser charge concentration, and thecontour holes are widely spaced. Thecontour of the tunnel becomes rough,irregular and cracked.

The smooth blasting technique hasbeen developed to obtain a smootherand stronger tunnel profile. Smoothblasting, where the contour holes aredrilled close to each other and weakerexplosives are used, produces tunnelswith a regular profile, requiring sub-stantially less reinforcement than ifnormal profile blasting is used.

Firing Pattern

The firing pattern must be designed sothat each hole has free breakage. Theangle of breakage is smallest in the cutarea, where it is around 50 degrees. Inthe stoping area, the firing patternshould be designed so that the angle ofbreakage does not fall below 90degrees.

It is important in tunnel blasting tohave sufficient time delay between theholes. In the cut area, the delaybetween the holes must be longenough to allow time for breakage,and throw of rock through the narrowempty hole, which takes place at avelocity of 40 to 60 m/sec. A cutdrilled to 4 m depth would thusrequire a delay time of 60 to 100milliseconds to be clean blasted.Normally, delay times of 75 to 100milliseconds are used in the cut.

In the first two squares of the cut,only one detonator of each delayshould be used. In the following twosquares, two detonators of each delaymay be used. In the stoping area, thedelay time must be long enough toallow movement of the rock, to gener-ate space for expansion of the adjacentrock to be loosened, say, 100 to 500 milliseconds.

For the contour holes, the scatter indelay between the holes should be assmall as possible, to obtain a good,smooth blasting effect. Therefore, theroof should be blasted with the sameinterval number, normally the secondhighest of the series, and here we canbenefit from electronic detonators, astheir scatter is practically nil. Thewalls are also blasted with the sameperiod number, but with one delaylower than that of the roof.

Detonators for tunnelling can beelectric or non-electric.

Electric detonators are manufac-tured as MS (millisecond) and HS(half-second) delays, and non-electricdetonators as deci-second and half-second delays.

Vee and Fan Cuts

The most common cut with angledholes is the Vee cut. A certain tunnelwidth is required, in order to accom-modate the drilling equipment.Furthermore, the theoretical advanceper round increases with the width,

TALKING TECHNICALLY

8 FACE DRILLING

Firing sequence of a typical hole pattern (*contour holes).

Cut Wall holes *

Roof holes *

Stoping holes

>90˚13 13

14 14

1414

15 15

15 15

16 16

16 16

16 16

17

18 18

18 18

19

19

19

19

19

1919 19

19 19

20

20

20

2020

20 20 20 20 2020

2020

20

21 21 21 2121

21 21

22

19

19

19

19

19

20

22

1 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

9

10 10

11

1112

12

>50˚

Floor holes *

FD3/03 p6-10 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 8

and 45-50% of the tunnel width isachievable. By applying a moreadvanced arrangement of the blast-holes, larger advances can beachieved, but this requires a far betteraccuracy in the location of the blast-holes than normal.

The angle of the cut must not be tooacute, and should not be less than 60degrees. More acute angles requirehigher charge concentration in the holes.

The cut is normally a double Vee,but in deeper rounds may be triple orquadruple Vee. Each Vee in the cutshould be fired with the same intervalnumber using MS detonators, toensure coordination between the blast-holes with regard to breakage. Thedelay between different Vees shouldbe in the order of 50 milliseconds, toallow time for displacement andswelling.

The principle of the fan cut is tomake a trench-like opening across thetunnel face. Like the Vee cut, itrequires a certain width of tunnel toaccommodate the drilling equipment toattain acceptable advance per round.

The constriction of the holes in afan cut is not large, making it easy toblast. The drilling and charging of theholes are similar to that of the cutholes in the Vee cut.

Contour Blasting

Accurate blasting is a priority,especially in those tunnels where theoverbreak has to be replaced withexpensive concrete.

Numerous blasting techniques havebeen used to control overbreak. Theyall have one objective in common: tominimize the stress induced by theblasting, and consequent fracturing ofthe rock beyond the theoretical exca-vation line, by reduction and betterdistribution of the explosives charges.

In tunnels, and road and railwaycuttings, it is of the utmost importancethat the rock around the profile issound, otherwise rockfall, rockslidesand excessive maintenance work willresult.

It is often claimed that good over-break control cannot be expected in allgeological formations. That is true, butcarefully executed blasting will mini-mize overbreak, even in severegeological conditions.

The first approach to control over-break was by Line Drilling, whichsimply involved a single row ofuncharged holes closely spaced alongthe perimeter of the excavation, pro-viding a weak plane to which the blastcould break. Line Drilling was modi-fied over the years, and the holes werecharged with light charges and theirspacing increased.

When cushion, or smooth, blasting,the contour holes were ignited afterthe main blast, and when presplitting,they were ignited before the rest of theround.

In all four methods, the chargecalculations have to consider not onlythe contour holes, but also the holesclosest to the contour line. These haveto be charged in such a way that they

do not create cracks beyond theperimeter of the blast.

Smooth Blasting

Smooth blasting was developed andrefined in Sweden during the 1950sand 60s. Smooth blasting holes arefired together with the main round,using later delays. Small diameterlight explosives, with low velocity ofdetonation (VOD) and relatively lowgas content, were developed, such asGurit. This is a nitroglycerine based

explosive containing kieselguhr, firstused by Alfred Nobel to tame thenitroglycerine.

The contour holes must be carefullycharged with joined-up charges, whichare locked in the hole by stemming.To prevent the sand from running

TALKING TECHNICALLY

FACE DRILLING 9

Fan cut layout.

1

1

3

3

2

2

5

5

7

4

4

6

6

Vee cut drilling layout.

C

Crack zone from smooth blasting.

Crack zone from conventional blasting.

FD3/03 p6-10 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 9

down the hole, a paper plug can beplaced on top of the last cartridge.

The holes directly adjacent to thecontour holes must also be lightlycharged, to avoid spoiling the contour.

The quality of the remaining rockdepends to a large extent on the relationbetween the spacing of the holes (S) andthe burden (B). For a good result, theratio S/B should be around 0.8, makingthe burden greater than the spacing.

The increased demand for stablerock surfaces in permanent undergroundchambers has resulted in smooth blast-ing being prescribed as the standardmethod for controlled contour blasting.Also, less fissures in the remaining rockmeans less rock reinforcement.

Because the stoping holes in atunnel blast are closely spaced andconstricted, the crack formation fromthese holes may extend beyond thefinal contour if they are overcharged.

SVEDEFO has worked out anempirical formula to predict the vibra-tion velocity which can be expectedfrom different linear charge densities at different distances. Well-balancedcharges in the holes next to the contourholes are a must for the best result.

The table below gives the rec-ommended charge and drilling patternsfor different diameters of contourholes (upgraded recommendations arepresently being developed).

The smooth blasting explosiveGurit may be replaced by detonatingcord, which has a very high velocityof detonation. Its small diameter inrelation to the blasthole diameter, andits low gas content, cause minimumdamage to the surrounding rock. Gurit11 mm can be replaced by 40 g/mcord; Gurit 17 mm by 80 g/m cord;and Gurit 22 mm by 160 g/m cord.

The charges should be connectedtogether, string charged, and the holeplugged, otherwise they may besucked out of the hole by adjacent

explosions. A special blasthole plughas been developed which locks thecharge in the hole efficiently. Thesemeasures are not necessary, however,with modern bulk explosives.

The firing of the contour holesshould be carried out with the sameperiod number for the best result.

To summarize, smooth blastingoffers the following advantages:increased hole spacing with reduceddrilling cost; better result in incompe-tent rock formations; simultaneousexcavation; and light and well distrib-uted charging of the perimeter holes.

Cost of Overbreak

Deviation in the excavation of a tunnelfrom the theoretical line imposes anincreased construction cost. Traditionaldrilling techniques accept an elementof overbreak as normal. However,more modern technology, such asAdvanced Boom Control, ensures thatblastholes are drilled accurately withrespect to collaring, orientation, length

and straightness. The accuracy of suchdrillrigs can maintain the true excava-tion line around 10 cm closer to thetheoretical excavation line.

Four main cost items associatedwith accurate drilling have beenidentified as: mucking of excessiverock material; primary shotcrete sup-port; secondary concrete lining; andextension of construction time.

The following is a summary of thecosts related to excess overbreak on atunnel with a cross-section of 70 sq mand a perimeter of walls and roof of22 m.

By comparison, the cost of explo-sives and detonators per metre oftunnel is �181, assuming 4 m rounds.

So, it can be concluded thataccurate drilling will yield savingsequivalent to more than twice the totalexplosives costs.

by Stig OlofssonThis article is extracted from StigOlofsson’s book entitled AppliedExplosives Technology for Constructionand Mining, ISBN 91-7970-634-7,published by Applex, PO Box 71, S-64043 Arla, Sweden.

TALKING TECHNICALLY

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Contour Charge Charge type Burden Spacing

hole diam. concentration m m

mm kg/m

25–32 0.11 11 mm Gurit 0.3–0.5 0.25–0.3525–48 0.23 17 mm Gurit 0.7–0.9 0.50–0.7051–64 0.42 22 mm Gurit 1.0–1.1 0.80–0.9051–64 0.45 22 mm Emulite 1.1–1.2 0.80–0.90

Vibration velocity with different charges.

Vibration velocity (V) as a function of the distance (R) with different charge concentration

V mm/s

3000

2000

1000

700

00 1 2 3 R, m

0.23 0.5 1 1.5 2.5 kg/mRange wheredamage begins

Small diameter blastholes

3 m R

Mucking – �11/mShotcrete support – �66/mConcrete lining – �264/mExcess time – �70/m

FD3/03 p6-10 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 10

Bit Selection

Button bits dominate 95% of facedrilling applications, so they shouldnormally be the first choice. It is onlyin very special conditions that insertbits are a better choice.

A number of tests have been carriedout to compare the performance of bitswith spherical or ballistic buttons. Theresults have shown that the bits withballistic buttons outperform the bitswith spherical buttons with regard topenetration rate, and in some casesalso offer better service life and longergrinding intervals.

A bit with ballistic buttons shouldbe the first choice, but rock conditionscan influence the choice.

Secoroc bit model -37-67 (-67 forballistic buttons) is the first and bestchoice if the rock is medium hard tohard.

On the other hand, if the rock issoft to medium hard, the first choiceshould be the new Secoroc soft rockbit model -37-66 (-66 for full-ballisticbuttons).

For very hard and abrasive rock,model -39 with extra large gaugebuttons is recommended. Model -39 isavailable with spherical or ballisticbuttons.

Problems with hole deviation canbest be solved using Secoroc guide bits.Model -37-30 (-30 for guide bit withsquare skirt) has the same front design asmodel -37, and is available with spheri-cal or ballistic buttons, but with a longersquare skirt to give extra guidance.

Bit Designs

Full-ballistic button bit for soft

rock Model -37-66

Atlas Copco Secoroc is launching anew bit model designated -37-66 fordrifting and tunnelling in soft rock for-mations. The designation -66 standsfor full-ballistic buttons.

The new model is designed with 9buttons – 2 + 2 + 2 gauge buttons and

3 front buttons. All the buttons arefull-ballistic and have a 20-25%higher protrusion than standard ballis-tic buttons.

The higher button protrusion andthe more pointed profile helps the bitto penetrate deeper into the rock witheach hammer stroke. The bit also hasimproved flushing capacity for theremoval of the cuttings in front ofits head. This has been achievedby using three front flushing holes,one side flushing hole and big flushinggrooves at the front and sides of thebit head, combined with the extendedprotrusion of the full-ballistic buttons.

During tests in limestone forma-tions in North America and Europe,the new -37-66 bits have shown thesame service life as standard ballisticbutton bits, but with much higherpenetration rates.

Model -37

This is one of Secoroc’s best sellingbit designs. It has proved to be a veryreliable bit in most rock formations,including hard rock. With a 9-buttondesign, and very good flushing, it gives

TALKING TECHNICALLY

FACE DRILLING 11

Selecting Rock Drilling Toolsfor TunnellingOptimizingPenetration RatesIn order to achieve best possiblepenetration rate, a bit should bechosen where the total contactarea between the cemented car-bide and the rock creates the bestpossible penetration per blow. Asa rule of thumb, the followingpenetration rate index can beused: button bit with full-ballisticbuttons, 150; button bit with bal-listic buttons, 130; button bit withspherical buttons, 115; insert bit,100. However, when bits are com-pared for hole straightness, a dif-ferent order emerges, with theinsert bit on top, followed by thebutton bit with full-ballistic orballistic button, and lastly, thebutton bit with spherical button.

The following article is intend-ed to guide the driller throughthe range of bits, rods and shankadapters to assist with the bestchoice of rock tools for theparticular job.

Model -37-66Model -37-67

FD3/04 p11-14 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 11

a very high penetration rate. It is avail-able with both spherical (model -37)and ballistic buttons (model -37-67).

Model -37-30

With 9 buttons and excellent flushing,model -37-30 offers a very good pene-tration rate, and is ideal for most rockformations. When there is problemwith straight holes, this bit should bethe first choice, since it has a steeringguide skirt to avoid hole deviation.For smaller hole sizes the model-27 design should be used. Thesebits are available with ballistic (model

-37-30-67) or spherical buttons (model-37-30).

Model -34

This bit design offers good penetrationrate, and is suitable for most rockformations. It is available with bothspherical (model -34) and ballisticbuttons (model -34-67).

Model -27

This design, with the large gauge but-tons, is suitable in rock where there isheavy gauge wear, but not too muchfrontal wear. This bit is available withboth spherical (model -27) and ballis-tic buttons (model -27-67).

Model -56

This is the oldest Secoroc bit design,and still going strong. Suitable formedium hard to hard rock, this modelis available only with spherical buttons.

Model -39

This is the ideal choice for very hardand abrasive rock. With extra largegauge buttons, and the same designand flushing as model -37, it alsooffers good penetration rate. This bitis available with spherical as well asballistic buttons.

Insert bit

An insert bit produces extremelystraight holes, but has less penetrationrate than a button bit. Normally, italso has shorter grinding intervals andservice life compared to a button bit.

TALKING TECHNICALLY

12 FACE DRILLING

Model -34

Model -27

Model -56

Model -39

Model -37

Model -37-30

FD3/04 p11-14 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 12

On the other hand, there areextreme formations, like iron ore for-mations and some types of limestoneformations where this bit may be theonly possible choice. Such formationsinclude very abrasive rock or rocktypes, where heavy snakeskin canoccur on the cemented carbide buttons.

Drifter Rod Selection

For drifting and tunnelling, two typesof drill rods can be chosen. Standarddrifter rods have male threads at bothends. Speedrods have a male thread atthe front end, and an integratedcoupling with a female thread at theshank end. Both rod types are carbur-ized, which means that all surfaces,including the inside of the flushinghole, are hardened.

The carburization gives better wearresistance, and a higher fatiguestrength, compared to an inductionhardened rod. Standard drifter rods,as well as Speedrods, are producedwith either a hexagonal or a roundrod section.

For a given hole size, the largestpossible rod cross-section should bechosen, commensurate with therequired hole size and the rock drill.This is in order to achieve the bestpossible service life, hole straightnessand penetration rate. Normally, a rodwith a T38 or R38 thread in the shankend will be chosen. The long middlesection of the drifter rod is generallyhexagonal, with a 32 mm or 35 mm

cross-section. Round 39 mm rods aregetting more and more common, espe-cially if hole lengths are 4 m andlonger. The bit end of the rod is slim-mer, and has a smaller thread in orderto fit the small bits and hole sizesused.

Hexagonal vs Round Rod

Hexagonal rods are today’s standard,while round rods, diameter 39 mm,have started to become more and morecommon. The round rod is a stifferrod, because of more material in thecross-section. Round rods givestraighter holes, and are therefore rec-ommended when hole deviation is aproblem. Using the round rod, theflushing properties for clearing thecuttings out of the hole are not asgood as with the hexagonal rod. Thiscan result in higher risk of jamminground rods when drilling in fracturedrock formations, mainly when drilling45 mm holes or smaller. In homoge-neous rock, this is normally not aproblem.

Conventional Rod vsSpeedrod

The connection between the shankadapter and the drifter rod has tradi-tionally been a separate couplingsleeve. The Speedrod, with integratedcoupling, has the advantage of approx-imately 50% less energy loss in thejoint, the normal energy loss can bereduced from 7-8% down to 3-4%,because it has only one joint,

compared with two joints for thecoupling sleeve alternative. In practice,the energy advantage of the Speedrodjoint compared to standard coupling iseven greater, since it is easier to keepthe Speedrod joint tight duringdrilling.

In drifting and tunnelling, however,most of the drilling is done with asingle rod, which makes the energyargument less important. More impor-tant is the fact that the connectionbetween shank adapter and Speedrodwill be less flexible, compared withthe coupling sleeve alternative. Thiscould result in shorter service life forthe shank adapter if the maintenanceof the drillrig is not of good standard,or if the operator is not observant.

Magnum SR DriftingSystem

The hole sizes in drifting and tun-nelling are small, normally from 38 mm up to 64 mm. Worldwide, themost common hole size, by far, is 45 mm. The conventional thread sizefor a 45 mm bit has, for a long periodof time, been the R32.

With the introduction of morepowerful hydraulic rock drills andlonger rounds, the old thread systemsstarted to show weakness. It was hightime for fresh ideas, and the newSecoroc Magnum SR35 thread is thesystem for the future in drifting andtunnelling.

The difference with the MagnumSR35 design is that the thread isconical. The diameter is 35 mm at the

TALKING TECHNICALLY

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Insert bit

Magnum SR35

FD3/04 p11-14 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 13

end of the thread, and 32 mm at its tip.By adding 25% more material at theend of the thread, a substantiallyincreased metal fatigue resistance hasbeen achieved. More material where itis really needed means less rod break-age, less tendency for deviation whencollaring, straighter holes, and consid-erably longer service life.

Summing up, the first choice for adrifter rod should be a conventional rodwith male thread at the shank end andMagnum SR35 thread at the bit end.Speedrods can be used by highlyskilled operators, where there is a verygood maintenance programme in place.Hexagonal or round cross-sectionshould be decided according to holecharacteristics and rock conditions.

Reaming Equipment

It is always necessary, in drifting andtunnelling operations, to make an open-ing in the tunnel face to provide expan-sion space for the rock when blastingout the complete round. The mostcommon method is the parallel hole cut.

Cut hole drilling of the large centrehole, or holes, is usually carried out byreaming, which first requires the drillingof a pilot hole with the ordinary blast-hole drillbit. The pilot hole is thenreamed from actual hole size to 76 mm-127 mm. Please note that the stresslevel on the rod will increase withincreased cut hole size. This can lead topremature thread wear or rod breakage.

Reaming can be carried out usingeither a traditional pilot adapter with areaming bit, or the new Secoroc domebit. The dome bit offers a shorter totaltime for drilling of the cut hole,compared with conventional reamingequipment. Due to the reverse flushingon the dome bit, stress levels on drillstring, rock drill and drillrig arereduced when withdrawing the bitfrom the hole. The dome bit is alsoeasier to regrind when the buttonshave been worn.

There is also just the one product tokeep in stock, compared with pilotadapter and reaming bit.

Shank Adapters

The task of the shank adapter is totransmit rotation torque, feed force,impact energy, and flushing medium.

It is made from specially selectedmaterial, to withstand the transmissionof impact energy and rotation fromthe rock drill to the drillstring, and ishardened through carburizing. Around400 different shank adapters are cur-rently available from Atlas CopcoSecoroc.

Shank adapters can be divided intothree main types, based on the tech-nique used to transfer the rotationmotor’s torque to the drillrod.

The three types of shank adaptersare as follows:

Shank adapters with female threadare available for some adapter types.They can be used when there arelength restrictions on the drillrig feedbeam. A shank adapter with femalethread will result in a stiff and in-flexible connection to the drifter rod,which may result in shorter servicelife for the drifter rod. Good care andmaintenance of the drill rig, and anobservant operator, are required. Thefirst alternative should always be ashank adapter with male thread.

by Alf Stenqvist

TALKING TECHNICALLY

14 FACE DRILLING

Dome bit

Leyner for older types of air-driven drills

Polygon, for the newest generation of air drivendrills. Note the female thread

Spline, for modern hydraulic rock drills

Matching face bits to differing rock conditions

FD3/04 p11-14 29/3/04 6:39 am Page 14

Introduction

An inaccurate contour, or planned out-line, of a tunnel following drilling andblasting, has long been a problem fortunnellers the world over.

The dilemma is created by inexactdrilling of the blast holes. This resultsin overbreak, or excess rock, beingblasted out, leaving irregularities inthe planned contour of the tunnel.

In simple terms, the more over-break, the more time and money iswasted. Transporting the excess rock,perhaps over a considerable distance,and restoring the tunnel to its smoothcontour with reinforcement and lining,all means time lost.

Facts and Figures

The considerable costs of overbreakcan be illustrated by this hypotheticalexample: a 70 sq m two-lane roadtunnel, 1 km long, is being built and,according to the tender documents,only theoretical volumes of excavatedrock will be paid for by the client.Likewise, the cost of the secondarylining will be paid. Geological over-break is compensated for in the con-tract, and the perimeter length of thetunnel is typically 22 m.

A reduced overbreak of 10 cmresulting from more-accurate drillinggives the contractor the followingsavings in Euro: concrete secondary

lining, 2,200 cu m x �120/cu m =�264,000; reduced mucking out,2,200 cu m x �5/cu m = �11,000;reduced shotcrete, 200 cu m x �300/cu m = �60,000; reduced con-struction time 100 hours x �700/h =�70,000. Total savings: �405,000.

These figures illustrate the magni-tude of the overbreak problem.However, placing holes accurately andwith a proper alignment is not new. Itcould be achieved, even in the era ofhand-held drills, using short rounds.But the problem was the amount oftime it took.

Best Technique

As far back as the mid-80s, an over-break of less than 10 cm was recordedon drill-and-blast sewage declines inSydney, Australia using both hand-held and mechanized drilling.

During the same period, on theRoute 5 tunnel project in Hong Kong,mechanized drilling operationsemployed the best techniques thenavailable for accurate contours. Theyinvolved accurate setting out of thetunnel face, TAS (Tunnel AngleSystem) for the alignment of the feeds,an immediate monitoring of the pro-file, plus a bonus to the rig operators.The results are shown in Figure 1.

More light at the end of the tunnelcame in recent years, in the shape of a manual contour control system

introduced by the Norwegian companyBever. It has been mounted on a largenumber of drillrigs, mainly AtlasCopco Boomer units. The operator isguided by data on a TV monitor, whilemanually positioning the booms toachieve more accurately-located holes.

Then, in 1998, following years ofdevelopment, Atlas Copco launchedits own contour control system, whichis now integrated into its new genera-tion of drillrigs. Initially, it was opera-tional only in manual mode, but, sincethe end of 1999, it has been availablefor automated mode.

The following four examples ofwhat can be achieved with AtlasCopco Boomer rigs equipped withBever control are from projects overthe past five years. The first two casesinvolve drilling with Robot Boomerrigs.

• Henriksdal sewage treatmentplant, Stockholm, Sweden.

The contractor wanted very highdrilling standards, although there wasno secondary concrete lining in thedesign. The length of the rounds was4.5 m, and the size of the openingsome 80 sq m. The rock was hardcrystalline granites and gneiss, whichwere not expected to cause majordeviation problems.

TALKING TECHNICALLY

FACE DRILLING 15

Getting into Perfect ShapeAccurate ContoursPromote EconomyAchieving accurate contours in tunnelling operations dramatical-ly improves the total economy ofthe project. This is where AtlasCopco’s contour control system ismaking its mark. It is now avail-able in automated mode onRocket Boomer drillrigs, and thecost benefits resulting fromreduced overbreak can make thedifference between a successfulcontract, and working for nothing.

Figure 1: Overbreak improvement at the Route 5tunnelling project in Hong Kong.

FD3/05 p15-16 29/3/04 6:40 am Page 15

The skill of the operators was ratedhighly, and conditions were favour-able. However, incentives were notstrong, as there were no savings to be made on concrete. The averageoverbreak was 14 cm outside thecollaring line, and the distribution isshown in Figure 2.

• Escalette road tunnel project,Southern France.

The two tunnel tubes were to be con-crete lined, with a strong incentive tokeep overbreak down. Excavated sedi-mentary material was dominated bylimestone, which had clear beddingplanes with a gentle dip. The tunnelswere some 700 m long with an exca-vated cross-section of about 70 sq m.Rounds were 4 m-long, or less ifground conditions were poor. Tunnelsections with geological overbreakwere excluded.

The results, also shown in Figure 2,were very similar to Henriksdal,although conditions were quite differ-ent. They showed what can beachieved, by the equipment and goodoperators, in moderate-size tunnelswithout difficult geological conditions.

• Mitholz tunnel, Switzerland.

The adit access to the AlpTransitLötschberg base tunnel showed mostencouraging results on overbreak,using the Bever control system. The1.5 km-long adit has an excavated sec-tion of 66 sq m, and the rock waslimestone and shale. Normally, 4 mrounds were drilled using a Rocket

Boomer 353 S, and the average pullwas 3.8 m. In the 0.6 m-spacedperimeter holes, smooth blastingexplosives were used, with electronicdetonators.

The contractor wanted as littleoverbreak as possible, as he had to paySwF 300 for every cubic metre of rockbroken more than 6 cm outside thetheoretical line. Over the entire tunnellength, this meant the penalty forevery extra centimetre of averageoverbreak was SwF 93,000.

For the first 100-200 m of thetunnel, average overbreak was 25 cm.But by the time work had progressedto 700 m, it had come down to 10 cm,as the skill of the drilling crewsimproved.

• Boliden’s Garpenberg NorraMine, Sweden.

An Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer 352 Shas been used on a recent section ofthe ramp tunnel, and overbreak wasreduced from more than 20% to 9%,or an average of 15 cm. This resultedin a reduction of the muck volume of 3 cu m/linear metre of tunnel, andsavings on transport from a depth of800-1,000 m. According to the minemanagement, the savings achieved inone year paid for the extra cost ofimproving drilling operations at the

mine. The excellent results achieved atBoliden are due to the skill of the ded-icated rig operators, and the fact thatthe rock itself does not generate anynoticeable overbreak.

Reducing Overbreak

So what are the main factors in reduc-ing overbreak?

First, the ambition of the site man-agers and operators is extremelyimportant. Close monitoring of thetunnel face is a must, in order to regis-ter undue overbreak and take countermeasures, and a small bonus to thepeople involved can lead to greatresults.

Geological conditions can have alarge effect on hole direction. The drillstring has a tendency to deviate per-pendicular to the foliation inanisotropic rock like phyllite, schistand gneiss. The problem is more acutewhen longer rounds are used. A highfrequency of joints in the rock can alsoinfluence the drilling direction.

Blasting is extremely important,and employing the smooth blastingtechnique with electronic detonators inthe periphery holes can contributegreatly to a smooth tunnel contour.

Tunnel size affects drilling accuracy.When booms and feeds are extendedto the full, they are not so rigid, anddeflections can occur. Exact computer-ized compensation is not easy toachieve, and the further out the boomsare, the greater the collaring and orien-tation errors can be.

Alignment of the feed is critical atthe start of drilling. A tunnel facewhich is not orientated perpendicular tothe drill rod may cause it to bend,making for an inaccurate starting point.Low feed force, and reduced impact atthe start, improves collaring, and thusthe straightness of the hole. The feedforce should be just enough to maintaintight joints without bending the rod.

Fast and accurate drilling requiresdedication, experience, and reliable,state-of-the-art drillrigs. With theseprerequisites, there are not many siteswhere the economic advantages ofcontour control can be ignored.

by Gunnar Nord

TALKING TECHNICALLY

16 FACE DRILLING

Improper collaring will result in major deviation ofthe drill holes.

Figure 2: Similar overbreak advances at theHenriksdal and Escalette projects.

FD3/05 p15-16 29/3/04 6:40 am Page 16

Thread of Innovation

To solve the problem of rod breakage,Atlas Copco Secoroc faced twochoices: either increase the dimensionsof the rods and bits in the same way aseverybody else, or find a new way.Being notoriously stubborn innova-tors, the choice was easy.

During the creative process, threeimportant insights emerged. First, thehole sizes should remain the same asfor drilling with standard equipment.Second, the bits should be easy touncouple. And third, the old threaddesign had to be replaced.

As with all genuinely groundbreak-ing endeavours, the solution wasdeceptively simple. The secret of the Magnum SR35 design is that thediameter is 35 mm at the end of

the thread, and 32 mm at its tip. Byadding 25% more steel at the end ofthe thread, the new design was given adistinctive, conical shape. This con-cept not only upped the fatigue resis-tance of the rods, but also reduced thetendency to deviate during collaring.

The bits are also successful,because they are very easy to un-couple, so the patented Atlas CopcoSecoroc Magnum SR has alreadyproved a big hit with operators.

The new Magnum SR35 driftingsystem, specially designed for the newgeneration of powerful drillrigs,delivers more and straighter holes pershift, and has a considerably longerservice life than any competing systemor solution.

Field Tests Worldwide

Extensive field tests with the MagnumSR have been carried out on four con-tinents, and involved more than a halfmillion metres of drilling over aperiod of one year.

The system was put through itspaces in mines, and in a variety of tunnelling projects. The resultswere unequivocal: service life and rig availability both enjoyed sharpincreases.

The tests showed that the MagnumSR35 system increased service life by25-100% on the drifter rods, comparedto their conventional R32 counter-parts; gave better service life of thebits; and created very high operatoracceptance, due to easy uncoupling ofthe drill bits. This resulted in higherdrilling productivity, thanks to easycollaring, straighter holes and betterequipment availability during thedrilling cycle.

Expanding Family

The Magnum SR drifting system wasfirst introduced with the SR35, whichhas a comprehensive selection ofequipment, including hexagonal 35 mmin standard drifter and Speedroddesigns, and round 39 mm standard

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Getting the Drift with Magnum SRBattling RodBreakageThe tried and tested thread sys-tems, R25, R28 and R32, haveserved underground drillers wellfor many years. However, withthe introduction of ever-morepowerful hydraulic rigs, thesebattle-worn solutions started toshow weakness. Rod breakage atthe bit end, either just behind theskirt or on the last thread, wasbecoming distressingly common.Why? Because it’s the most vul-nerable part of the rod. Con-sequently, bits were lost, leadingto costly downtime. Even worse,holes often had to be re-drilled,sending productivity due south.Putting it bluntly, drifting equip-ment was struggling to copewith the power of the new rigs. Itwas high time for fresh ideas.

Intensive development byAtlas Copco Secoroc has comeup with the new Magnum SRrange, which counters problemswith breakage, and offers per-formance to match that of themodern rock drill.

Magnum SR bits and rods.

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drifter and Speedrods in lengths from3.1 m up to 6.1 m-long.

The SR35 Focus button bits areavailable from 43 mm up to 64 mm,and reaming equipment comprisespilot adapters and reaming bits, aswell as the new Dome bits.

For applications where accuracyand straightness are paramount, theMagnum SR Straight, with its 39 mmdiameter rod, plus SR35 guide bit, hasproved that it can deliver the expectedresults.

The next addition to the family isthe Magnum SR28 range. Tests haveshown that SR28 is perfect for therapid drilling of holes for rockbolts,but can also be used for small holedrifting. This new line replaces thetraditional R25 system in drilling33-35 mm holes.

Tests in rockbolting applicationshave shown convincing increases inservice life, for both SR28 rods andbits. As with all other Magnum SRproducts, the bits are easy to uncouple,and as a result the drillstring issubjected to fewer damaging shock-waves, facilitating rapid changes andmore holes drilled. Altogether, thatmeans less downtime changingbits and rods, and more time spentdrilling.

Magnum SR35, together withMagnum SR28, are ultimately aimedat helping drillers advance the tunnel

face, or drill bolt holes, quicker thanever before.

A new member of the family isSR32, which is specially designed forhole diameters of 38-41 mm. Theproduct underwent extensive field testsprior to its launch and is today a strongmember of the growing Magnum SRfamily.

Dawn of a New Era

The trend in drifting and tunnellingis clear: the rounds are gettinglonger, and the rigs more powerful.Magnum SR was designed to with-stand the high pressures that aretypical of today’s underground drillingoperations.

Although Magnum SR is aninnovative breakthrough product, theenthusiasm with which it has beenreceived, and the performance that itdelivers, have given an indication ofthe direction in which the product isheading.

Atlas Copco Secoroc is genuinelyconfident that Magnum SR marks thedawn of a new era in drifting and tun-nelling, as well as for rockbolting.

The success of this innovativesystem is beyond dispute. Majormines in Sweden, Canada andAustralia have switched completely toMagnum SR equipment. Drillers usingit are not only drilling more andstraighter holes than before, they’realso finding that Magnum SR lastslonger than any competing solution.

by Anders Arvidsson

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Magnum SR Dome bit ready for reaming.

Magnum SR used in a bolting application.

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Grinding Methods

There are two different methods of bitgrinding to restore the buttons. Thepreferred method uses a diamondcoated profiled wheel, and the other, agrinding cup.

The profiled wheel provides asmooth and efficient grinding operation,

which, throughout its life, maintainsthe correct button shape and protru-sion. It features correct centring on allbuttons, producing a high qualitycemented carbide surface, with no riskof cemented carbide nipple. Long bitlife, and higher penetration rates, willresult from good grinding quality.

Disadvantages of using the grindingcup are that it may produce an incorrectbutton shape and protrusion. It is diffi-cult to centre the grinding cup over thegauge button, and there is also a risk ofproducing a sharp cemented carbidenipple on the button, and a possibilityof scratches due to the larger diamondgrain used. Reduced bit life will resultfrom poor grinding quality.

Several tests have been carried outto find which method gives the best bitperformance. The grinding wheelgives the correct shape to the button,regardless of the amount of wear onthe wheel, ensuring that the bit willachieve standard penetration rate

throughout its entire life. It has alsobeen shown that bit life is increasedconsiderably when grinding wheelsare used, rather than grinding cups.Wheels also excavate steel around thebutton, simplifying the grinding task,and giving the bit a more exact profile.

Bit Life

With so many parameters involved, itis difficult to estimate bit service life.First, a proper grinding interval mustbe established, preferably at the stagewhen the button has a wear flat of onethird of the button diameter. When thenumber of drilled metres to reach thisstage has been established, then a cal-culation of bit life can be made, bymultiplying by the number of times itcan be reground. As a general rule, abit can be reground 10 times, butsmaller bits may achieve slightly lessthan this figure, while larger bits mayachieve more. So, if the grinding inter-val has been established as 60 drillmetres, then the average bit life willbe 660 drill metres (diagram 1). If abit is overdrilled, and the wear flat ismore than half of the button diameter,there is a tendency towards crackedbuttons. There is always a sharp edgecreated on the button, and thisbecomes sharper the more the bit is

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The Economic Case for RoutineBit GrindingCutting Hole CostsThe button bit was originallydeveloped to do the job of aninsert bit, without the necessityfor frequent grinding. However, itwas soon found that the servicelife of a button bit increased con-siderably if the cemented carbidebuttons were ground.

Nowadays, it has becomeextremely important to grindbutton bits at proper intervals, inorder to extend the service life ofthe rock drilling tool, maintainpenetration rates, and drillstraight holes.

In all rock excavation opera-tions, the cost is usually expressedin cost per drilled metre (cost/dm),in cost per cubic metre (cost/cu m),or in cost per tonne.

The cost to produce a holedepends on how fast it can bedrilled, and how many tools willbe consumed. The cost to pro-duce a cubic metre of rock isdependent upon the cost of thehole, and the cost of blasting. Ifthe blasthole is of poor quality,then more explosives will beconsumed in blasting the rock.Worn bits very often give a poorquality hole with deviation.

Grinding constitutes around2% of the costs of the entiredrilling operation. To run thebusiness without grinding couldmultiply this cost, with up to100% added when productionlosses are taken into account.Labour and material are the high-est costs, while the machineinvestment cost is low whenutilization is high, with a largenumber of bits to be ground.

The Secoroc Grind Matic BQ2 grinding machinecan handle drillbits up to 127 mm in diameter.

Diagram 1: Typical bit life grinding at differentintervals.

Total bit lifedrill metres700

600

500

400

300

200

100

010 20 30 40 50 60

10 regrindingsper drill bit

Grinding intervaldrill metres

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overdrilled. This sharp edge, especial-ly on ballistic buttons, is very brittle.Once the edge cracks, pieces ofcemented carbide break away and cir-culate in the hole, causing secondarydamage to the buttons.

When a bit doesn’t show any vis-ible wear flat, it may be suffering frommicro cracks on the cemented carbidesurface. This is known colloquially assnake skin, and can be clearly seenwhen using a magnifier. In this case,

the surface has to be ground away,otherwise the micro cracks lead tomore severe damage on the buttons.Likewise, buttons which protrude toomuch must be ground down to avoiddamage (diagram 2).

Penetration Rate

When the right bit has been chosen forthe rock condition, it will providemaximum penetration rate, along withacceptable hole straightness. In rockconditions like Swedish granite, with acompressive strength of around 2,200bar, the bit gets a wear flat after just10-20 drill metres, accompanied by asmall drop in penetration rate. When ithas a wear flat equivalent to one-thirdof the button diameter, the penetrationwill have dropped by 5%. If the bit isused further until it has a two-thirdswear flat, the penetration will havedropped more than 30% (diagram 3).

When a bit has a heavy wear flat ittends to deviate, and, by the time itreaches the bottom of the hole, it willhave deviated far more than planned.As a result, the blast will producecoarse fragmentation, and much sec-ondary blasting may be required.

In contour hole drilling, it is ofutmost importance that the holes arestraight. If the holes deviate, the tunnelwalls will be uneven, making rock rein-forcement more difficult than expected.

Rock formations with differentlayers and joints are often character-ized by heavy hole deviation, puttingextra stress on the remaining rocktools in the drill string. A sharp bitalways cuts better, and will preventboth deviation, and its disadvantages.

Grinding Machines

Two parameters guide the selection ofthe right grinding machine: thenumber of bits to be ground; andwhether the machine should beportable or stationary. Several kinds ofgrinding machines are available to sat-isfy these parameters. In most cases, asimple machine will suffice for a smalloperation, grinding only a few bits.The semi-automatic machines aremore suitable for larger operations,such as mines and construction sites,

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Diagram 3: Penetration rate drops as the button profiles flatten.

Diagram 2: Risk of total loss when a bit is overdrilled.

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where the machine can be stationary,and the rock tools can be brought to it.

Grind Matic HG is a water or air-cooled hand held machine for grindingcups. Both spherical and ballistic cupsare available. The machine is drivenby up to 7 bar compressed air, and issuitable for a small grinding operation.

Grind Matic Manual B is an air-driven portable grinder using diamond-coated grinding wheels for sphericaland ballistic buttons. The machine ismounted in a box fitted with wheelsand handles for easy set up. It is mainlyfor threaded button bits, but smalldown-the-hole bits can be ground inthis machine. A steel spring is mountedin the profile of the grinding wheel,

where it functions as a centring device,allowing for easy grinding.

Grind Matic Manual B-DTH issimilar to the Grind Matic Manual B.It is mainly intended for down-the-hole bits, but can also be used forthreaded bits with a special bit holder.As an optional accessory, the machinecan be equipped with a belt grinder forgauge grinding.

Grind Matic BQ2 is the latest semi-automatic machine, with many featuressuch as auto-indexing device, timercontrol, automatic feed, and an auto-matic centring arm. These features,coupled to an ergonomic design, ensurehigh productivity, and the machine isdesigned to handle large volumes of

threaded button bits. Cooling water isrecycled after the waste product hasbeen separated in a container.

Grind Matic BQ2-DTH is the latestgrinding machine for mainly down-the-hole and Coprod bits. It can alsobe used for threaded bits with a specialbit holder. The machine has the samefeatures as Grind Matic BQ2, and cangrind bits up to 7 in-diameter.

Grinding Advice

The Grind Matic machine’s secret ofsuccess is that both the grinding tableand the diamond grinding wheelrotate. The result is perfectly groundbutton surfaces, regardless of whetherthe buttons are spherical or ballistic.

In addition, the machine’s uniquediamond grinding wheel is designed toensure even wear on its grinding sur-face, while still retaining its profile.This, in turn, guarantees the buttonshape throughout the life of the wheel.

Secoroc advice is to use GrindMatic grinding machines, with profileddiamond grinding wheels, for grindingbutton bits.

Correct grinding is important forevery drilling operation, particularly inthese days of cost consciousness andfierce competition.

by Bo Persson

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FACE DRILLING 21

Cost of grinding reduces dramatically with volume.

Labour cost

Grinding material cost

Machine cost

Annual grinding volume – buttons. Figures

on the left side of the diagram show cost index

per button.

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0 5 000

10 000

25 000

50 000

75 000

100 000

Comparison of grinding wheel with grinding cup.

Grind Matic Manual B.

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Introduction

Achieving the optimal performancefrom a drillrig involves practical test-ing to evaluate penetration rate, grind-ing intervals, service life and costs, tofind the most efficient combination ofcomponents such as drill bits and drillstrings.

Diarot contains a database, withinformation on each of Atlas Copco’srock drills and other components, aswell as rock data from various areasthroughout the world. The programtakes into consideration all the parts

contained in a system, including therock drill, bits and drill steel, feed,hydraulic system, parameter settings,and the nature and condition of therock.

Good drilling economy requiresdrill steel joints that are well tight-ened. A well-tightened joint isobtained through sufficient rotationresistance from the bit.

Friction losses in the hoses, therotation motor, and the gear in therock drill all contribute to the idlingrotation pressure. The geometry of thedrill steel threads, and the dimensionsof the bit, demand a certain torque forjoints to be well tightened, and this

torque increases with the rotationspeed. The torque in the drill steel isproportional to the rotation pressureincrease from idling to drilling. Thedrillrig control system should accord-ingly be designed so that the thrustforce is automatically adjusted to holdthe rotation pressure at a predeter-mined value. When drilling in softerrock, the buttons penetrate deeper into the bottom of the hole, and agreater torque is required to rotate the drill steel, unless the thrust force isnot reduced simultaneously. Diarottells the user what rotation pressureshould be applied to obtain well-tightened drill steel joints. It simply

Improved Rock Drilling WithDiarot AnalysisSimulation AssistsProblem SolvingFor over a decade, Atlas Copcoexperts have gathered data frommining, surface drilling and tun-nelling projects all over theworld. This information has beenstored in Diarot, a rock drillingsimulation program. Diarot is aunique system, which makes itpossible to simulate rock drillingon a particular rig, and then eval-uate the result. All without leav-ing the office! Diarot assists thecustomer in choosing the rightparameters for his rig before thefirst hole is ever drilled. Likewise,if a problem occurs in the field,possibly because there has beena change in the geology of therock to be drilled, Diarot candelineate the problem and identi-fy the solution. Numerous casehistories from different applica-tions have been recorded whereDiarot has come up with theright answer. Whether the drillbit is wrong for the rock, or therock drill stroke is too long, orthe hydraulic oil temperature isrunning too high, Diarot willanalyze the problem and makerecommendations to improve theentire rock drilling process.Diarot will always give an answer,and, if the customer input is cor-rect, the answer will be correct.

Diarot will optimize drilling rates and drillsteel economy.

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specifies the settings for percussionpressure, rotation speed, drill steeldimensions, thread geometry, and soon.

Unique Tool

Diarot is unique, with its library ofgathered information, and the pos-sibility to simulate the activity of acomplete rig. For example, when pro-jecting drillrig performance for atunnel, or when designing equipmentupgrades, it is possible to simulatedrilling with a large number of differ-ent rock drills, as their characteristicsare stored in the library. The settingsof these rock drills can be fine-tuned,and tested, in order to arrive at theright results for a particular project.Likewise, different rock drills or drillstrings can be tested for the sameapplication in varying rock conditions,in order to adjust settings such as feedforce, rotation speed, stroke positionand impact pressure.

The expected drilling rates can becalculated, and the optimal setting ofthe system can be delineated. It can bedecided whether new rock drills onold rigs will be an alternative, orwhether it is better to buy new rigs.Diarot will also work out if differentbit grinding intervals will make a dif-ference to bit life.

Reverse calculations using Diarotmake it possible to determine thecharacter of a rock, based on measuredproduction results. That calculatedrock quality can then be used to inves-tigate the effect of changing other

parameters, such as rock drill, percus-sion pressure, and stroke lengths.

When it comes to rock drilling,there are many factors governing theoverall result, and all parts of theprocess must work smoothly. Diarot isa unique tool, in that it is possible tomeasure and control the entire process,before the first hole is even drilled!

Better performance

At a worksite close to Stockholm’sArlanda international airport, an AtlasCopco ROC 642HP drillrig was benchdrilling 76 mm holes. The temperatureon the coupling was 80 degrees C, and a Diarot simulation was carried

out to evaluate different drill bits, with reference to the optimal settingsof the COP 1838HE rock drill.Ballistic bits were tested, and provedto be the best, resulting in increasedperformance.

The COP 1838HE rock drill beingused has different stroke positions, asopposed to a conventional drill with asingle fixed stroke length. Changingthe stroke length gives an extra dimen-sion in tuning the impact energy andfrequency. In this case, position 3,with an impact pressure of 180 bar,had been used for drilling to date. TheDiarot recommendation was to changeto a shorter stroke, using position 2,with an impact pressure of 205 bar.

Different rotation speed and feedforce settings were adjusted to thehigher frequency produced by the rockdrill, and the Diarot simulation alsoprovided a full recommendation for allsettings. The rock drill ran much moresmoothly, and the coupling tempera-ture halved, from around 80 degrees Cto 40 degrees C.

The rig used 3.6 m-long T45 rodsfor drilling holes ranging between 6 mand 15 m deep, and the regrindinginterval was some 50 m. After tenregrinds, it was difficult to maintainthe ballistic profile of the buttons, andthe customer re-sharpened them to aconventional spherical profile.

With the application of the newDiarot settings, wear on the threadswas low, uncoupling the rods waseasy, and the life of the Secoroc bitsexceeded 1,200 m.

Weekly production increased from1,400 m to an average of 1,700 m, witha best week of 1,820 m. Fuel con-sumption was low at 15 lit/hour, afigure which is less than half that ofcomparable rigs, and which savedmore than a half litre of dieseline perdrilled metre. At 40,000 m/year, thecall to Diarot proved a great saver!

Improved Penetration

At Auersmacher in Germany, the Diarotprogram was used on a diesel-hydraulicsingle-boom Rocket Boomer L1 C-DHequipped with a COP 1838HF rock drillto establish the correct settings for therig. Blast holes of 51 mm diameter are

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Rocket Boomer L1 C-DH drillrig at Linwood Stone.

Going full-ballistic at Linwood. The new Secorocbutton bit model -37-66, with longer buttonprotrusion and improved flushing capacity, forincreased penetration rate in soft rock.

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now being drilled to depths of 3.4 m inlimestone at 6-8 m/min, a doubling ofthe previous standard performance. Inthis case, the optimum rotation speedwas calculated to be 400 rev/min.Dropping it to 300 rev/min reduces thepenetration rate by 2 m/min.

Another Rocket Boomer L1 C-DHwas delivered to the Linwood Stonemine in Iowa, USA for use in lime-stone with an average compressivestrength of 165 Mpa. This rig isequipped with RCS using ABC Basicsoftware for assisted boom position-ing, collaring point, hole direction,hole depth control, and statistics. Theresult was actually better than calcu-lated, because of changing the rotationspeed to 400+ rev/min and using anewly developed button bit from AtlasCopco Secoroc, with increased buttonprotrusion, and more and bigger flush-ing holes.

The Rocket Boomer L1 C-DH isachieving penetration rates of 3.5 to4.5 m/min, which is a doubling inoutput over the previous generation of drillrigs. The Diarot calculation was used to find the correct settingsfor the drillrig, without using trial anderror.

At Mineradao Serra Da Fortaleza inBrazil, data was collected from a COP1238ME rock drill mounted on aSimba H254. The Diarot calculationindicated that the regrinding intervalshould be reduced to once every twoholes. The result was a penetrationrate increase to 1.09 m/min from 0.99 m/min. As a bonus, shank lifeincreased from 1,810 to 2,360 drilledmetres and rod life increased from 450to 580 drilled metres.

At Companhia Vale Do Rio Doce(CVRD) another COP 1238MEmounted on a Simba H254 was stud-ied, resulting in a recommendation being made to decrease the regrindinginterval to one hole. Penetration ratewas increased from 0.99 m/min to1.28 m/min. Shank life also increasedfrom 1,420 drilled metres to 2,450drilled metres and rod life from 310drilled metres to 530 drilled metres.

In both of these cases, the bits werebeing over-drilled, with large risk ofbutton breakage, which can lead to areduction of the average drill bit life.

In all cases, not only the impactpressure had to be changed, but alsothe feed pressure and the rotationspeed. It is very important to changeall settings according to the calcula-tions, in order to achieve the forecastresult.

The measuring of the coupling tem-perature during drilling is also impor-tant. The worst condition exists justbefore regrinding the bit, at the timewhen it generates the lowest torque. Ifthe torque becomes too low, then thewear of the threads will increase, sincethe joint runs open, with a reduction ofdrill steel life as a consequence.

Bit Life

Consumption of drill bits forms a sig-nificant part of the costs of blast holedrilling in construction and mining.During drilling, the cemented carbidebuttons, or inserts, wear flat. Whendrilling is carried out with constantpercussion pressure, the drilling ratedecreases with increasing wear flat. Ifthe drilling continues long enoughwithout regrinding, then the drillingrate finally becomes zero. This occursearlier for bigger drill bits, and forharder rock.

The drilling rate and the wear flatincrease are linked, and determined byseveral input data, such as pistonmass, percussion pressure, drill steelrotation rate, thrust force, drill steeldimensions, bit diameter, number ofbuttons and button size, button wearresistance, flushing medium, and rockhardness and abrasivity.

For example, water flushing pro-vides better cooling and less wear flatthan air flushing. However, when thebit penetrates the bottom of the holewith about the same velocity as theimpact velocity of the piston, which isabout 10 m/s, significant energy isrequired to push away the water infront of the bit. This results in areduced drilling rate in comparisonwith air flushing.

The Diarot computer program usesphysical models for most factors thatdetermine the drilling rate and thewear flat increase of the bit, and thedrilling economy. For the remainder,empirical relations are used in termsof analytical mathematical equations.The constants in these empirical rela-tions are always non-dimensional, andare obtained by comparing calculatedvalues with measured ones from manyreal drilling operations of widelydifferent character.

Snakeskin

The Diarot program allows the user tocalculate the stress on the bit that leadsto fatigue, or breakage of the buttonsor inserts.

Drilling in certain rock, such aslimestone and marble, causes neglig-ible wear to the bit. The buttons areheated by the friction, and cooled bythe flushing medium.

This results in micro-cracking inthe cemented carbide button surfaces.When these cracks are not continuouslyremoved by abrasive wear, they growinto the cemented carbide, and eventu-ally become visible as snakeskin. Ifsuch snakeskin is not regularlyremoved by regrinding, then the but-tons will eventually fall apart, or becrushed.

Diarot does not allow longerregrinding intervals than 400 m. If theinput data indicate a greater regrindinginterval than 400 m, then the programadjusts the value of the regrindingwear flat to below 400 m. The outputdata indicates that 0.5 mm is groundoff the buttons to eliminate snake skin,and that the number of possibleregrindings is calculated accordingly.

The total cost for the bit, includingregrinding, is of utmost interest for the

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The ideal temperature on the coupling should bedown to 60°C for air flushing and 45°C for waterflushing.

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customer. If the penetration rate drops,the drill steel and the shank lifedecreases, and excessive vibration andwear results on the drillrig.

Diarot in Tunnels

The Diarot expert program is availableto owners of tunnelling drillrigs. Allthat is required is for the customer toprovide reliable drilling information tohis Atlas Copco service engineer.Details are needed of parameters, suchas percussion pressure, rotation rate,and the corresponding accumulateddrilling rate, plus the wear flat on thedrill bit insert or button after oneregrinding interval. The service engi-neer will send the information to aDiarot specialist for analysis.

He will start with a reverse Diarotcalculation to determine relevant rockdata, which is then used to work outthe most effective drilling rates forother settings, situations and equip-ment. The results are presented to thecustomer, and, once the recommenda-tions are implemented, the Diarot spe-cialist will monitor the feedback. Allcommunications can be via theInternet.

In the Diarot system, calculation ofthe total performance of drillrig, feed,control system, rock drill, drill steeland drill bit supports the concept ofTotal Rock Drilling Technology.

At the Viiki Extension Project inHelsinki, Finland, contractor YITcompared the performance of a COP1838ME rock drill with the new COP1838HF.

Diarot calculations predicted a 20%increase in performance. Practicaldrilling at the site with both rock drillsproduced the following penetrationrates for a 51 mm bit with ballisticbuttons: COP 1838ME 1.85 m/min;COP 1838HF 2.33 m/min. In bothcases the “relative drill stress” was onthe same level. Parameters such asimpact pressure, feed pressure, androtation speed were set according tothe Diarot calculations. The HF ver-sion was the clear winner, with a 26%higher penetration rate than its rival,the ME.

by Åke Eklöf

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Selected diarot input and output data for COP 1838HF.

INPUT DATA

Project LINWOOD DAVENPORT IOWALINWOOD1838HF

File name Linwood1838HF.DAT

Application DRIFTING

Rig R.BOOMER L1 C-DHFeed BMH 6316Rock drill COP 1838HF-R38H35 05Stroke length positionPercussion pressure MPa 22,5Rotation motor OMS 100Oil temperature °C 40Oil viscosity at 40°C cSt 46

Rock designation LIMESTONElocation LINWOOD IOWA USAcompressive strength MPa 165stamp strength MPa 1650brittleness 1,15indexation parameter mm 8,10Cherchar Abrasivity Index 2,00density kg/m3 2700

Hole depth m 5,1Drilling direction (>0° is upwards) ° 0

Drill steel designation R38H35 length m 5,40 male/female No

Bit diameter mm 51insert type ballistic button number of buttons 9 number of periphery buttons 6 periphery button diameter mm 10,0 RETRAC N

Rock-bit friction coefficient 0,20Regrinding wear flat mm 5,0Flushing medium Air

OUTPUT DATA

Project LINWOOD DAVENPORT IOWALINWOOD1838HF

File name Linwood1838HF.DAT

Application DRIFTING

Percussion pressure MPa 22,5Impact frequency Hz 69Relative drill stress % 91Number of regrindings 2Diameter wear after 2 regrindings mm 1,7Recommended air flushing flow l/sec 18

Optimum Reduced

Rotation rate rpm 256 205 154

Accumulated drilling rate m/min 3,62 3,53 3,26Regrinding interval m 1109 1172 1260Bit service life m 3326 3516 3779

Shank service life m 6 990Coupling service life m 4 890Rod service life m 4 040

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Data Exchange

In an ideal situation, all computer sys-tems and machines in the entire chainof mining operations should be able totalk to each other. In fact, the planningis done a long time before the first

machine starts working, and this mighthave been done on a CAD systemnot able to communicate with theparticular drill rig used.

Consequently, all information fromthe CAD system has to be newlyentered into the machine’s controlsystem. This is a laborious procedure,and makes changes very difficultto coordinate while the project isrunning.

As an alternative to manual datahandling, automated import/exportroutines may be used, if available.Setting up these customized softwareprograms requires a high effort, whichoften is limited to one single project’slifetime. Consequently, this job is notundertaken, leaving most of the log-ging information acquired during theproject unanalyzed. Such informationmay have been advantageous toenhance quality and efficiency ofwork, if analyses had been possible in“real time” during the project.

The GSM standard for cellularphone systems has shown that stan-dardization of corresponding dataexchange formats will have very posi-tive effects on the productivity andquality of operations, and on the useof automated equipment in general.Furthermore, the price of third partyproducts for data preparation andanalysis will be reduced. At the sametime, there will be more productsshowing up on the market, which areusable for more than one single project.

The IREDES Approach

IREDES, the International RockExcavation Data Exchange Standard,is an initiative to standardize all dataexchange between rock excavationmachinery and central computer sys-tems. These advantages are explainedin the following sections using blast-hole drillrigs as an example for keymachines in underground miningoperations.

IREDES defines one common elec-tronic language to be talked by the

machines and the central computersystems. This language defines dataformats, such as to supply a drillingrig with the planned drill patterns ordata formats that the drillrig uses, andfor production performance logs, pro-duction quality logs or tunnel scans.

Consequently, a CAD system, orthe underlying database, in the futurewill need just one single export rou-tine to supply all IREDES conformantdrillrigs, regardless of type or manu-facture, with drill patterns using anidentical format.

When a drill pattern has beendrilled and blasted, an additionaltunnel profile scan might be availabletoo. If this scan was made usingIREDES compatible devices, the plan-ning engineer is able to see the resultdirectly in his computer. He is enabledto adjust the planning for future drillpatterns and the charging of explo-sives during the ongoing project. Thiswill enhance accuracy to reduceoverburden, and will consequentlyreduce costs.

Tunnelling Applications

Once the IREDES standard is com-pletely established, the workingsequence in a tunnelling project usingthe drill and blast method may besupported as follows.

The planning engineer uses hisCAD system to plan the tunnel. Theresult is a tunnel line, together withthe corresponding profile information.IREDES conformant information maybe used to specify the tunnel line.

The IREDES conformant tunnelline is taken over by the software usedfor drill pattern planning. As a result,the drill pattern is available in anIREDES conformant format as a“Planning Data Set”.

The drilling rig – regardless of itsmanufacture – receives the IREDES“Planning Data Set” to set up the drillpattern for automatic drilling.

During drilling operation, a numberof IREDES conformant data sets may

The IREDES InitiativeStandard FormatsCost pressure and cycling pro-duct prices are pushing miningcompanies to a permanentincrease of automation. In majormining houses, remote con-trolled and autonomous equip-ment is in operation today. Afurther trend to be expected, andalready started, is the company-wide concentration of all opera-tion activities in centrally located“operation centres”. Thinkingahead, this philosophy will alsomake the operation of smallermining sites feasible, some ofwhich are regarded as inefficienttoday.

However, in such environ-ments, all equipment in the minehas to be data controlled. So, inorder not to end up in huge soft-ware projects, standardization ofthe data exchange between theequipment and central computersystems has to be seen as aprecondition.

Tunnelling and mining opera-tions are characterized by asequence of single operations,generally performed using infor-mation technology systems.

All planning of drift layouts isdone using Computer AidedDesign (CAD) systems. Mostmachines on site are controlledelectronically or by PC systems.Quality assurance informationsuch as scans of the tunnelprofile, and many log files,are stored by the machines indifferent formats.

All of these single steps arecarried out by different machinesand different computer systems.At this moment, there is no easyway to make all these systemstalk with each other, or withcentral computer systems, toforward information required forthe subsequent steps.

FD3/10 p26-27 29/3/04 7:25 am Page 26

be created by the machine, as forexample, Production PerformanceLog, Production Quality Log, andMeasurement While DrillingInformation (MWD).

After the pattern is drilled, theMWD information may be used by thecharging equipment to adjust chargingof explosives according to the rockconditions discovered while drilling.The charging machine generates anIREDES “Production Quality Report”covering each single hole of thecharge operation.

After blasting and loading, a tunnelscan may be performed, generating anIREDES conformant tunnel scan.

The tunnel scan, together with theMWD information and the chargereport, is taken over by analyzing soft-ware to propose and/or to performadjustments for drilling the nextpattern.

The example shows how complete-ly different types of equipment andsoftware systems may work together,and interact in an environment usingIREDES standardized interfaces. If allsystems involved do support theIREDES standard, no further cus-tomized programming will berequired. This enables even smallercompanies and smaller work sites toeffectively perform high precisionmining projects at a reasonable costlevel, without customized softwaredevelopment.

At the same time, all quality assur-ance relevant logging information isgenerated automatically. For analysis,all that is needed are software systemsenabled to read the standardizedIREDES logging format.

The IREDES Architecture

The IREDES standard covers bothtraditional, “file” based data exchangeusing floppy disks or memory mod-ules as carrier media, and on-linenetworking data exchange using anykind of wire-based or wireless com-munication system.

In both cases, IREDES uses identi-cal procedures, so the applicationprograms do not need to know howthe information is transferred. Con-sequently, no additional application

programming effort is required toexchange, say, drill patterns vianetwork or phone modem instead ofusing a memory card.

IREDES is based on current tech-nology and uses the ExtensibleMarkup Language (XML), whichoriginally was designed to specify thedatabase generated content of Internetpages, for on-line shops or similarwebsites. Consequently, all majordatabases today provide standardXML import and export features. Thisdrastically simplifies the use of theIREDES standard within databaseenvironments. Furthermore, XMLimport/export routines are, or willbecome, available for all majorstandard software.

In other industries, XML is alsobecoming the preferred solution for dataexchange standardization activities.

The IREDES standard is set up indifferent levels. The ApplicationProfile covers all general informationfor one application purpose, such as“Planning Data” or “ProductionQuality Log”, which is commonlyused for all types of equipment.

The equipment specific informationis covered by the correspondingEquipment Profile, which definesdetailed equipment specific informa-tion to be used within those applica-tion profiles applicable to the specificequipment type. The first EquipmentProfiles available will cover drillrigsand loaders.

Additional information may beexchanged using optional informationsubsets within each equipment profile.

However, standard compliant systemsmay not require this information foressential operation of the equipment.This information might enhance accu-racy or performance in accordance toadditional machine specific, and notstandardized, features.

Openness and Flexibility

The IREDES standard will be entirelyopen and published in the releasedversions. It will be extended to furtherequipment types and application pro-files as demanded by the users.

Due to the standard’s open architec-ture consisting of application andequipment profiles, more than justrock excavation equipment may beintegrated. It might be applicable forcharging equipment, rock reinforce-ment machines or ventilation equip-ment, without touching the existingparts of the standard.

More than 20 leading mining andconstruction companies are nowpart of the IREDES initiative. AtlasCopco has intensified developmentto make its drillrigs IREDES com-patible, and by end of 2004 all “newgeneration” drillrigs will haveIREDES implemented. This will alsoapply to the PCV software for plan-ning and evaluation, such as ROCManager, Tunnel Manager, and OREManager.

by Jorgen Appelgren

Part of this article is published bycourtesy of the IREDES Initiative.

TALKING TECHNICALLY

FACE DRILLING 27

IREDES supportedDrill and BlastCycles.

FD3/10 p26-27 29/3/04 7:25 am Page 27

TALKING TECHNICALLY

28 FACE DRILLING

Swellex Rockbolts

Regardless of manufacturing origin,installation of rockbolts of lengths of 4m and upwards is normally a heavyand troublesome operation. TheSwellex Mn24 rockbolt is no excep-tion. However, by adding a fewoptional items, a standard Atlas CopcoRocket Boomer can be modified totake care of most of this work. It willinsert the Swellex Mn24 into the hole,fully inflate it to optimal capacity, andeven test it! Not only is it quick andeasy, but also safer than the traditionalmanual method.

Top of the list of optional compo-nents is a service platform to assistwith the high level holes. An onboardSwellex hydraulic pump is advisable,and, for manual insertion, a Swellex

handle with Swellex chuck, or, formechanized insertion, the new Swellexchuck mounted on the COP hammer.

For mechanized handling of thedrill steel, a Rod Adding System(RAS) can be mounted on the feed.

For semi-mechanized installation,the following cycle of operations canbe used: select a drill steel length thatis slightly longer than the length of thebolt to be installed; drill the bolt holeat the chosen spot, and to the fulllength; keep the feed at the drill hole,and recover the drill steel by the RASgrippers; attach the Swellex chuck tothe COP hammer; manually locate theSwellex bolt with faceplate in the drill

steel support at the top; insert theSwellex bolt into its final position inthe drill hole, using the feed-forcefrom the hammer; and inflate theSwellex bolt using the on-boardhydraulic Swellex pump. All done,and ready for the next bolt!

Connectable Swellex

When there is a need for very longbolts to be installed in a narrow drift,tunnel or cavern, the solution can bethe Swellex Mn24C connectable rockbolt. This system comprises three dif-ferent types of bolt section that can becombined to practically any requiredlength. Each of these three sections ischaracterized by its function. The firstsection is sealed at its top end andthreaded at its bottom end. The middlesections are threaded at both ends, andthe bottom section is threaded at oneend and designed to fit into theSwellex chuck at the other. The sec-tions are threaded together to form atight connection.

Installing Swellex Mn24C utilizesthe same optional components as forthe installation of long Swellex bolts,

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer, with its very capable BUT booms, is suitable for all kinds of rockreinforcement.

Spiling and fore poling

Radial bolting

Face stabilization

L2 C

L2 C

The new Atlas Copco Swellex Mn24C featuresimproved work absorption capacity by way ofelongation and load taking.

Using Rocket Boomers toInstall RockboltsAdaptability forDrilling andInstallationWhen a contractor undertakes anunderground drill/blast excava-tion project, it is of utmostimportance to have the mostsuitable equipment available,both for blasthole drilling, and forrockbolt drilling and installation.For most situations, the AtlasCopco Rocket Boomer is the bestpossible unit to choose. This istrue, not only for its drillingcapacity, but also for its adapt-ability to semi-mechanized instal-lation of some of the mostfrequently used rockbolt sys-tems, such as Swellex rockboltsand MAI Self Drilling Anchors(SDA). This affords the contractorthe option of using a single drill-rig to cover all face drilling androckbolt installation operations.On some contracts, this canmake the difference betweenprofit and loss. On bids, it canprovide the margin for the con-tractor that swings the award.

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with the addition of either the BSH110 Swellex version, or by using aSwellex retainer to keep the con-nectable Swellex in place when tyingin Swellex sections. The RAS systemcan greatly assist handling of theSwellex Mn24C sections, using itstwo gripper arms attached to the BMHfeed, which are remotely controlled bythe Boomer operator.

The bolt hole is drilled to full depthusing extension drill rods. Recom-mended drill hole diameter is 45-48 mm, with maximum 51 mm,using R28 drifter rods with a couplingdiameter of 44 mm.

The installation sequence is as fol-lows: drill the bolt hole a little bitlonger than the full bolt length; recover

the drill string, and remove it from thefeed; place the top-section of theSwellex Mn24C into the drill steelsupport, and feed the bolt section intothe drill hole, either manually, or usingthe COP rock drill; grip the bolt withthe BSH 110, or the retainer; thread inthe required number of middle sec-tions using the feed and the COP rockdrill; grip the bottom of the string withthe BSH 110, and attach the bottomend section of the connectable Swellex,with faceplate; feed it into place usingthe rock drill and Swellex chuck; con-nect the Swellex pump, and inflate thebolt. It will take a few seconds to fullyexpand the complete bolt. When thepump stops, the bolt is ready to takeits full 24 t load.

Atlas Copco SDA SystemIn 2002, Atlas Copco incorporated theMAI series of rock bolts into its prod-uct range. Products like MAI SelfDrilling Anchors (SDA) can be usedin ground formations that are so soft,fractured, or weak that a normal drillhole will collapse before a standardrock bolt can be inserted.

The SDA system comprises stan-dard items like the sacrificial bit, avariety of bolt sections, couplings,face-plate and spherical nut. AtlasCopco has developed some compo-nents and functions for the RocketBoomer to make it the perfect tool forinstalling SDA.

The standard feed on the Boomershould be equipped with the BSH 110-SDA drill steel support. This is used toguide the bolt when drilling, and whenextending the SDA bolt sections. TheBSH 110-SDA is designed to leave aminimum of the bolt protruding fromthe rock face, thus utilizing the fulllength of the installed bolts. The BSH110-SDA has remote-controlled func-tions for guiding, gripping anddrilling, giving the operator full con-trol of the bolting sequence from thedrilling position. The BSH 110-SDAis fully compatible with any BMH6000 feed.

For those worksites where a lot ofSDA drilling will be done, the COP1238 or COP 1838 rock drills can befitted with a special SDA shankadapter and a conversion kit. The SDAshank adapter has a female end toeliminate the need for a loose couplingsleeve, saving time when unthreadingthe bolt. This makes handling easierwhen extending the SDA bolts, boost-ing productivity and improving safety.

At work sites where SDAs are not indaily use, a suitable solution is to use a shank connector to simplify thehandling of SDAs on a standard Boomer.The shank connector is added to theshank adapter on the hammer, andshould be chosen to match the threadthat is used on the SDA. Most frequent-ly used threads are R32 and R38. Oncethe SDA activity is finished, the shankconnector is removed and normaldrilling can resume. The shank connec-tor is available in the most-used thread

TALKING TECHNICALLY

FACE DRILLING 29

Atlas Copco SDA system is built around the Boomer, with add-on standard options, and backed up by AtlasCopco worldwide presence, know how and support.

Rocket Boomer L

2 C

Know-how

& Support

Know-how

& Support

Boomer

SDA Shank Adapter

SDA-range

BSH 110-SDA

SDA Shank Connector

Composition of the Atlas Copco Self Drilling Anchor (SDA).

FD3/11 p28-30 29/3/04 7:25 am Page 29

types and diameters, such as R32/R32,R32/R38, R35/R32, R35/R38,R38/R32, R38/R38, and a few others.

Installing Self DrillingAnchorsMost current rockbolt installationmethods are manual. However, whenthe operation is assisted by a RocketBoomer, productivity and safety aregreatly improved. Using the optionalequipment available for the standardBoomer, a typical SDA bolting semi-mechanized sequence will be as follows.

1) Modify the rock drill by attach-ing a suitable SDA shank adapter anda SDA COP kit that match the threadon the MAI SDA bolt.

2) Place the MAI bolt section on thefeed with the selected MAI bit, andthread the bolt into the shank-adapterfemale end. The BSH 110-SDA shouldbe in position to guide the bolt.

3) Start drilling, and adjust thepressure to match the chosen bolt typeand to the prevailing ground condi-tions. Normally, the percussion pres-sure for SDA drilling is less than half,sometimes only one third, of thehydraulic pressure set for blast holedrilling. The SDA shank adaptermakes it possible to drill the bolt closeto the tunnel wall.

4) Grip the bolt with the BSH, andhold it in position while adding anotherMAI bolt section, prepared with a suit-able anchor coupling.

5) Once the MAI bolt section is con-nected, open the BSH and continuedrilling.

When the last section of the MAIbolt is being drilled, the BSH 110-SDA

should be fully opened, to allow theshank adapter to drill the MAI boltdeep enough to leave 80-100 mm ofthe bolt protruding.

Grouting MAI Rockbolts

The installation sequences describedabove use water flushing for drilling.However, MAI bolt installation canalso be undertaken with continuousgrouting, using a grout pump andswivel. In radial bolting, continuousgrouting is not recommended, becauselarge amounts of grout will drop out ofthe drill hole onto the feed and boom.

The commonly used method forMAI bolts is post grouting. This iscarried out manually from the Boomerbasket, or any other service platform,by connecting a grouting unit to theprotruding end of the MAI bolt.

Suitable and flexible grouting unitsare the MAI M400NT grout pump, andAtlas Copco Craelius UNIGROUT E22. The grout is pumped into the hollowMAI bolt, and is distributed through theMAI drill bit into the drilled hole, cavi-ties and cracks along the bolt. Thiscompletely fills the hole, forming astrong adhesion between the MAI bolt,the cured grout, and the surroundingground formation. Once the grout hascured for 8-12 h, the MAI bolt can bepost-tensioned to the required torque.

by Olle Karlsson

TALKING TECHNICALLY

30 FACE DRILLING

Atlas Copco bolt support BSH 110-SDA is amodification of the existing BSH 110.

Atlas Copco semi-mechanized MAI bolt installation from a Rocket Boomer.

1 1 2 3

5

5

6

6

New AC

New AC

New AC

New AC

New MAI

New MAI

BSH 110-SDA

Guiding Gripping

Grouting

Tensioning

Extending Drill through

4

MAI M400NT grout pump.

FD3/11 p28-30 29/3/04 7:25 am Page 30

Project Description

The new 5.23 km-long Vielha tunnel,named Juan Carlos I, is located in Valld’Arán in Lérida province of Catalonia. Itwill be bi-directional, accommodatingthree 3.5 m-wide lanes, two shoulders (0.5and 1 m) and two 1 m-wide pavements.The central lane will be reversible, and twoof the three lanes will generally be used fornorth-south traffic. The headroom is 5.29 mwith a maximum gradient of 4.57%.

Once the new tunnel is commissioned,the old tunnel will be converted to its newrole.

The project designer is Idom, and tech-nical assistance for work control and con-struction supervision is being carried outby consultants Sener.

Construction was awarded in January,2002 to UTE Túnel de Vielha, a temporaryjoint venture headed by OHL (50%), with

Copcisa (25%) and Comsa (25%) as part-ners. The contract value is �128 million,and the duration 39 months, with comple-tion scheduled for June, 2005. It includesall civil engineering of the new tunnel andits accesses, installations and equipment,and the ventilation and central controlbuildings.

Within the tunnel there will be 25 safetyniches on one side, and 25 fire niches on theopposite side, each situated 200 m apart.Twelve 12 m-long shelters, spaced at every400 m, and connecting with cross passagesleading to the old tunnel, will allow forevacuation in the event of an incident. Eightlaybys at 550 m intervals, four on each side,will facilitate emergency stopping.

The tunnel will be equipped with semi-transverse reversible ventilation. In case ofaccident, the system will confine a fire andextract smoke through a false ceiling. Thisventilation will be able to expel the smokegenerated by a 30 MW fire with a volumeof 150 m3/sec on a stretch of 700 m.House-sized ventilation stations will belocated at both ends.

PYRENEES, SPAIN

FACE DRILLING 31

Upgrading Vielha Road Tunnelin the PyreneesBetter Late than NeverThe existing 5.24 km-long Vielha roadtunnel is situated on the Spanish sideof the Pyrenees on the N230 route toLleida. On the French side, the tunnelprovides access to the N125 routetowards Toulouse. The tunnel wasfirst suggested in 1830, but it was notuntil nearly a century later that con-struction began. It then took 15 yearsto complete, having been delayed bythe Spanish civil war until 1941. Theopening was delayed again by WW2until May, 1948, but Vielha was stillone of the first road tunnels in Spain,and is still the second longest afterSomport.

New EU regulations have promptedthe installation of a rescue tunnel asa second egress, and the solution atVielha has been to drive a new roadtunnel, and convert the existingtunnel to serve as an emergency exitand for trucks carrying hazardouscargo. Contractor UTE Túnel deVielha is using four Atlas CopcoRocket Boomer drillrigs, two WL3 Csto drive from each end, and twoL2 Cs to excavate crosspassages.

Moving the Rocket Boomer WL3 C tothe face at Vielha.

FD3/12 p31-34 29/3/04 7:26 am Page 31

Other safety equipment includes 67CCTV cameras, 12 variable messagepanels, traffic lights, barriers to preventcars from entering the tunnel, SOS posts, anetwork of telephones, radio communica-tions and loudspeakers, a fire detectionsystem, water supply to fire hydrants at the roadside and sprayers in the ceiling,and automatic incident detection (AID).The technical management of all thesesystems will be handled in a new control centre located 400 m from thesouth portal.

The road surfacing will be vibrated con-crete on thin concrete. It is fireproof, thusavoiding fire propagation peculiar toasphalt mixtures that contain bitumen.Under the roadway, there will be a 3 m x2.25 m service tunnel for the electricwiring and water duct that will feed thehydrants of the anti-fire niches.

Geology

From south to north, towards Vielha, themassif is comprised of moraines for210 m, followed by 420 m of fracturedgranite, and 2,100 m of massive granite.Then the Civis formation appears in con-tact with the granite. This is a highly meta-morphic rock of the Devonian period,consisting mostly of slates, and will be thetrickiest tunnelling zone. After that, thereis a 1,600 m portion with quartzites, mixedwith shales in the next 250 m. The align-ment crosses 420 m of Carboniferous shaleand blackish Silurian shale towards thenorth portal.

The excavated cross section is 127 sq m,and the lined section will be 95 sq m. Thesouth portal lies at 1,595 m and the northentrance at 1,396 m, resulting in a gradientof 4.57%.

Weather conditions can be extreme, aswas the case in late 2002, with tempera-tures below –20°C. Work takes place allyear round, in three shifts/day fromMonday 8 am to Saturday 2 pm. Each teamis composed of a foreman, six workers, amechanic and an electrician.

Computerized Drillrigs

The JV acquired four Atlas Copco drillrigs:two Rocket Boomer WL3 C models for themain tunnel, and two Rocket Boomer L2 Cmodels to excavate the shelters and crosspassages to the existing tunnel.

The Rocket Boomer WL3 C is a fullycomputerized drilling jumbo with threebooms and basket, capable of handling sec-tions up to 155 sq m. The Rocket BoomerL2 C is a twin boom drillrig for sections upto 90 sq m. Both are equipped with COP1838 rock drills and Secoroc drill bits.

These machines feature RCS, or rigcontrol system, an intelligent software thatcan be adapted to the number of booms,the level of automation and the introduc-tion of new functions without need toinstall an expensive and powerful computerin the smaller and less complex rigs. Thissystem is reliable, flexible and easilyexpandable, allowing new units to beadded anywhere along the data bus, with-out adding another cable.

To improve the reliability of the systemfor a multi-boom rig operating in the fullautomation mode, two-level circuit com-munication has been implemented. The

PYRENEES, SPAIN

32 FACE DRILLING

View of the equipment parking area atthe Vielha south portal.

Long view to the face at Vielha.

FD3/12 p31-34 29/3/04 7:26 am Page 32

upper level talks to the whole rig, and theidentical lower circuit talks to each boomcircuit. All signalling on angles in theboom joints is restricted to the boom cir-cuit, while the upper level system advisesonly on the basic position of each boom.

The advantage of this setup is that alower level circuit fault on one boomcaused, perhaps, by falling rock or pinch-ing against the sidewall, will not hamperthe operation of the other booms. The soft-ware is split into a number of blocks, andindividual blocks can be added, deleted ormodified. Auto-collaring and anti-jammingfunctions are incorporated into the system,and the combination of these, andimproved regulation of the double damp-ened COP 1838 rock drills, producesfavourable drill steel costs.

The operator can control the whole rigfrom one panel, and he can communicatewith any of the booms. This means thatonly one operator is needed for twobooms, or all three booms if it is a three-boom rig. This also applies to short holesbecause the boom movements and feedpositioning are carried out without theassistance of the operator. Jamming of the drill steel no longer occurs, saving timeand giving straighter holes.

Another important feature of RCS rigsis the built-in diagnostic procedure for theelectronic system, making it easy to findand repair faults. Also, because electroniccomponents are common and interchange-able, fewer spares are required at site. TheAtlas Copco maintenance contract atVielha makes provision for a mechanic onsecondment at the site, and a spares con-tainer at each portal.

South Drive

At the south portal, on the Vilaller side,construction started with a canopy of spilesin the first 210 m of moraine. The 15 m-long umbrella vaults were composed of 65steel pipes, 89 cm in diameter, beneathwhich a 12 m-deep top heading was exca-vated. The next canopy was then installedwith a 3 m overlap and the process repeat-ed throughout the soft ground. HEB 180steel arches were erected, and sprayed withtwo layers of shotcrete, with and withoutfibres.

When the granite was reached, a rampwas developed downwards to open the fullsection, and the Rocket Boomer WL3 C

was introduced for the main tunnel and aRocket Boomer L2 C for the ancillary work.

Since the Rocket Boomer WL3 C com-menced in August, 2003, its averageprogress has been 7 m/day, 40 m/week and175 m/month. By mid-November, 2003, thesouth drive had reached the 900 m markthree weeks ahead of schedule. A full exca-vation cycle at the main face takes 14 hours.

The drill pattern involves 150 holesacross the 127 sq m section. These are 5 m-long and 51 mm-diameter, with four102 mm cut holes. The explosives areGoma-2, in 26 mm and 32 mm cartridgessupplied by Unión Española de Explosivos.

Support in the granitic zone is byapplication of 3 cm of fibre-reinforcedshotcrete, followed by a second layer ofidentical thickness without fibres, andinstallation of 13 bolts/m of Atlas CopcoSwellex Mn 12 rockbolts using the drillrigplatform.

PYRENEES, SPAIN

FACE DRILLING 33

Rocket Boomer WL3 C drilling the faceat Vielha.

Rocket Boomer L2 C drilling out the topheading.

FD3/12 p31-34 29/3/04 7:26 am Page 33

There is some water ingress, which col-lects at the face and requires pumpinground the clock.

North Drive

Progress at the north drive, on the Vielhaside, had reached 1,700 m by mid-November, 2003. Some 60 m had beenexcavated using the second Rocket BoomerL2 C on cross passage number 12, 54 m onnumber 11, and 2 m on number 10.

The main tunnel excavation began withthe widening to 127 sq m of a 1,350 m-long, 60 sq m ventilation tunnel that con-nected with the existing Vielha tunnel.Support is made up of a 5 cm fibre-reinforced shotcrete layer, Swellex Mnrockbolts at one unit per sq m, wire mesh,more bolts at five units per lineal m, and6 cm of shotcrete without fibres.

There is a fault approximately 400 minbye of the widened ventilation tunnel, at

which the excavation was reduced to topheading only. Here, the second RocketBoomer WL3 C drills 98 holes in theupper part of the face and 26 mm car-tridges are used for the blasts, with HEB 180 and TH 21 steel beams installedfor support. The fault itself was crossed by installing four sections of umbrellavaults.

Some 35-40 lit/sec of incoming water iscollected in a drain and gravitates towardsthe exit, where it is treated in two 12 m-diameter tanks in which pH is correctedand the particles settle out.

Mucking-out

The total tunnel system, including thecross passages between the new tunnel andthe existing one, will generate 671,337 cu mof spoil. This is being transported todumps at the north portal and 5 km awayfrom the south portal. The granite isprocessed in a crushing plant to produceaggregates. There is one concrete plant ateach portal.

The machinery used for the mucking-out at the south drive include five 25 tdumpers Volvo A25 and a loader. Asecond loader and two 25 t dumpers areused at the north drive.

There is still one year of tunnellingrequired to breakthrough, which should beaccomplished by end-2004. �

Acknowledgements

Atlas Copco is grateful to UTE Túnel de Vielha, and in particular to projectadministrator Pedro García Borjabad andproject manager Ángel Martín Aragón, fortheir assistance with the site visit on whichthis article is based.

PYRENEES, SPAIN

34 FACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer L2 C drilling forSwellex bolts.

Support Shotcrete Shotcrete Shotcrete 4 m long Arches/ Micropiles

Type Sealing 2nd Layer 3rd Layer Swellex bolts lattice

Layer Girders

1A 3 cm 3 cm – 1 per 2 sq m – –1B 3 cm 7 cm – 1 per 2 sq m – –2 3 cm 6 cm 6 cm 1 per 1.5 sq m – –3A 3 cm 11 cm 3 cm 1 per 1.5 sq m TH – 21 –3B 3 cm 9 cm 9 cm 1 per 1.5 sq m HEB – 180 –4 3 cm 10 cm 10 cm – HEB – 180 150 mm-

diameter,12 m-long

Table 1: Four types of ground support have been designed to suit the various ground

conditions and are shown in the table.

FD3/12 p31-34 29/3/04 7:26 am Page 34

Introduction

The Alps of Switzerland are a formidablegeographical barrier between the southernand northern trading states of the EuropeanUnion. The roads and railways are concen-trated into the narrow alpine valleys andpasses, and these have become corridorsalong which increasing amounts of goodsare carried. The existing infrastructure hasbecome grossly overloaded with throughtraffic, and worries about the impact of

this situation have been voiced for manyyears.

When the people voted in a referendumto keep Switzerland out of the EU, it gavefresh impetus to the idea of base tunnelsthat would ferry freight trains through thecountry on short, fast routes, relieving theroads and improving the environment.

The Alptransit scheme was promoted onthis pretext, as the subject of bi-lateralagreements between Switzerland and theEU. The Swiss will invest in the infrastruc-ture, and the EU will pay the transit fees.The Gotthard and Lötschberg base tunnelsare the major cost and time elements in theAlptransit scheme, and are also on the crit-ical path.

Lötschberg Alignment

The Lötschberg route, which is beingdeveloped primarily as a heavy goods con-duit, is in the most advanced stage of con-struction, and will be ready for 2007.

The route runs through the Alps in the west of Switzerland, building on the

ALPTRANSIT, SWITZERLAND

FACE DRILLING 35

Staying Ahead of Schedule atLötschbergSophistication atMitholz The logistics of excavating 24 km oftunnels to build 16.2 linear km of theLötschberg base tunnel in the hardlimestone of the Swiss Alps werebound to generate a few new ideas.Given the job, the Satco joint ven-ture, comprising some of the world’smost experienced drill/blast contrac-tors, came up with a complete pur-pose-designed excavation system.Spearheaded by some of the mostsophisticated drillrigs available, thespoil clearance arrangements are the most capital intensive ever to be installed into a tunnel project.Justification of this expenditureplaces an enormous burden on theprime face equipment supplier, bothto come up with the goods and tomaintain their reliability. Rock had tobe excavated on a continuous basisto keep the system fed, and speedand efficiency were key elements ofsuccess. Satco chose Atlas CopcoRocket Boomer XL3 C drillrigs withABC Regular semi-automatic boomcontrol for production drilling, withRocket Boomer L2 C twin-boommachines for the smaller-sectionwork. The rigs were equipped withSecoroc rock drilling tools, andSwellex rockbolts were used forimmediate support. This combinationof job-matched Atlas Copco equip-ment, together with first-class on-sitemaintenance support, has given Satcoa vital edge. As a result, their flagshipproject is being brought in more thana half year ahead of schedule.

One of three Atlas Copco RocketBoomer XL3 C drillrigs delivered toMitholz.

Secoroc 48 mm button bit for BoomerXL3 C at Mitholz.

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infrastructure of the existing Lötschbergline, and incorporating the modernizedSimplon base tunnel. The missing link isthe 34.6 km-long Lötschberg base tunnel,where excavation is being tackled on anumber of fronts. BLS AlpTransit AGholds a commission from the SwissFederal authorities to implement the designand construction of the tunnel, using fundsderived mainly from tax revenue.

The overall plan caters for two separatesingle-track tubes at 35 m separation.However, in the first phase of construction,only one of these tubes has been excavatedbetween the north portals at Frutigen and theprojected service station at Mitholz. On thissection, the 7.5 km-long Kandertal explo-ration tunnel, driven by a 5 m-diameter

hardrock TBM in 1994, runs parallel withthe main tunnel, and will perform the func-tion of second egress for rescue and emer-gency purposes. To the south of Mitholz, asfar as the southern portal in Raron, two tubesare being driven, but, between Mitholz andFerden, only one of them is being lined andequipped for rail use for the time being.Transverse connections are being madebetween the twin tunnels at 333 m intervalsto facilitate safe emergency evacuation.

Mitholz Attack

From the base of the Mitholz access adit,the main Lötschberg running tunnels havebeen driven by Satco, a joint venture ledby Strabag with Vinci, Skanska, Rothpletz& Lienhard, and Walo Bertschinger.

Two drill/blast faces have been drivensome 8.7 km southwards to connect withTBM faces coming north from Ferden, andthe east tube has advanced 7.5 km to breakthrough at the north portal.

The 1.5 km-long, 67 sq m Mitholz adit,from which these three drives are accessed,is located some 8 km from the north end ofthe Lötschberg base tunnel alignment. Itsentrance is across a bridge built over theriver that runs through the worksite.

At the bottom of the 12% adit, a 220 sq m cross-passage was mined tohouse a permanent electrical substation forthe operating railway. During the construc-tion phase this is serving as an aggregatestocking facility.

An old quarry area was levelled to pro-vide stocking room for rock spoil producedfrom the tunnel, and an overland conveyorsystem installed from the adit entrance.

Main Face Development

Tunnels were developed from the base ofthe adit in both directions at cross-sectionsof 120 sq m, with a maximum of 220 sq mat junctions where permanent services willbe installed.

ALPTRANSIT, SWITZERLAND

36 FACE DRILLING

Section of Lötschberg tunnel fromFrutigen to Raron.

Map of Lötschberg tunnel alignment.

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The three main faces were advancedusing sophisticated three-boom and basketAtlas Copco Rocket Boomer XL3 C drill-rigs. These were equipped with ABCRegular semi-automatic boom control withtwo control systems, and using two opera-tors working from separate panels. Drillplandata was transferred from the planningoffice to the machines on PC cards.

The big Rocket Boomer XL3 Cs werebacked up by a pair of twin-boom AtlasCopco L2 C drillrigs, which handled back-work such as bolting, cross passage devel-opment, and extraneous excavation.

Standard Swellex rockbolts, in 3 m and4 m lengths, were installed as immediatesupport, normally at 1.5 m spacing in theroof and shoulders of each drive. All of theancillary face equipment such as trans-formers, ventilation extensions, and cablereels were carried on backup platformssuspended on rails slung from the roof.This arrangement afforded maximummanoeuvring room for the large numbersof mobile equipment in operation.

Each full, 8 m-wide x 8.5 m-high, facewas drilled out by a Rocket Boomer XL3 C to 4.5 m depth using Secorocmodel–37 48 mm, 9-button ballistic bitswith R35 thread.

Between 105 and 120 holes wererequired, together with two 102 mm break-er holes in the centre. Average drilling ratewas 3 m/min, and face and rockboltdrilling took around 3 hours. The rockcomprised good, hard limestone, whichwas pregraded K1, K2 or K3 by theclient’s geologist. The various grades wererouted through the crushing and screeningsystem, to facilitate reuse as aggregate.

In the north, probeholes were main-tained 40 m ahead of the face, drilled inthe crown by one of the Rocket BoomerXL3 Cs equipped with a RAS rod addingsystem. Detection of methane would trig-ger a warning system on the drillrigs, andthe monitoring system on the suspendedbackup would switch off HT electrics if adangerous concentration was encountered.

Excavation and Mucking

All blasting at Mitholz utilized site sensi-tised emulsion (SSE) explosives supplied byDyno Nobel Sweden and charged using twolarge-capacity Dyno trucks, each equippedwith two charging systems. Some 2 t of thethree-component mix was used each work-

ing day. The inert bulk component accountsfor 99% by weight and volume, so the sec-ondary components can be introduced in thehole using a static mixer. Hence, the mixturedoes not become explosive until it is safelyin the hole, avoiding most of the problemsassociated with storage, transportation andcharging of live explosives.

The profile holes were charged at 50%density to control overbreak. Force ventila-tion for the main faces was providedthrough 2.2 m-diameter flexible ducts forthe duration of drilling, support and loadingoperations. The airflow was reversed duringblasting, aided by a secondary force fanmounted on the suspended backup, whichprovided flushing air through a 1.7 m duct.

The blasted face was safened using anexcavator-mounted rock scaler. A 5 cu mLHD equipped with side-tipping bucketcarried the spoil back to a 1,000 t/h mobilecrusher located some 50-100 m behindeach face. From here, the crushed rock wasdelivered by a 330 m overlap stage con-veyor to a 300 t/h trunk conveying system,and thence to a handling plant operated bya subcontractor close to the adit bottom.

Each round yielded some 700 t, withbunkering available for 1.5 rounds from thesouth faces and one round from the northface. At each handling plant the rock wasfurther crushed to –200 mm, with oversizescalped by a grizzly. Vertical pocket eleva-tors carried the spoil 20 m up to the aditconveyor loading points, from where two400 t/h tubed belt systems took it to thesurface for transport to the nominatedstockpiles. A fleet of five articulated dumptrucks was kept permanently available foruse in case of conveyor breakdown.

ALPTRANSIT, SWITZERLAND

FACE DRILLING 37

A mountain of Swellex rockbolts beneath the Mitholzpeak.

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Support and Lining

Prior to rockbolting, the roof and sideswere shotcreted, using one of four avail-able mobile concrete spraying systems.Compressed air for shotcreting was sup-plied by Atlas Copco stationary compres-sors. Some 20-30 Swellex rockbolts werethen installed, using a Rocket Boomer XL3 C to drill the 38 mm holes. Rockcover varies from 1,000 m to a maximumof 2,000 m beneath the Mitholz peaks. Insqueezing ground, wire mesh and steelfibre reinforced shotcrete were used.Rockbursting was a hazard at the far southend of the alignment, where crystallinerock was encountered.

Permanent lining comprises a 250 mm-thick cast in-situ concrete formed over adrainage membrane, with the crown of thetunnel positioned 7.2 m above the top of therail track. The main tunnels are being fin-ished to a standard 62 sq m cross-section.

There is also a tunnel and shaft system tofacilitate permanent access to the electricalsubstation, which is located between theproposed running tunnel tracks. This systemwas used for access to the visitor centre onthe upper level, for the duration of the pro-ject. Mobile equipment maintenance work-shops were installed in one of the crosspassages between the main tunnels, and thesubstation room was utilized for concretebatching during construction. It is estimatedthat some 250,000 t of cement passedthrough the plant during construction.

Progress

The site worked flat out, on a 7 day/3 shiftoperation, with four crews of 9 or 10 men

rotating on each face. Most of the work-force comprised experienced crews fromAustria and Sweden, so training was not aproblem. The drillrig operators were givenbasic conversion training by Atlas CopcoSuisse on the Rocket Boomer XL3 Csbefore delivery, and then received aroundthree months on-the-job instruction byexperienced Atlas Copco site engineers.The maintenance fitters were supported byAtlas Copco until competent, and one oftheir engineers, together with service con-tainers, was located at site for the durationof the contract.

Tunnelling progress was well aheadof schedule when the south faces reachedthe water-bearing karstic limestone, thedrillrigs having advanced 250-300 m/month on each face, with a maximumachieved of 338 m/month. Caverns withhigh-pressure water were detected in thekarstic limestone, and a complex probedrilling system using 250-300 m-longcored holes was employed to investigateahead of the face. Average water inflowsof 100 lit/sec were experienced, with amaximum pressure of 42 bar. Hydraulictesting and ground probing radar were alsoused.

In the final kilometre of the south drive,the faces entered granite, where the RocketBoomer XL3 Cs rigs again recorded highperformances.

This remarkable progress enabled Satcoto reach the contract boundary ahead oftime. As a result, they were awarded theoption of completing a further bonus kilo-metre towards Ferden, taking their overalltotal to more than 26 km.

Tunnelling at the north face was com-pleted in May 2003, some 8 months aheadof programme. Accordingly, Satco wasawarded a further contract to mine an800 m-long parallel link close to theFrutigen portal.

By end-January, 2004 Satco hadexcavated almost 23 km of tunnel, withthe remainder expected to be completedin August, 2004. Total volume of ex-cavated rock is around 1.8 million cu m,of which some 700,000 cu m will bereused. �

Acknowledgements

Atlas Copco is grateful to Satco projectmanager Wolfgang Lehner for his assist-ance with this article.

ALPTRANSIT, SWITZERLAND

38 FACE DRILLING

Lining formworks in the west tube.

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New Section

The new twin-track section connects into the existing single line at both ends,but follows a straighter alignment, reduc-ing the distance travelled. It is currentlyunder construction by contractor NCCInternational.

The 108 sq m single-tube, twin-trackrunning tunnel is being excavated bydrill/blast on a north-south alignment ingranite gneiss, which is hard at the northend and softens progressively towards thesouth. Some faulting occurs along thetunnel alignment, but generally the rock issparsely to moderately jointed.

A 2.2 km-long, 27 sq m rescue tunnelwill parallel the main tunnel over much ofits length, and this is being excavatedsimultaneously by the same contractor.The safety regulations require that no oneshall be more than 300 m from an exit intothe rescue tunnel, or into open air, when atrain has to be evacuated in the maintunnel.

Long Shifts

The site operates from 07.00 to 22.00,during which time a single blasting cycle isachieved at each working face. Two crewswork alternate weeks, changing overhalfway through the Wednesday shift. Thefirst crew works a 7.2 h shift on Wednesday,and 14.4 h shifts on Thursday and Friday.The weekend is free, and the crew resumeswith 14.4 h shifts on Monday and Tuesday,and a 7.2 h shift on Wednesday. Oncerelieved by the second crew, the first crewtakes the following week off.

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

FACE DRILLING 39

Sealing by Pregrouting atTrollhattanMaking Safe and DryThe Oslo-Gothenburg high speed rail-way is currently under constructionin sections for client Banverket, theSwedish national railway authority,with a view to completion by 2015.When fully commissioned, the newrailway will reduce the journey timebetween Oslo and Gothenburg fromthe current 4 h to just 2.5 h.Meantime, individual sections arebeing opened as and when they are completed. The 7 km-longTrollhattan to Vanersborg sectionskirts the southern end of LakeVanern, the largest lake in Sweden. Along loop in the existing single trackis being bypassed by a new twin-track railway, which includes the3.5 km-long Trollhattan tunnel. Thetunnel has to be dry, so is being pre-grouted at the face using cement in18 m-long holes drilled accuratelyaround its periphery by a fully-computerized Atlas Copco RocketBoomer XL3 C drillrig.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer XL3 C atthe face in Trollhattan centre section.

Loading a rod into the RAS from theRocket Boomer XL3 C basket.

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This regime originated at the recentlycompleted Sodra Lanken project inStockholm, to enable the crews to spend asmuch time as possible at home, withoutimpacting upon progress. The crews, whoinvariably live a long distance from site,are happy with this compromise, but thesame cannot be said of the authorities, whomonitor it very closely for obvious rea-sons. However, it must be said that work-ing conditions at Swedish tunnellingprojects are amongst the best in the world,and job rotation during each shift keepstiredness at bay and helps avoid boredom.There is also a major case to be made forkeeping crews together, especially in anenvironment in which sophisticated mech-anization is the norm.

Grouting

Before the running tunnel face can beadvanced, a circular pattern of 30 off18 m-long holes must be drilled around thefull perimeter using the face drillrig. Theseare pregrouted with cement to form awatertight envelope ahead of the face,within which three 5 m rounds can bedrilled and blasted.

The drilling and grouting exercise takesa full working day to complete in the run-ning tunnels. On the following day, sixcontrol holes are drilled to test the effec-tiveness of the grouting, and these arepumped up to 4-5 bar using water. Waterloss is then measured, and, if less than0.2 lit/min/m/bar is lost for each 18 mhole, the umbrella is certified as ready foradvance. If one hole fails, it is grouted andanother two holes are drilled and grouted,and the tunnel carries on regardless.

Each grouted umbrella overlaps the pre-vious one by 5 m as an extra insuranceagainst water seepage. Experience hasproved that it is better to pregrout ratherthan postgrout, and there are a number ofnotable and costly postgrouting failures onthe record.

At Trollhattan, there is an imposed wateringress limit of 3.5-2.5 lit/min/100 m oftunnel, required to satisfy the demands ofBanverket for its electric railway system.

Only one water pressure test can beconducted on any particular hole. Todate, only 50% of grouted rings havepassed the water pressure test first time, sosome face advance is usually lost on asecond day while remedial measures areundertaken.

Drilling and Blasting

All blasting is carried out using site sensi-tized emulsion, with dynamite primers andNonel detonators. A Dyno 2 t-capacitymixer truck is used for the north faces,operated by NCC under Dyno supervision.The advantage with SSE is that the compo-nents are not themselves classified asexplosives, and, as such, can be stored andtransported under the less-onerous flam-mable materials rules. At the south face, amini SSE truck carrying a 1 t-capacity con-tainer docks with the drillrig, which is thenused as a charging platform.

The standard blasting pattern in therunning tunnel comprises 170 holes drilled

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

40 FACE DRILLING

Plan of the Trollhattan tunnel.

TO VANERSBORG AND OSLO

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to 5.2 m depth using Secoroc MagnumSR35 drilling equipment. 48 mm ballisticbutton bits are used with 5.5 m-long roundMagnum SR35 drifter rods. A smoothblasting technique is applied, using tworows with reduced charges. At the periph-ery, 80 gram pentyl cord is used, and in thesecond row located 0.6 m inside theperiphery, 0.9 kg of emulsion is measuredinto each hole.

The breaking face is formed by four102 mm holes drilled using Magnum SR35Dome reaming bits. Drilling and blastingtakes around 3 h, mucking around 7 h, andscaling 3 h. Very little rock reinforcementis necessary, with just the occasional rock-bolt being installed.

Under normal circumstances, one com-plete cycle of drilling and blasting isundertaken at each face on three or fourdays of the week. Overbreak is measuredevery metre on advance. There is a 50 cmfree zone around the perimeter of thedrive, and average overbreak is 4% outsidethe theoretical tunnel line.

The Secoroc bits are reground every 10holes, and have a life of 500-700 m. Thereare two purpose-built workshop containersat site housing regrinding facilities, whichinclude Grind Matic BQ2 semi-automaticbutton bit grinders. A third container isused for Boomer maintenance.

False Tunnel

Some 1.2 km from the south portal, thecrown of the running tunnel alignment isrevealed in the base of a valley known asBjornsravinen. Early in the project, NCCobtained access at this point, diverted thestream into a pipeline, and excavated thebase of the valley to tunnel invert level.They then established temporary portals,and drove the running tunnel at full sectionfor 250 m in each direction.

NCC Sweden, a regional company inthe same contracting group will construct ashort false tunnel across the valley to con-nect the two temporary portals, and thearea will then be backfilled and the streamreinstated.

Early excavation of this sectionremoved a bottleneck on the critical pathof the project, and opened the way to con-structing the reinforced concrete falsetunnel during the Spring and Summermonths, rather than under the much harsherwinter conditions.

South SectionWork from the south portal has progressedpast the 600 m point, leaving less than 400 mto go to breakthrough into the completedvalley section. The first 20 m was pregroutedwith micro cement injected into 18 m-longholes using a Craelius Unigrout system.

The tunnel is carried forward on fullface excavation using a refurbished andupgraded Atlas Copco Robot Boomer185 ES drillrig, which previously saw ser-vice at another Banverket site at Hallandsas.

The average depth of cover is 20 m, andthe alignment is mainly under forestedground, except where it passes beneath acorner of Bjorndalen, a small housing areasituated some 400 m from the south portal.At the half dozen houses most affected,vibration sensors were installed, and thesewere linked to the Internet, from wherethey could be monitored daily. The blasting

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

FACE DRILLING 41

Entrance to the rescue tunnel andcentre section faces.

Typical overbreak recorded in the maintunnel.

Section: 400/723

+73 m +73 m

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sequence was adjusted to lower vibration,as necessary.

North Section

The tunnel dips at 1% from the northportal for 2.3 km to the valley position,and then flattens out to 0.3% for theremaining 1.2 km to the south portal.

The drive from the north portal, whichis being undertaken using an Atlas CopcoRocket Boomer 353 ES drillrig, passeswithin 100 m of a local hospital.Fortunately, the areas of the hospital thatwould be sensitive to blasting are 250 maway, and are generally unaffected.Nevertheless, blasting times are negotiatedwith the hospital authorities, if need be.

Rescue Tunnel

At a point some 1.2 km from the north portala 370 m adit has been driven oversize downto the main tunnel horizon, from which facesare being driven in both directions in boththe running tunnel and the rescue tunnel. Apair of Swedvent 1.2 m-diameter silencedaxial flow fans mounted high above the aditentrance provides auxiliary ventilation forthe faces. The adit is paved with asphalt toprovide a safe, year-round surface formobile equipment and trucks.

An Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer XL3 Cis drilling the running tunnel faces, while arebuilt Boomer H175 is working in the5 m-wide x 5.5 m-high rescue tunnels.

Rock produced from the tunnel is theproperty of Banverket, and is used for bal-lasting tracks or sold into the aggregatemarket. NCC conducts some crushing atsite on behalf of Banverket.

The completed tunnel will be lined with50 mm depth of steel fibre reinforced

shotcrete over its entire length before han-dover in December, 2005.

NCC employs 35 people at Trollhattan tocover the three sites in operation. In thecentre section, mucking is subcontracted. Inthe north and south sections, NCC usesBroyt X43 diesel-powered hydraulic loaderswhich are not self-propelled, loading intosubcontractors 30 t-capacity semi trailers.

Rocket Boomer XL3 C

The new Rocket Boomer XL3 C working inthe centre section of the tunnel is a fully-computerized face drilling jumbo, with auto-matic boom control (ABC), and handles allface and grouthole drilling. It has been well-received by the operators, who found that ittook just two days to convert fully from theirprevious Atlas Copco 353 ES.

This machine is equipped with a rodadding system (RAS) on the two outerbooms, which are reloaded alternately by asingle operator using the rig basket. Theshort movement of the rod adding systemspeeds up the grouthole drilling process.The rig computer tells the operator howmany rods are in each hole, and indicateswhen the hole is complete.

The operators report that the rigachieves 2.6-3 m/min/rockdrill, even withall three machines in use.

In general, the Rocket Boomer XL3 C isa three-boom and basket hydraulic tun-nelling rig with high reaching Eagle consolefor railway tunnels and underground cav-erns, suitable for cross sections up to 179 sq m. It is equipped with COP 1838rock drills with double reflex dampening forhigh speed drilling and excellent drill steeleconomy. An integrated diagnostic systemcan immediately identify faulty electroniccomponents. The ABC system assists theoperator to achieve accurate drill hole loca-tion and improve the quality of drilling byoptimizing the drilling pattern and reducingoverbreak. A full specification of this drill-rig is available at facedrilling.com �

Acknowledgements

Atlas Copco is grateful to NCCInternational AB for facilitating the sitevisit on which this article is based, andparticularly thanks Goran Manell, NCCproject manager at Trollhattan, for takingthe trouble to explain details of thiscomplex project.

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

42 FACE DRILLING

Side view of Rocket Boomer XL3 C.

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Impressive Output

Svea North is located some 40 km fromSpitsbergen’s main town of Longyearbyen,and there is a fully-functioning mineencampment at the site. There is no road,and the only access is by boat in summer,snowmobile in winter, or by the dailyflights into the airstrip.

Despite its remote location, Svea Northproduced an output of nearly 2.7 million tfrom its single longwall face in 2003.Indeed, in October, 2003, the mine pro-duced a creditable 460,000 t, taking it tothe number one position in Europe.Average output per miner of 75 t/shiftmakes it one of the most efficient under-ground coal mines in the world.

The seam averages 3.8 m thick, withfew geological faults, and good overallconditions. It lies under 400 m of rock and200 m of ice at its deepest, while at itsshallowest point, there is just 50 m of rockbetween the coal seam and the glacier. Theestimated coal reserve is 40 million t, ofwhich SNSK expects to mine somethinglike 32 million t. It is a very marketableproduct at 32 MJ/kg, with a low ash

content of 5%, and a low sulphur contentat 0.6%.

Svea North is accessed by simplydriving into the drift in a conventionalfour-wheel drive vehicle.

SPITSBERGEN, NORWAY

FACE DRILLING 43

Tunnelling Beneath a GlacierRecord PerformanceSpitsbergen, a Norwegian archipel-ago located in the Arctic ocean some12 degrees south of the North Pole,was first mapped officially by Dutchsailor Willem Barents in the late 16th century. Russian geologist, VARusanov, discovered extensive coaldeposits in 1912, which are currentlyexploited under an internationaltreaty. Svea North mine, developedin 1999, is located beneath a glacier,over which owner SNSK has had tohaul its output along an ice road to the port area. The solution was todrive a tunnel beneath the glacierand replace trucks with conveyor. Inthis remote and harsh location, con-tractor Leonhard Nilsen & Sonner(LNS) needed reliable equipmentwith good manufacturer support.They chose an Atlas Copco RocketBoomer L2 C drillrig, and not onlycompleted on time, but also broke afew tunnelling records along theway!

Svea North is accessed by sea duringthe summer.

Charging the face from the rig basket.

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Since production commenced, a com-bination of on-off highway trucks andADTs has hauled the coal the 6 km or sofrom the stockyard at the pit entrance tothe port area, making up to 50,000journeys/year.

As the fjord freezes during winter, thecoal is kept in a 1.6 million t-capacitystockpile beside the port until the ships canagain make their way to the dock.

Keeping an ice road open in such aclimate is not easy, with around NKr 5 mil-lion/year spent on grading alone, to main-tain the required capacity of 16,000 t/day.The wear and tear on trucks and loadingequipment added greatly to this bill,making it imperative that an alternativesolution be found.

SNSK decided to replace the ice roadwith a tunnel under the glacier. The 2.6%dipping tunnel alignment lies beneath theproduction seam, and it is designed to houseboth a conveyor system, and a channel todrain ground water percolating through themine from a lake beneath the glacier.

The mine has suffered problems withexcessive water, despite its powerfulinstalled pump station and lengthypipelines. Water ingress is greater insummer because of the thaw, evidenced bythe longwall being put out of action by

flooding for much of July and August,2002.

Tunnel Drivage

LNS was awarded the contract for the5.6 km-long x 38 sq m tunnel, and startedits development in November, 2002, usinga new Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer L2 Cdrillrig. Planned advance of 100 m/weekwas easily exceeded, with a worlddrill/blast record of 150 m being achievedin the best week.

This rate of advance is normallyachieved using TBMs, and is extremelysignificant for a drill and blast operationbecause of the dramatic difference in capi-tal employed.

Rock conditions are relatively soft,competent and not generally abrasive,although there is some quartzite intrusion.LNS used 48 mm bits with three holes infront and ballistic buttons, which lastedfrom 300-500 m before regrinding. Foreach round, the blastholes were drilled todepths of 5 m and took around 1.5-3 min-utes apiece, with 75-76 holes required for a full pattern. Productivity was kept at ahigh average rate, with LNS achieving 3-4rounds/day, and sometimes five. In theworst conditions, this dropped to tworounds/day.

For charging the upper holes and thecut, the Rocket Boomer was equipped witha Dyno hose charger mounted in thebasket. With this device it was possible toregulate the volume of explosives injectedinto each hole. A second hose was usedmanually for charging the holes in thelower part of the face, without the optionto regulate the volume of explosivesinjected. A standard emulsion explosivewas used, mixed in the hole and detonatedusing Nonel. Emulsion explosives aremore expensive than ANFO, but theirmuch-reduced blasting fumes allow opera-tors to return to the face quicker after eachblast. Another advantage is that emulsioncomponents can be transported under theflammable material rules, and are notclassified as explosive until they are in thehole.

The mucking operation took around 1.5-2 h for around 380 t of blasted rock. Aconventional loader was used, with a fleetof six trucks, with a grader keeping theroadway clear and smooth. A face crew ofsix was sufficient for each of the two

SPITSBERGEN, NORWAY

44 FACE DRILLING

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer L2 C at theface.

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shifts/day, while the total LNS crew on thisproject was 52.

The tunnel was started in permafrost,with a 400-500 m transition zone at eachend to reach solid rock. In these zones,melting ice caused problems with the shot-crete application. LNS employed an accel-erant in the shotcrete mix, and reinforced itwith steel fibres. Two rockbolts were gen-erally required for each metre advance, butproblems with rock pressures sometimesnecessitated more extensive bolting, anduse of a hydraulic scaler. Polyester roof-bolts were replaced by 2.4 m and 3 mSwellex Manganese bolts in some of themore difficult areas.

The drill and blast portion of the tunnelproject is now complete. Fitting out, andinstallation of the ventilation and conveyorsystems, should be finished by the end ofthe first quarter of 2004.

Equipment Modifications

The Rocket Boomer L2 C drillrig wasfitted with Atlas Copco’s ABC Regularcontrol package, which indicates the holepositions, but does not include full-functionautomatic boom movement.

The contractor has had experience usinga computerized Rocket Boomer XL3 C onthe Norwegian mainland, but it was still amajor decision to send an RCS drillrig to aremote location like Spitsbergen. Duringcommissioning, Atlas Copco providedthree or four days of basic training at siteto the new operators. The instructor thenremained in support for another threeweeks, and returned some months later fora week of follow-up training. The contrac-tor has taken care of maintenance andoperation of the rig during the entire pro-ject using his own people, without the needof outside assistance.

In the transition zone between the per-mafrost and the rock, it was found that theconventional anti-jamming system fitted tothe drillrig did not give sufficient warningof jamming, resulting in some rod damage.Atlas Copco suggested an alternative pro-gram, which suited the conditions better bysimultaneously monitoring rotation, feedrate and water flow. This resolved theproblem, and there were no more instancesof rod damage caused by jamming.

By agreement with LNS, Atlas Copcoevolved a package of spares suited to theremoteness of the operation. However,

reliability was good, and only the usualservice parts such as filters and hoses wererequired.

The SNSK mine also has an AtlasCopco Swell bolter, originally supplied in1986. This rig was rebuilt in 2001 andequipped with the new HBU bolting unitwith a COP 1028 hydraulic rock drill. Thisbolting unit is used in parts of the minewith hard sandstone layers, where rotarydrilling cannot be used.

Svea North’s future looks good. Themine has a projected life until 2013, andthere are another two deposits of 3.5 and 2.7 million t nearby that SNSK maywish to develop. The company is also car-rying out exploration work elsewhere onSpitzbergen. �

Acknowledgements

Atlas Copco is grateful to SNSK and LNSfor permission to publish this article,which is derived from a site report writtenby Mike Woof, editor of World MiningEquipment magazine.

SPITSBERGEN, NORWAY

FACE DRILLING 45

Rockbolts and shotcrete provide themain support.

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HELSINKI, FINLAND

46 FACE DRILLING

Centralization of Treatment

Helsinki’s first wastewater treatment plantswere built in the 1910s. New plants wereprogressively added to the system as thepopulation grew, until there were elevenplants in operation by the beginning of the1970s. This figure had dropped to eight bythe mid-1980s, however, as the first stepstowards centralization were taken.

This development coincided with thecompletion of a feasibility study, whichexamined the possibility of replacing allthe existing plants with one central treat-ment plant built underground in rock. Thegoal was to construct a single technicallyand economically efficient plant capable ofraising treatment efficiency, while alsomeeting tough environmental restrictions.

The city council gave the go-ahead forthe project in 1986, and construction of the Viikinmaki plant started early thefollowing year.

Wastewater was pumped from the oldtreatment plants to the new central treat-ment plant, and nearly 20 km of new sewertunnels were built. The treated water is ledout to sea through an outfall tunnel, built inthe mid-1980s, and discharged into the seathrough a rock shaft, opening in the seabottom near the island of Katajaluoto, 8 km from the southern tip of Helsinki.

Several factors favoured Viikinmäki asthe ideal location for the new plant. It wascentrally situated with respect to the oldertreatment plants. The area was undevel-oped, and it was high enough to allow asingle pumping stage from treatment tooutfall, with all the wastewater and sludgetreatment units located underground in rock.

Design of Extension

For nearly half a decade, the treatmentplant served mainly to reduce BOD andphosphorus from waste water. In 1997,extra equipment was installed to facilitate50% nitrogen removal.

Initially, the total population to beserved was 750,000 inhabitants. However,

Central Wastewater Treatmentfor City of HelsinkiGoing UndergroundThe Viikinmaki central wastewatertreatment plant in Helsinki, Finland,commissioned in the early 1990s,was the largest underground facilityof its kind. It was also very success-ful. So much so, that it has recentlybeen extended with the addition ofsome 200,000 cu m of space toaccommodate denitrification filtersand extra treatment lines.

The extension has been squeezedinto an area with low rock cover thatis close to surface development.Hence, particular care had to betaken with drilling and blasting, andwith rock reinforcement.

For the extreme drilling accuracyrequired, contractor YIT used a newAtlas Copco Rocket Boomer XL3 Cwith COP 1838HF rock drills. Thefaster drilling rate of the high fre-quency machines, combined with thecomputer control of the drillrig,resulted in very efficient excavation.Additionally, some 60,000 m of rock-bolts were installed using an AtlasCopco Boltec 435 SH.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer XL3 Cdrilling at Viikinmaki.

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since original commissioning in 1993, thepopulation in the area has increased bysome 10,000, while the treatment require-ments have become stricter.

Helsinki Water has undertaken anongoing project to extend the treatmentprocess to meet the stricter requirements,especially regarding nitrogen, which hadto be reduced by 70%. The required200,000 cu m extension to the Viikinmakiplant houses de-nitrification filters andadditional treatment lines.

The treatment used is a typical activatedsludge process. Wastewater organics aredegraded by digesting sludge first in fourdigesters, and then combusting the digestergas to generate heat and electricity. Theenergy thus recovered adds up to roughly50% of the total electricity consumption,and 100% of the heat requirement of theentire plant.

The main designer and process designerwas Plancenter Ltd.

Lack of available space necessitated thefilling of old access tunnels with concrete,and using rock masses as close as possibleto the margins of the hill. The existingplant employs gravity discharge, and so thenew facilities had to take account of itselevation. Helsinki City GeotechnicalDivision was the tunnelling designer,with engineering firm Rockplan Ltd assubconsultant.

The two new treatment lines are parallelwith the old existing ones. The filtercavern and related facility cavern aretransversely positioned, at the ends of thesewage treatment lines.

Excavation

Rock Mechanics Technology Ltd wasselected to measure and calculate therock stress, using an overcoring technique.Rock sample drilling, measure-while-drilling (MWD), TV imaging, seismicsounding, and radar were also employed.Propagation of blasting vibration wasstudied using test blasts. The two principalstresses were found to be horizontal, withmagnitudes of 8 MPa and 3 MPa. The thirdprincipal stress is vertical, and its magnitudeis 1 MPa. All principal stresses arecompressive.

Systematic monitoring of the movementsof the rock mass, and the rock quality, arecarried out by Suomen Malmi (SMOY)and Geotek Oy, while groundwater level

monitoring is the responsibility of HelsinkiCity Geotechnical Division.

Residential houses, a school and streetswere built simultaneously with the construc-tion of the sewage plant, imposing limi-tations on underground blasting and supportwork. Building has only been allowedwhere the rock cover exceeds 10 m.

The excavation contractor for the200,000 cu m extension was YITConstruction Ltd. Their contract com-menced in May, 2000 and was completedin January, 2002, and was valued at �5.6 million. Because of proximity tothe operating sewage plant, flexibleairtight blasting barriers of wooden beamssecured by steel cables were installed.Initially, these were found to be tooflexible, and had to be braced with profilesteel.

Computer Based Drilling

YIT employed an Atlas Copco RocketBoomer XL3 C with ABC Total to drillsome 250,000 m of blastholes. This is afully-computerized hydraulic tunnelling rigwith high reaching Eagle console for hugecross sections up to 179 sq m, and ideallysuited to conditions at Viikinmaki. It isfitted with Atlas Copco’s innovative RigControl System (RCS) with interactiveoperator control panel with full-colour

HELSINKI, FINLAND

FACE DRILLING 47

Location of Viikinmaki wastewatertreatment plant and outfall.

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display of the computer-based drillingsystem, which includes auto-collaring andanti-jamming protection.

A major feature of this drillrig was that itwas one of the first to be equipped with theHF version of Atlas Copco’s successfulCOP 1838 rock drill. The COP 1838HF hasa higher impact rate than the popular MEversion, delivering more frequent blows atalmost the same impact energy. The result isup to 20% faster drilling in the 43-51 mmhole range.

The long, slender piston of the COP1838 series permits high impact energy tobe utilized, while considerably increasingthe service life of the drill steel. Ahydraulic double-dampening system absorbsand dissipates the shockwaves from therock, while establishing the best possiblecontact for the drillbit. The reversiblerotation motor gives high torque, and rota-tion speed is easily adjustable to matchchanging rock conditions. The low profileof the rock drill permits close drilling tothe sidewall, with only 2 degrees of look-out angle. Nitrogen charged accumulatorsreduce vibrations and wear on hydrauliccomponents.

Between July and September, 2001, theRocket Boomer XL3 C drilled 42,500 m in203 percussion hours, an average penetra-tion rate of 140 m/percussion hour.

Rock Reinforcement

An Atlas Copco Boltec 435 SH was usedfor drilling and installation of some

60,000 m of grouted steel rockbolts. YIT alsoplaced some 6,500 cu m of shotcrete, andconducted cement grouting where necessary.Some disused sewage tunnels and accessadits were filled with 4,200 cu m of con-crete to rehabilitate the rock area for reuse.

All excavated rock has been crushedand used in earth construction, where itreplaces natural gravel. Initially, the crush-ing was carried out on the surface, but assoon as there was space enough under-ground, the crushing operations weremoved into a tunnel. Some 500,000 t ofrock was crushed underground using amobile crusher. The crusher capacity of2,000 t/day over two shifts limited therate of rock excavation, despite optimumworksite arrangements.

The bedrock is mostly hard and crys-talline, but the extension site is crossed bya fractured zone, affecting three of thetunnels, which have a span of 17 m and aroof thickness of only 2-3 m. Here, rock-bolting of roofs and walls was carried outin fans from two directions, while theexcavation advanced in small increments.

The excavation was completed in early2002. The filter cavern was commissionedin late-2003, and the additional treatmentline is due in late 2004. �

Acknowledgements

The editor is grateful to Janne Lehto andVeikko Koponen of YIT Construction Ltdfor their inputs and assistance with revisionof this article.

HELSINKI, FINLAND

48 FACE DRILLING

Section of the Viikinmaki plant.

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Tunnel System

The tunnel system runs from a laketapintake in Lake Tyin to the existing storagelake at Torolmen, and then on to the power-station penstocks and turbines, finally dis-charging through a tailrace at Årdalsvatnet.

Five surface creek intakes have alsobeen constructed. These are being coupled

to the existing power tunnel, which willthen work as a top feed to the new tunnel,connected by a shaft located approximatelyhalfway along its alignment. SelmerSkanska subsidiary E-Service has drilledthe 1 m-diameter x 25-50 m-long holes toconnect the creeks to the existing headrace.

An access tunnel 1.54 km-long with50 sq m cross section was driven down-grade at 1:10 to reach the power stationsite in June, 2002. The rock cover of1.5 km is resulting in heavy pressure ontunnel face and crown.

It involved some 75,000 cu m of exca-vation using an Atlas Copco Rocket

OVRE ARDAL, NORWAY

FACE DRILLING 49

Replacing Norway’s TyinHydropower PlantEnvironmentallySensitive ConstructionNorwegian contractor Selmer Skanskahas completed its part of the con-struction of the replacement for the1940s hydropower station servingthe Årdal aluminium smelter, locatednear Sogndal in western Norway.

Overall cost of the project will beapproximately €180 million, with theSelmer Skanska contract accountingfor €60 million. The new power stationhas been excavated in rock, togetherwith nearly 21 km of associated tun-nels of various cross sections.

The client, Norsk Hydro, is com-mitted to preservation, and this isreflected both inside and outside themountain, and includes health, envi-ronment and safety. This was empha-sised when they awarded thecontract, along with an insistencethat their current daily production ofelectricity should not be disrupted.

Three generations of Atlas Copcodrillrigs were used at Tyin, rangingfrom the older Boomer H 185 and322, through Rocket Boomer 353 C,to the latest L2 C and fully computer-ized WL3 C, equipped with the newCOP 1838HF rockdrills. Secoroc sup-plied its Magnum SR 35 rock tools forthe drillrigs, and Atlas Copco refur-bished a Robbins 97RL C raise borerfor the surge shaft excavation. Thereis even an Atlas Copco WagnerST1000 Scooptram at site!

Tyin is a testament to the ability ofa single company to supply and sup-port all the equipment necessary fora major tunnelling project, whilecomplying with the environmentalstrictures placed on working in sensi-tive areas of the world.

Rocket Boomer WL3 C equipped with1838 HF rockdrills at tailrace tunnelface.

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Boomer 353 C equipped with 5.5 m-longSecoroc Magnum SR35 rods to drill thehard gneiss. Some 75-80 x 48 mm holeswere drilled per round, using SecorocMagnum SR35 button bits, to obtain a4.85 m pull. Dyno Nobel slurry explosiveand Nonel detonation provided good frag-mentation, and spoil removal was under-taken by a subcontractor.

Power Station

The power station excavation was com-pleted in October, 2003, with dimensions17 m-wide x 60 m-long x 38 m-high,beneath 1.6 km of rock cover. It is

designed to replace output from theexisting plant and to add an extra 15%,bringing electricity production to 1,400GWh annually, without changing the waterreservoirs.

The power station roof was profiledrilled using a Rocket Boomer 353 C andsupported by 6 m-long resin anchoredrockbolts installed on a 2 m square patternin holes drilled by an Atlas Copco BoomerH185 drillrig. Some 7-10 cm of steel fibrereinforced shotcrete was applied, using atruck-mounted jumbo.

An Atlas Copco ROC 642 HP quarryrig drilled 4 m-long x 64 mm-diameter ver-tical blastholes with 2.5 m burden on thebenches for bulk excavation of the power-house, where the generator pit will housetwo Pelton turbines. These will be drivenby the hydrodynamic forces created byover 1,000 m of head between Lake Tyinand the powerhouse. Massive crane railshave been installed to cope with the turbinecomponents and the 240 t transformers.

Some 7,000 cu m of concrete founda-tions had been poured for the new powerstation by January, 2004, and electrical andmechanical installation commenced.

Tailrace

The tailrace tunnel is 2.7 km-long, and9.5 m-high x 5.5 m-wide, with 46 sq msection. This was driven by a new AtlasCopco Rocket Boomer WL3 C drillrigwith three booms and a basket, deliveredin February, 2002. The WL3 C is equippedwith the latest 1838 HF rockdrills, whichdrilled at 1.5 m/min in the granite gneiss. It

OVRE ARDAL, NORWAY

50 FACE DRILLING

Idealized section of Tyin tunnelsystem.

Atlas Copco ROC 642 HP used for bulk excavation ofpower station cavern.

First worksite for the upgradedRobbins 97 RL C raiseborer

Torholmen Tyin1073-1083 m.o.h.

Tya

Shaft

Existing tunnel

New tunnel

New powerhouse

Lake Årdal 3 m above sea level

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drilled 90 holes/round using 5.5 m-longrods and 48 mm button bits with SecorocMagnum SR35 thread, with blasting byDyno Nobel slurry with Nonel detonators.

The rock cover of 1.5 km resulted inheavy pressure on the mountain side of thedrive, causing blocky ground which had tobe secured using 4 m-long resin anchoredbolts. Some 12-15 bolts were installed perround, in alternating rings of 6 and 7 at2.5 m spacing. Where the rock tension per-mitted, 2.4 m-long bolts were used. Steelfibre reinforced shotcrete was applied as amatter of course.

Turning niches were excavated at 130 mintervals for the wheeled loaders, whichdischarged into road tippers. Rock from thetailrace tunnel was carried by bottom dumpbarges to an area of the fjord that has beenreclaimed as a nature reserve. The accessand tailrace tunnel entrances are 3 km apartalong a tarmac all-weather public highway.

Large 1.8 m-diameter fans and 2 mducts provided 35 cu m/min of fresh air tothe faces.

Headrace

The pressure tunnel was advanced at 27 sq m section on a 0.5% gradient from thepower station position towards Lake Tyin.

Meantime, development of the 350 m-long Biskopsvatn adit was commenced inOctober, 2001, at a point approximatelyhalfway along the 7 km alignment betweenthe power station and the storage lakeknown as Torolmen. Biskopsvatn aditreached the pressure tunnel horizon byChristmas, 2001.

From here, the pressure tunnel wasadvanced in both directions using twoidentical Atlas Copco 353 S drillrigs andtracked loaders with 2.1 cu m side tippingbuckets at each face, operated by singlecrews on each of two shifts. A maximum35 rounds/week was achieved, with anaverage of 26 rounds, which equated to65 m advance.

Both rigs used Secoroc Magnum SR35equipment, 5.5 m-long rods and 48 mmbutton bits, in the 29-30 sq m section, andeach round took around 2 hours to drill.

A workshop was established under-ground at the junction of the Biskopsvatnadit and the pressure tunnel drives.Towards the right downgrade side, thedrive was in granite, and towards the leftupgrade side, it was in phyllite. Each round

required more blastholes in the phyllite,together with up to six 102 mm cut holes.

The final stretch of tunnel, from LakeTorolmen to the draw off point in Lake Tyin, was driven from an adit usingan excavator loader and dumptrucks. Thefirst 226 m was downgrade, followed by2.4 km slightly upgrade at 20 sq m section.The face was drilled using an Atlas CopcoRocket Boomer L2 C, using ANFO as theblasting agent.

Surge Shaft

At a position known as Tora Bora becauseof its remoteness, the 9,000 cu m surgechamber was excavated early in the project

OVRE ARDAL, NORWAY

FACE DRILLING 51

At the controls of the Rocket Boomer WL3 C.

One of the Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer353 C drillrigs.

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using an Atlas Copco 322 twin-boom drill-rig and ANFO. Poor access limited the sizeof equipment that could be used, whichincluded a Wagner ST1000 Scooptram.

The 436 m-long x 4.04 m-diametersurge shaft was raise bored from the surgechamber by Skanska Raise Boring ABusing its Robbins 97RL C. This is a highpower and low profile raise drill speciallydesigned for working on sites with size andweight restrictions, and is one of thestrongest ever produced for up to 600 m-long raises in the diameter range of 2.4 m-5.0 m. The conversion of the 13year-old machine to computer control wasundertaken by the Raise Boring depart-ment at Atlas Copco in Orebro, Sweden,who upgraded the entire system using RCStechnology, and added a new power packand electrical cabinet. The upgrade madethe control system more reliable and easierto use, and the raise drill easier to assembleat site, because of the reduction in cabling.Technical data can be logged and down-loaded onto a PC card, and the wholesystem is programmable, making it easierto add new features. Indeed, a catch-ropefeature was added and programmed intothe machine after it had been delivered andset up. With this feature installed, if thereamer loosens, it is restrained by a wirerope inside the drillstring, and a red lightappears on the panel.

Due to weight restrictions and sizelimits of the access road along the moun-tainside, the machine had to be dismantledand hauled in by tractor. It took Skanskanine trips to get the raise drill into place,and an additional 30-40 helicopter trips fortransportation of drill rods and accessories.Site preparation and assembly took aroundthree weeks.

During winter, it was impossible to keepthe road open due to snowstorms, and theraise drilling crew had to rely on helicopteror snowmobiles for transportation. Toavoid a cumbersome commuting situation,night-quarters were fitted in the warmand snow free tunnel, close to the workingsite.

Drilling of the 15 in pilot hole started inDecember, 2002 and took three months tocomplete. A drift from the power tunnelreached the lower level of the pilot hole byMarch, 2003, and reaming of the 4.04 m-diameter shaft commenced the followingmonth and was completed by the end ofJune, 2003.

Summary

The Tyin project began in September, 2001and is scheduled for completion inOctober, 2004. A total of 4,500 rounds hasbeen blasted to remove 680,000 cu m of rock. Some 27,086 rockbolts and15,100 cu m shotcrete were installed.

Selmer Skanska and its subcontractorshad a total of 160 employees on site, ofwhich 50 lived at the intermediate aditlocation, with the remainder at a camp inÅrdal, next to the site area. Everybodyworked the North Sea system of two weekson and one week off.

Excavation was completed during 2003,with the final blast in the tailrace takingplace in the last week in May, and theheadrace from Biskopsvatn to the power-station breaking through on 10th July. Thedraw-off tunnel at Torolmen was finishedat the end of July, with the lake tap leftready drilled for blasting, scheduled to takeplace in mid-2004. The piercing ofArdalsvatn from the tailrace will be carriedout in Spring, 2004.

Selmer Skanska is justifiably proud ofits progress on this project, which involveddrilling and blasting nearly 21 km oftunnel and excavating 45,000 cu m ofpowerstation in just 19 months. This partof the project was completed without asingle serious accident during the course of600,000 manhours. �

Acknowledgements

Atlas Copco is grateful to MagnarMyklatun, project manager for SelmerSkanska at Tyin for his assistance with thisarticle.

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52 FACE DRILLING

Robbins 97RL C set up and drilling atTora Bora.

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Lower Development

In order to mine below the 800 m level, themine uses three Kiruna Electric trucks forore and waste haulage to the main crusher.A Simba M4 C longhole drilling rig isused on production, drilling up to 40 m-long x 76 mm or 89 mm-diameter blast-holes. The machine produces some 50,000drillmetres/year, while an older Simba1357 drills a similar number of metres inthe 51-64 mm range. The mine is soimpressed with the stability of the SimbaM4 C rotation unit that it has had an oldSimba 1354 rebuilt to incorporate the sameunit. A Simba M7 C has been delivered forcable bolt drilling. The drilling consum-ables are supplied by Atlas Copco Secorocunder contract. The ramp will be drivenfrom the current 980 m to the 1,100 m level.

An Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer L2 C isused on ramp and sublevel development,where the requirement is for 18 rounds/week

on a 2 x 7 h shift basis. The mine has anoption to purchase a second twin-boomRocket Boomer, this time an M2 C, whichis the mining version of their existing L2 C.

Rock Reinforcement

The mine installs up to 20,000 resinanchored rockbolts each year, and, havingupgraded its production process, found thatbolting became the new bottleneck. Afterprolonged testing of the latest Atlas CopcoBoltec LC, they ordered two units.

Using these machines, the workingenvironment for the bolting operatives hasimproved immeasurably, since the continu-ous manual handling of resin cartridgeshas been eliminated. The Boltec LC is afully mechanized rockbolting rig, withcomputer-based control system for highproductivity and precision. The Zinkgruvanmodels feature a new type of magazineholding 80 resin cartridges, sufficient forinstallation of 16 rockbolts before refill. Itis equipped with a stinger, which appliesconstant pressure to keep it stable at thehole during the entire installation process.The operator can select the number of resincartridges to be shot into the hole, forwhich the rig air capacity is excellent.

Vital Combination

The Rig Control System (RCS) features aninteractive operator control panel with

ZINKGRUVAN, SWEDEN

FACE DRILLING 53

Mechanized Bolting atZinkgruvanPartners in ProductionZinkgruvan Mining AB, Sweden’sthird largest mining company, is amember of Rio Tinto Ltd’s CopperDivision. Zinkgruvan Mining produceszinc and lead concentrates for ship-ment to smelters in northern Europe.

The mine has been continuously inproduction since 1857, and ore outputnow stands at about 835,000 t/year,together with 185,000 t of wastefrom development.

Production is obtained from openstopes where, following difficultieswith seepage from hydraulic fillwhen rock quality diminished, themine now uses paste fill. Rather thandeepen the main hoisting shaft, themain ramp access was developedbelow the 800 m level, and willbottom out at 1,100 m under presentplans. Key to Zinkgruvan productionefforts is equipment supplied byAtlas Copco, which includes fourSimba production drillrigs, threeRocket Boomers and two Boltec rigs,together with maintenance and con-sumable supply contracts.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer M2 Cdeveloping the sublevels.

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full-colour display of the computer-baseddrilling system. Automatic functions in thedrilling process, such as auto-collaring andanti-jamming protection, as well asimproved regulation of the rock drill, pro-vide high performance and outstanding drillsteel economy. There is integrated diagnos-tic and fault location, and a distributed

hydraulic system with fewer and shorterhoses for increased availability. Data trans-fer is by PC-card, which also allows serviceengineers to store optimal drill settings.

The MBU bolting unit on the Boltec LCfeatures a single feed system, utilizing acradle indexer at the rear end, and a robustdrill steel support, plus indexer for grout-ing, at the top end. It is equipped with alow-mounted magazine for 10 bolts,designed for maximum flexibility duringdrilling and bolting.

The COP 1532 rock drill is the shortestin its class, with modern hydraulic reflexdampening for high-speed drilling andexcellent drill steel economy. It has sepa-rately variable frequency and impactpower, which can be adapted to certaindrill steel/rock combinations.

The BUT 35HBE heavy-duty boltingboom is perfect for direct, fast and accu-rate positioning between holes. Largecapacity working lights, and a joystick-operated spotlight, ensure that the operatorhas outstanding visibility from his workingposition.

Profitable Collaboration

The Rig Control System (RCS), originallydeveloped for Boomer rigs, is now alsoinstalled on Simba and Boltec rigs, so themine benefits from the common concept.

Atlas Copco has total responsibility forall service and maintenance operations onits equipment at Zinkgruvan, and has threeservice engineers stationed permanently atsite. The company is also under contractfor the supply, maintenance and grindingof Secoroc rock drilling tools, overseen bya Secoroc specialist.

From the mine point of view, theybelieve they have profited by their collabo-ration with Atlas Copco, particularly in thefield testing of the new generation rigs.Early exposure to the capabilities of thesemachines has allowed them to adapt theirmining and rockbolting methods to thenew technology, giving them a head starton the savings to be achieved. �

Acknowledgements

This article is based on a paper written byGunnar Nystrom. The editor also grate-fully acknowledges the inputs of JonasSodergren, Hans Sjoberg and ConnyOhman, all of Zinkgruvan Mining.

ZINKGRUVAN, SWEDEN

54 FACE DRILLING

Atlas Copco Boltec LC installingrockbolts in a development drive.

Grinding Secoroc bits on a Grind MaticBQ2 machine.

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Aggregate from Auersmacher

Since 1936, almost 20 million t of lime-stone have been produced at Auersmacher,a border town in Saarland, Germany.Mining activity has left a cavity of nearly7.8 million cubic metres in the form of225 km of underground roadways. Themining area covers almost 4 sq km, withoverburden of approximately 50 m in thick-ness and an average mining height of some6 m. The Triassic strata comprises a shellylimestone, which is excellently suited as anaggregate for the local steel industry.

The mine is working a room and pillarsystem of extraction in the horizontal

deposit, and the standard face is 5 m-highand 6.5 m-wide. The length of a room pluspillar is about 100 m, and some limestoneis left to form the roof.

The mine uses a diesel-powered AtlasCopco Rocket Boomer L1 C-DH hydraulicdrillrig, because there is no electricitysupply installed to the faces. It is equippedwith Rig Control System (RCS) and a COP1838 rock drill with 22 kW output. As aresult, blast holes of 51 mm-diameter cannow be drilled to depths of 3.4 m at a rateof 6-8 m/min. Each V-cut round of 35holes produces up to 340 t, and takes onlyan hour to drill.

Since the Rocket Boomer rig startedoperations, it has drilled entire daily pro-duction output of Auersmacher in a one-shift operation, returning very favourableoperating and wear costs. Mine output isnow 350,000 t/year, and the rig is drillingsix rounds/day, working dayshift only. Therest of the mine works two 8 h shifts/day,5 days/week, with a Saturday morningshift for non-production work if required.

Experience with the diesel hydraulicunit has shown it to be economic on fuel,and to exhibit low exhaust gas emissions.

The Boomer L1 C-DH features a BF6M1013 CP engine with EMR and catalyzerwhich consumes only about 19 litres of

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

FACE DRILLING 55

Efficient Underground LimestoneProductionTrading Costs ForProfitLimestone is in such great demand,both as high quality roadstone and asthe raw material for cement manufac-ture, that its mining is frequently car-ried out underground. Proximity tothe market or availability of a suitablemineral deposit may be the driver,but economic extraction is the decid-ing factor. In essence, the under-ground limestone mines are tradingoff the savings in surface transporta-tion costs by being closer to the pointof use, against the marginal differ-ence in production costs betweensurface and underground working.Where these are approximately inbalance, an underground mine can beprofitable. Hence, the major charac-teristic of a successful undergroundlimestone mining operation is its effi-ciency, and the single greatest factoraffecting this is the cost of drillingand blasting. Atlas Copco drillrigs arebringing down this cost by a combi-nation of drilling speed and accuracywith low maintenance and longevity.Matching the drillrig to the jobensures that, whatever the miningsituation, economic long-term produc-tion can be achieved, sometimes withthe whole operation dependent upona single machine. The following casestudies from five very different loca-tions serve to underline this point.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer L1 C-DHdrilling the face at Auersmacherlimestone mine.

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dieseline for each percussion drilling hour,and can complete two shifts on a singletank of fuel. The excellent exhaust emis-sion values are very important in under-ground mining, where ventilation can becostly.

Due to the very good drilling and flush-ing characteristics using water mist, drillrod losses are negligible. Water consump-tion varies from 2-5 lit/min dependingupon rock conditions, and a full tank lastsa week. The water mist mix is adjusted by

the operator: with too little water, it isimpossible to drill; with too much, thecuttings become slurried.

The rotation speed has a profound effecton penetration rate. In the limestone rockat Auersmacher, the optimum speed is400 rev/min. Dropping it to 300 rev/minreduces the penetration rate by 2 m/min.

Drilling is carried out exclusively withAtlas Copco shank adapters and drill rods,and the very good dampening and anti-wearproperties of the equipment has resulted inenormously long service lives, despite thehigh work capacity. For example, theapproximate service life of drill bits is 3,200drillmetres, rods 10,000 drillmetres, andshank adapters, 18,500 drillmetres.

Secoroc shank adapters and steels areused with a 51 mm ballistic bit. The mineswitched from 42 mm bits for a 2 m/minimprovement in penetration rate, withaccompanying gains in ANFO blast yield.

At the start of each drilling shift, theoperator takes around 15 minutes to checkthe engine oil, feed hoses and greasepoints. His training as a mechanic helpshim to get the best out of the sophisticatedengine. The servicing requirements haveno negative impact on mine production.

High temperature greasing of the rockdrill gearbox is carried out every 40 hours,or once a week.

The close support of the Atlas Copcoteam has resulted in a collaborativerelationship that gets the best out of theequipment.

Linwood, USA

Another Rocket Boomer L1 C-DH wasdelivered to the Linwood Stone mine inIowa, USA for use in limestone with anaverage compressive strength of 165 Mpa.This rig is equipped with RCS using ABC Basic software for assisted boompositioning, collaring point, hole direction,hole depth control, and statistics. A Diarot study was conducted on this rig, in order to calculate the correct settings forthe rock drill, without using trial and error.

Increased performance was obtained byadjusting the rotation speed to 400+ rpm,and using a newly developed button bitfrom Secoroc, which features increasedbutton protrusion, and more and biggerflushing holes.

The Rocket Boomer L1 C-DH isachieving penetration rates of 3.5 to

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

56 FACE DRILLING

Norcem Rocket Boomer L2 C drilling atop heading at Dalen, Norway.

View from the driver’s seat of theRocket Boomer L1 C-DH.

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4.5 m/min, which is a doubling in outputover the previous generation of drillrigs.

Cement from Dalen

A single Atlas Copco Rocket BoomerL2 C with RCS and unparalleled reliabilityproduces an impressive 1 million t/year atDalen limestone mine, located on thesouthern coast of Norway. Dalen limestonecomprises sediments of Ordovician-Silurian origin, which occur in a regularbed of around 40 m-thickness.

The limestone is located between a foot-wall of metamorphic rock and a hangingwall of sandstone, and the deposit isdipping 15-20 degrees to the east, belowthe Eidaneerfjord. The cement plant andthe community of Brevik sit right on topof the deposit, which comprises the largestunderground operating mine in Norway.

The decision to purchase the RocketBoomer L2 C rig was helped by Norcem’spositive experiences with its previous23-year old Boomer H 132.

The Rocket Boomer is used both fordeveloping new areas and for productiondrilling, on two shifts/day, five days/week.Maintenance takes some 3-4 h/week, andrig availability has been close to 100%,with hardly any unplanned stops. The minegets a lot of work out of the rig, drilling282,000 m/year.

The Rocket Boomer L2 C rig wasspecially fitted to Norcem’s requirementswith COP 1838 ME rockdrills, and theRCS and ABC Total automated boompositioning and drilling system. The rigwas also equipped with an extra-wideboom console to increase the width of thecoverage area.

Norcem uses the software programTunnel Manager Lite to design the drillingplans, which are pre-programmed in theoffice and transferred into the rig’s controlpanel by using a conventional PC card.Drilling logs are also stored on the PCcard.

Boom positioning and drilling of thepre-selected drill plan can be fully auto-mated or semi-automated with manualpositioning. The cross section of the topheadings is 14 m-wide and 8 m-high, and aVee cut is used. Here the rounds consist of105 holes drilled to depths of 5.4 m at48 mm-diameter.

For the first crosscut round, where theface is not flat, about 65 holes tend to be

drilled in the fully automated mode.When the top heading drifts are com-

plete, they are followed by horizontalbenching, 14 m-wide and 6 m-high, toachieve the full room dimension of 14 m x14 m. Some 4-5 rounds of 1,500-1,600 tare blasted each day consuming about550 kg of explosives/round. Production isswitched between working faces in themine, of which there can be up to 40 at anygiven time. The 15 km/h tramming speedof the Rocket Boomer L2 C between faceshelps its overall high utilization.

Because of the non-abrasive nature ofthe rock, and the rig’s ability to continu-ously optimize drilling parameters, shankadapters and drill steel last for up to 8,000drillmetres, and the 48 mm Secoroc drill-bits last for around 2,200 drillmetres.

Conventional hydraulic rigs are nowexpected to last for a million drillmetres/boom, but the combination of self-adjusting rock drills and Norcem’s highmaintenance standards could well doublethat figure for their Rocket Boomer L2 C.

Dolomite from TrierAlongside the German border withLuxembourg at the Mosel river, southwestof Trier, dolomite rock has been minedever since 1881.

Josefstollen, the mine currently beingoperated, opened in 1964. Each year it pro-duces some 600,000 t of raw dolomite,which is intended primarily for the build-ing industry.

Owner Winfried Meseke has been oper-ating the mine since 2002 under the nameTKDZ GmbH Wellen, which stands for

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

FACE DRILLING 57

Section of mining layout at Dalen.

Dip 13 - 20 o

benchbench

crosscut

benchingbenching

crosscut

drift

driftFoot wall(The Fossum formation)

Hanging wall(The Venstop formation)

Limestone(The Steinvika formation)

Horisontal pillar8 m

Strike

Dip

app

rox.

40

m

FD3/19 p55-59 29/3/04 7:29 am Page 57

Trierer Kalk-, Dolomit- und Zementwerke.Mine reserves are around 40 million t ofraw dolomite, enough for a further 40 yearsof production at today’s rates.

Trier dolomite, with an average com-pressive strength of 130 and 150 Mpa, isused mainly for the building materialsindustry. Its excellent quality, combinedwith optimized underground mining andefficient preparation and processing stan-dards, ensure it reaches the market at com-petitive prices.

Mining is carried out by conventionalroom and pillar methods, at two gallerylevels in the bottom and middle beds. Eachmining area is opened up by horizontalgalleries, which are interconnected withthe individual beds via ramps. The roomwidth is 5 m in the bottom bed and 5.5 min the middle bed, and the rooms are 5 mto 5.5 m high.

For one pull, a total of 29 of 45 mm-diameter holes are drilled to a depth of3.3 m, with a Vee-cut to form the breakingface. With this combination, approximately13 pulls/day are required to satisfy produc-tion demands.

Drilling is carried out by a diesel-hydraulic Rocket Boomer L1 C-DHmounting a COP 1838 HF rock drill withair-water mist flushing. The rock drill,with an 20 kW output and a speed of 500rpm, takes between 25 and 30 seconds todrill a 3.3 m hole, a penetration rate of 6.6-7.9 m/min. The total time for one round is

about half an hour. The dolomite does notpresent itself as a continuously compactformation, but exhibits soft and difficult-to-drill formations throughout. This iswhere the benefit of the RCS is felt, withits extremely short and highly sensitiveresponse time for hammer and feedcontrol.

The Rocket Boomer L1 C-DH isexceeding its planned output, leavingplenty of scope for increased output whenrequired. Currently, most of the productionis obtained in one shift, with only part ofthe second shift devoted to drilling.

The air-water mist flushing, with itsextremely small dosing of water for dustcontrol, is the perfect match for the mois-ture-sensitive ANFO explosive used in themine.

Swellex rock reinforcement is usedthroughout the mine, using a specialanchor platform equipped with water tank,pump and generator.

Anhydrite at Obrigheim

HeidelbergCement is one of the world’sleading producers of building materials.Founded in Heidelberg in 1873, the com-pany operated exclusively in the south ofGermany until the end of the 1960s.Through international acquisitions, thecompany has gained markets around theworld, resulting in total 2002 sales of €6.6billion, and employing some 37,000 peopleat its 1,500 sites in 50 countries.

HeidelbergCement AG operates anunderground mine in Obrigheim, Germanyproducing gypsum and anhydrite using aRocket Boomer L1 C drillrig since early2003. An extensive training programmefor drillrig operators was provided byAtlas Copco in all aspects of the equip-ment, drilling, system training andmaintenance. The result has been excellentperformance and high utilization.

The Obrigheim gypsum mine is locatedon the West side of the river Neckar,between the villages of Obrigheim andHochhausen, near the Mosbach administra-tive centre.

Gypsum has been mined here since1847, and HeidelbergCement AG has beenoperating the mine since 1905. Parts of thelower sulphate deposit of the lacrustinelimestone are mined, using the lowerdolomite as level boundary. The depositslopes approximately 2% to the south.

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

58 FACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer L1 C-DH at TKDZ.

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The mine is accessed by three adits onthe west side of the Neckar, positionedapproximately 60 m above the river, and afourth adit is used for return ventilation.

Production is by room and pillar, inwhich the first step is to expose sections10 m-wide and approximately 5.5 m-highby drilling and blasting.

In the next step, the computerizedRocket Boomer L1 C, equipped with RCS,drills a 4.5 m round of 60 off 45 mm blast-holes and 4 off 89 mm cut holes, which isan optimized drill pattern to maximize thepull per round. The Rocket Boomer isequipped with a heavy-duty COP 1838 HFrock drill. The hydraulic system and on-board compressor are driven by a 75 kWelectric motor, while the diesel engine isused to move the rig around the mine. Awater tank with admixing device providesthe flushing medium when drilling.

Given the very large variation in thecompressive strength of gypsum and anhy-drite, between 10 to 130 Mpa, penetrationrates also vary significantly. A 4.5 m-longx 45 mm-diameter hole is drilled in 40 to75 seconds. The computerized drilling loghas recorded an average penetration rate of 3.23 m/min, including the cut holes, forthe 100,000 metres completed to date.Taking into account the large variation inrock strength and the chosen bit design, an optimum rotation speed of 430 rpm hasbeen established for drilling 45 mm holes.

A pull of 4.5 m/round is achieved using4 kg to 5 kg of explosives/t injected by acharger mounted on a lifting platform. Theblasted rock is crushed to an aggregate sizeof 0-70 mm, then sorted by grades andplaced in rooms in an intermediate storagearea. The main quality parameters are the

gypsum/anhydrite ratio, and the overallpurity.

An important safety factor in the mineis the efficient scaling of the backs and theheading face. All exposed areas are clearedusing a telescopic scaling arm equippedwith an Atlas Copco MB800 (KruppHM580) hammer.

A conveyor system installed in one ofthe three adits brings the aggregate to sur-face, where it is loaded in trucks or directlyonto barges on the River Neckar.

Of the 300,000 t/y output, 90% goesto the cement industry and 10% to theNeckarzimmern gypsum plant for theproduction of building gypsum.

Conclusions

In all these mines, a single rig is handlingthe entire production requirement of up to1 million t/y, mainly due to a combinationof high performance with high availability.Where there is no suitable electricitysupply to the mining areas to power anelectro-hydraulic rig, as at Auersmacherand Linwood, the diesel-hydraulic rigs areupgrading mining efficiency withoutexcessive capital expenditure. At thesemines, drilling rates have doubled with theintroduction of the Rocket Boomer L1 C-DH, and round depths have increasedsignificantly. These machines, equippedwith water tanks and water mist flushing,operate efficiently despite the absence ofmains supplies of water and electricity.They are also adaptable, performing onboth production and development, andhandling rockbolt and ancillary drilling.Efficiency and dependability are resultingin profitability. �

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

FACE DRILLING 59

Rocket Boomer L1 C at Obrigheim.

FD3/19 p55-59 29/3/04 7:29 am Page 59

BREMANGER, NORWAY

60 FACE DRILLING

Introduction

The National Route Rv 616 is the namegiven to the mainland connection to theisland of Bremanger, located in theNordfjord on the west coast of Norway.The new road will use the island ofRugsund as a staging post, hugging thecoast on the south side of the islandand traversing virtually its entire length.The Rv 616 will be 4.9 km-long and6.5 m-wide, to accommodate two lanes ofbi-directional traffic. Halfway alongRugsund there will be a small rock tunnel,and at the east end of the island theproposed 470 m-long Krakevik tunnelwill connect with a 311 m-long bridgeto Kolset on the mainland.

Construction of these structures com-menced during the course of 2000, with theroad and tunnels on Rugsund costing �8.5million, and the bridge some �5 million.

Meantime, the 1.89 km-longSkatestraum underwater tunnel, which willcomplete the fixed link to the mainland, hasbeen constructed from Klubben onBremanger to Hamnen at the west end ofRugsund. It is the first underwater fjordcrossing in the County of Sogn og Fjordane,diving on gradients of 1:10, some 40 mbelow the seabed, to reach a lowest point 80 m below sea level. It has been constructedto the Norwegian T-8 standard, which pro-vides a 54 sq m finished section for twolanes of bidirectional traffic, and has beenwell-equipped, with emergency stop zoneswith firefighting equipment and telephones.It is also possible to use cellular phones and

Total Performance atSkatestraum Fjord CrossingLowest CommonDenominatorWhen a contractor chooses to rely on asingle drillrig to perform all drillingoperations in his tunnel, then he has tobe very sure of his supplier. AtlasCopco has been the prime supplier ofrock drilling equipment in Norway foras long as anybody can remember.During that time, the Norwegians havebecome the leading exponents of theart of hard rock tunnelling. So, whenAtlas Copco comes up with a newproduct, Norway is the most reliabletestbed. Hence, when Statens Vegvesendecided to progress the Skatestraumproject, the new Rocket Boomer WL3C equipped with ABC Total found itsfirst job. As the only drillrig on theproject, the WL3 C was called uponto drill blastholes, breaker holes,probeholes and rockbolt holes. Itneeded to combine pinpoint accuracywith high efficiency, while drilling afull face to 5.2 m depth from a singlesetup in two hours. The high level of computerization, combined withTunnel Manager Lite software,ensured the accuracy, while the COP1838ME rockdrills provided the clout.The result was a satisfied client, and yet another advance for theNorwegian Tunnelling Method.

Ferry Aurland provides access toBremanger at present.

Route of the Skatestraum tunnelbetween Klubben and Hamnen.

FD3/20 p60-62 29/3/04 7:29 am Page 60

listen to the radio while driving through thetunnel. In the event of an accident, police,fire brigade and ambulance use dedicatedradio channels, and the tunnel is monitoredat all times by the Emergency SurveillanceStation in Floro, and by the RoadsAdministration controlling stations inLaerdal and Bergen. Automatic extractionfans ensure good air quality at all times.

During the construction phase, waterleakage was controlled by injection ofcement grout. It is expected that a certainvolume will leak during the operationalphase, and so the road has been shieldedfrom dripping water.

Rock extracted from the tunnel wastransported to Berlepollen, where it wasused in the construction of the new road toBerleneset.

The cost of the tunnel was �9.5 million.It is managed by the Department ofDevelopment, and was constructed by theProduction Department of Statens VegvesenSogn og Fjordane for its parent, theNorwegian Public Roads Administration.

The new fixed link offers ferry-freeaccess to the mainland for the 1,900inhabitants of Bremanger, with safe andreliable road transport for the products ofits fishing industry.

A second phase of road constructionwill upgrade the Rv 614 road betweenLeirgulen and Kolset, decreasing the dis-tance between Bremanger and Svelgen by33 km, and cutting out the need for theferry between Smorhamn on Bremangerand Kjelkenes on the mainland.

Phase 1 was completed by end-2001,while Phase 2 will not be included in thepriority list before 2007.

Construction

The fjord tunnel was built on a gentle S-bend from the Bremanger side in gneiss,

phyllite, and serpentite, with a zone ofbanded gneiss with quartz. Geologicalexploration comprised a 300 m-long direc-tionally-drilled borehole some 6 m abovethe crown of the tunnel, collared from asmall island at the end of a mole on theKlubben side.

Six 51 mm probeholes were maintainedahead of the face, drilled at 27 m lengthwith minimum 7 m overlap, using exten-sion rods and button bits. One probeholewas drilled at each corner, with 7 m look-out, and the remaining two were drilledforwards in the centre of the face. If morethan 10 litre/min of water was measured inany probehole, grouting was undertaken.Grouting was carried out over the first150 m in 27 series of probeholes, andagain in the banded gneiss zone.

The first 180 m of tunnel was drivenusing an Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer 353drillrig previously employed by StatensVegvesen at Aurland on the Laerdal tunnel,the world’s longest road tunnel. FromJanuary, 2000 all drilling within the tunnelwas carried out using a new Atlas CopcoRocket Boomer WL3 C drillrig.

The standard face round comprised 92 x51 mm blastholes with 4 x 102 mm breakerholes, all drilled to 5.2 m depth for a 5 m

BREMANGER, NORWAY

FACE DRILLING 61

Skatestraum portal with doublesilenced 1.4 m fan and exhaust branch.

Section of Skatestraum fjord crossing.

FD3/20 p60-62 29/3/04 7:29 am Page 61

pull. The drilling operation took two hours,and charging a further hour. A 200 mmdynamite primer cartridge, with Noneldetonator, was placed at the back of eachhole before the main charge of ANFO wasintroduced. The ANFO was mixed weeklyby Dyno, and stored in a licensed maga-zine at site.

Mucking by a subcontractor using awheel loader with side dumping bucketinto 24 cu m road semi-trailers took aroundtwo hours, and the face was scaled using a1.5 t hydraulic hammer mounted on a 15 twheeled excavator.

Around twenty 2.4 m-long groutedrebar rockbolts were installed in the rooffor each round, a density of four per linearmetre of advance. A jumbo then applied1.5 cu m of shotcrete per metre of advance,reinforced by 40 kg/cu m of steel fibre.

Two 9.5 h/day shifts were operated, andtwo excavation cycles/day were regularlyachieved. A 350 mm-diameter x 59 m-longvertical connection was drilled from the

pumpshaft excavation at the base of thetunnel to a settling tank positioned on theshoreline. From here, clear water willgravitate back into the fjord along a11.9 m-long, 400 mm-diameter hole drilledat 60 degrees angle through the rock.

The pumped water will originate from a4,000 cu m collection sump excavated 8 mbelow the lowest point of the tunnel road-way as an 85 m-long chamber.

Atlas Copco WL3 C

The Rocket Boomer WL3C is a hydraulictunnelling drillrig with extra wide boom con-sole that is designed for excavation of high-way tunnels and underground caverns.

It features Rig Control System (RCS),with interactive operator control panelswith full-colour display of the computer-based drilling system. Automatic functionsin the drilling process, such as auto-collaring and anti-jamming protection, aswell as improved regulation of the rockdrill, provide high performance and out-standing drill steel economy.

The three rockdrills are high-performance COP 1838s, for high-speeddrilling with drill steel economy.

The Skatestraum WL3 C featured ABCTotal, which is the most advanced form ofboom control in the Atlas Copco ABCseries. The drill pattern and the drillingsequence for each boom were created onthe office PC, using TML software, andtransferred to a PC card.

At the face, the drillrig was centred andlifted on its jacks, and its position wasconfirmed by placing one of the feeds inline with the tunnel laser. The feed wasadjusted, so that the laser passed throughthe hole in the centre of its rear target plateand hit the centre of its front target plate.

The PC card was inserted into the rigcomputer, the drill pattern was read into it, and the operator entered thechainage number for the section. The boomsthen automatically went to the initial start positions of their drilling sequencesand drilled the programmed holes. �

Acknowledgements

Atlas Copco is grateful to the productiondepartment of Statens Vegvesen, Sogn ogFjordane for its assistance with this articleand, in particular, to project managerJostein Fjosne for revising the text.

BREMANGER, NORWAY

62 FACE DRILLING

ANFO charger for Dyno site mixedblasting agent.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer WL3 C atSkatestraum main face.

FD3/20 p60-62 29/3/04 7:30 am Page 62

NORTHERN PORTUGAL

FACE DRILLING 63

Favourable Rock Conditions

Rock conditions at Venda Nova are mainlyfavourable. The host rock is granite, withsome areas of schist, and zones with frac-tures and faults. However, geological prob-lems have not been a factor in the project.

In the tunnels, 3 m or 4 m-long Swellexbolts were the standard support, with steelarches installed in the weakest rock condi-tions. During drill and blast operations, therock was classified round by round, withthe areas requiring the least support having three to nine rockbolts/m. Only 20% of the

Challenges at Venda NovaPrimary Source ofPowerThe Venda Nova Dam is situated onthe river Cavado in Ruivães-Vieira doMinho, in the far northern reaches ofPortugal, some 75 km north-east ofPorto. Portugal has very few naturalresources of fossil fuels, having toimport about 80% of its needs, sohydroelectric power has become theprimary source of local energy.

As the need for electricity hasincreased, the utility that owns thedam, Companhia Portuguesa deProdução de Electricidade (CPPE)decided on a refurbishment project,to include provision for two new 93 MW turbines. The project re-quired the drill/blast excavation of300,000 cu m of rock to provide a 2.8 km inlet tunnel, a 1.4 km dischargetunnel, a powerhouse cavern, a 625 m-long ventilation tunnel, a 1,210 maccess tunnel, and a 130 m waterintake. There are also two raise-bored shafts of 415 m and 110 m.

A consortium of three Portuguesecompanies, Somague, Moniz da MaiaSerra & Fortunato (MSF) and Mota,was formed to complete the civilworks of the Venda Nova project.They chose Atlas Copco equipmentfor the main operations, using RocketBoomer drillrigs, Secoroc rock tools,Swellex rock reinforcement, and aRobbins raise borer. Uppermost inthe contractors’ minds was the needfor high performance with reliablespares and service backup, and train-ing where required. Atlas Copco wasthe only company able to provide thecomplete service.

Location map for Venda Nova Dam worksite.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer L2 C in the tailrace tunnel.

Venda Nova

Dam worksite

FD3/21 p63-65 29/3/04 7:30 am Page 63

tunnel required concrete lining as finalsupport.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer drillrigswere used for investigation and excavationdrilling. For the tunnels, Somague had oneRocket Boomer L2 C with ABC Regular,while Mota & Companhia had anotherRocket Boomer L2 C with ABC Total, aswell as a single-boom Boomer 281 rig forsmaller sections. They find that computer-ized drillrigs with profile control create lessoverbreak, saving the time and cost of spray-ing concrete. Atlas Copco provided trainingsupport for operators who were not skilled inworking with the drillrigs. At the start of theproject, a round was taking 5-6 h to drill, but,by the end, this had been reduced to less than2.5 h. Work progressed steadily at threefaces, and averaging 80 m-90 m per headingand month, with a site record of 110 m.

The relationship between Somague andAtlas Copco goes back some 40 years. Theyuse many Atlas Copco products such as:Swellex bolts; Craelius grouting equipment,tools, and registers; and Secoroc drillingmaterials and rock drilling tools, for whicha contract guarantees adequate consignmentstocks. Advice is available on what equip-ment to use, what kind of lifetime figures toexpect from the rods, bits and shanks, andhow many metres they will drill in differentconditions. Somague is the leading com-pany in Portugal for drilling, mining andcivil works, providing a complete servicefrom the start to finish of a project.

Raising Expectations

One of the most challenging aspects of theproject was the development of a 110 m

escape and ventilation shaft. This has adecline of only 26 degrees, from the tur-bine hall to the existing ventilation andescape system.

Drillcon Iberia Lda, a subsidiary ofDrillcon AB of Sweden, used a Robbins73R raiseboring machine to develop theshaft in fairly hard granite of 170 MPa.The raiseborer was mounted on a concreteplatform in the escape tunnel, from wherethe pilot hole was drilled down to theturbine hall. The tunnel was then reamedupwards, back to the escape tunnel.

A Secoroc RRL 3.5 m reamer wasflown in from Australia especially for thejob. The cutters performed perfectly, andthe mucking was very easy, using waterpressure to assist with flushing the muckout during reaming. A total of 18 new cut-ters were used on the reamer: nine 5-rowcutters, and nine 4-row cutters. The raisewas completed in May, 2001, and the de-viation on the hole was 40 cm, which isless than 0.5%.

Atlas Copco assisted the contractorswith every step of the raiseboring process,from training drillers on the Robbins unit,to helping install new cutters on thereamer. When the hole was finished, AtlasCopco personnel were on hand to demon-strate servicing of the reamer, maintenanceof the cutters, and re-greasing.

Primarily a core drilling company,Drillcon is also involved in a number ofraiseboring projects in Portugal and Spain.At the Somincor Mine, they have twoRobbins raiseborers permanently on-site,drilling approximately 2,500 m/year.

Cavern Excavation

For bench drilling in the caverns, Somaguehas an Atlas Copco ROC 748 drillrig, andMSF has a ROC D5. Both were usedextensively in the turbine hall, which rep-resents almost a third of the project, whereexcavation was completed in September,2002.

Three phases of drilling and blastingwere necessary, with a drift on the topgallery, and two side drifts with a centralrock pillar. The cavern roof was supportedusing one 9 m-long bolt per sq m, installedwith a BSH system on one of the RocketBoomer rigs. This avoided overheaddrilling and manual installation.

Bolting was followed by shotcreting,and the central pillar was removed. The

NORTHERN PORTUGAL

64 FACE DRILLING

Checking the raiseborer drillstring inthe 110 m shaft.

FD3/21 p63-65 29/3/04 7:30 am Page 64

rest of the cavern was blasted and mucked out via the access tunnel. Then the cavern walls, requiring less support,had 6 m bolts installed on a 2 m x 2 mpattern.

The new Venda Nova plant and tunnelsystem is scheduled to be in operation in2004. Apart from providing much-neededgenerating capacity for the national grid,Venda Nova will also act as a pumpedstorage station serving its companion dam Paradela, further downstream. Whenelectricity demand is low, water that has passed through the powerhouse forstorage at Paradela can be pumped backthrough 4 km of tunnels to the Venda NovaLake, to provide extra power at peakperiods. �

NORTHERN PORTUGAL

FACE DRILLING 65

Secoroc – at the leading edge of cutter designSecoroc RCC Duro Cutters were designed withoutstanding performance and service life inmind. The cutter body is made from high qualityalloy steel. Thanks to improved geometry, thenew chisel inserts deliver more aggressivedrilling, and a faster penetration rate.

All cutters feature an internal pressure-compensating device to protect the seals fromexcessive lubrication pressure and heat.

Furthermore, pre-loaded tapered roller bearingsprovide maximum shock resistance. The ser-viceability of the Secoroc cutter is superb. Allparts are replaceable, giving an added boost tototal service life.

Secoroc reamers are available from 0.7 m-diameter, all the way to 6 m. Secoroc suppliesstandard, box hole and down reamers, as well ascustom solutions.

Secoroc RCC Duro Cutter.

Secoroc RRL 3.5 m reamer as supplied to Venda Nova.

Atlas Copco ROC D5 drillrig under maintenance.

FD3/21 p63-65 29/3/04 7:30 am Page 65

www.atlascopco.com

Th

e f

ace

of

inte

ract

ion

Supporting your businesswherever you are

www.thp.se

Atlas Copco Rock Drills ABPhone: +46 19 670 7000Fax: +4 19 670 7393

Atlas Copco supplies the wide range of advanced cost-efficient rock reinforcement solutions for mining and tunnelling, including fully-mechanized Boltec rock bolting rigs, Swellex rock bolts and MAI self-drilling anchors.

Each and every product has been designed to help maximize your tunnel advance and minimize costs per installed bolt or anchor � and always with the highest level of safety in mind.

Because we�re a global organization, we have the resources to be truly local.

Find out more at www.rockreinforcement.com. Or give us a call. We�d be happy to listen to your requirements, and even happier to meet them.

Rock reinforcement-FD3.indd 1 2004-03-24, 15:51:33

6

Introduction

The Strahov tunnel in Prague, commis-sioned in 1998 as part of the northern ringroad, exits at its lower portal in front ofMrázovka hill. This is a physical barrier thatmust be crossed by the highway before itcan link with the Barrandov bridge, the mainroute to Bohemia, and the Czech border withGermany. Construction of the 1 km-longMrázovka tunnel and the associated 2 km-long Zlíchov-Radlická road will completethe city circle road in Smichov district.

The western tube at Mrázovka accom-modates two traffic lanes and an exit lane

to Radlická Street, while the eastern tubehas two lanes plus an entry lane fromRadlická Street. Both have standard cross-sections of 160 sq m. At the south end, thetunnel portals under Radlická Street inextensive box structures, where it joins theproposed Zlíchov-Radlická road. The wholejob took four years and was completed in2003.

Designing Support

A 700 m-long pilot tunnel with arched 12 sq m section was driven earlier byMetrostav, using a roadheader from thenorth end of the alignment of the proposedwest tube of the Mrázovka tunnel, close tothe crown position. This probed the geology

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

FACE DRILLING 67

Overcoming Mixed Geology at MrázovkaDrilling for Boodexand Blastholes When incorrect assumptions weremade about the hardness of the rockon the south side of Prague’sMrázovka Hill, the situation wasretrieved by using a Rocket BoomerL2 C drillrig. The full flexibility of thedrill/blast technique was instrumentalin easing the face past sensitive instal-lations located both above and belowthe drive. Meantime, in much softerstrata at the north end of the tunnel,two L2 Cs were converted to theBoodex system to enable the contrac-tor to install and maintain an arch of20-23 grouted umbrella holes over the crown. This system employs a 90 mm Odex pilot bit with 123 mm ex-centre drillbit to drill the holes, using3 m-long R38 extension steel. This isfollowed into the hole by threaded 3 m-long sections of 115 mm perfor-ated casing tube to full depth of 12 m.Then the Odex bit and extension steelis withdrawn, leaving the casing inplace. The hole is pumped with stiffcement at 5 bar pressure, through ahose with an expandable packer.

The manoeuvrability and adapt-ability of the Rocket Boomer L2 C drill-rigs have enabled the contractors atboth ends of the tunnel to maintainoperations under adverse circum-stances, with little impact on cost andtime, and without substantially chang-ing the overall completion schedule.

North portals of Mrázovka where themotorway through the Strahov tunnelcame to an abrupt end.

Location of Mrázovka tunnel on thePrague ring road.

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along the first section at a depth of 40 mbeneath the hill. It continued under thenext valley, where tall buildings have only15-20 m cover to the crown of the maintunnel. However, assumptions were madefor the final 300 m of alignment, where thecover is 50 m. Because there are no highrise buildings on this section, the pilotdrive was deemed to be unnecessary, andwas discontinued.

Sampling from side galleries, and coresfrom exploration holes, revealed soft,Prague black shale along the length of thepilot tunnel, and so the planners went aheadwith designs for soft ground main tunnels,using NATM techniques from both portals.Monitoring of the pilot tunnel assisted inthe design of the excavation and supportsystem for the north end of the road tunnel.

Contracts were let in late-1998 for theconstruction of the west tube, withMetrostav winning the north section, com-prising 60% of the work by volume, andSubterra getting the remaining work fromthe south portal. Six cross passages, trans-former and pumping stations, and the

79.2 m-deep ventilation shaft with lateralconnection were all included in the westtube works. The total excavation volumefor the west tube is 176,729 cu m. Tunnelfor three-lane traffic is driven at 159 sq msection, while two-lane is at 107 sq m, andsingle-lane at 83 sq m. Where the tunnelsbranch to form the two undergroundjunctions, the section increases to a maxi-mum of 324 sq m. The underground fanroom is 207 sq m section.

The contract for the east tube from thenorth portal was commenced by Metrostavin early-2001.

Geology

The bedrock along the route of the tunnelswas formed by sedimentation as part of thenorth-east Ordovician Barrandian syncline,which features a wide scale of alternatingpellitic and psamitic rocks. These are char-acterized by different degrees of weathering,changes of direction and pitches of beddingplanes, and numerous tectonic fault zones.The overlying formations of diluvial sedi-ments comprise sandy loams to sandy clays,with consistency varying from rigid to solid,and made ground of varying depth. Wherethese are weathered, there is crack porosity,and the water table tends to penetratedeeper. This is prevalent in cracked, steeplybedded quartzites, or in fault zones. Fromthe northern portal, the alignment passesthrough Letna shales for about 200 m, with an overburden of 5 m to 40 m,then into more Letna shales with 16 m to 21 m cover. Between U Santosky andBieblova Streets, the tunnels pass throughRevnice quartzites with 20 m cover, andthen into Letna shales with flysch, beforediving under Pavi vrch where, in the exhaustventilation shaft position, the depth is 80 m.

North Portal

The north end of the tunnel had the benefitof good geological information, and theadvantage of a pilot drive to follow.Metrostav decided initially to drive a full-width top heading, and the first 120 m wassuccessfully mined in this fashion, com-mencing in January, 1999. However, theamount of settlement measured onMrázovka Hill dictated a change in methodbefore passing under populated areas, andthe contractor opted for traditional NATMside galleries, developed 35 m ahead of the

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

68 FACE DRILLING

Excavating the bench behind thesidewall headings at the north end.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer 352rockbolting in the north crown headingof the west tube.

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crown excavation. The temporary shotcretewalls of the side galleries were removed 55 mbehind the faces, when the crown excava-tion had advanced some 20 m. The steelarches, bolts, mesh and shotcrete of thepilot drive were removed in the process.

Excavators were used in the shale, andhydraulic hammers broke out the concrete.When the faces ran into quartzite, which ispresent in irregular quantities, two AtlasCopco Rocket Boomer L2 C drillrigs and aBoomer 352 were ready and available fordrill/blast operations. Up to 200 m ofdrill/blast advance was planned. Face load-ing was generally by excavator into articu-lated dumptrucks, or by tracked loader onback work.

The exposed face in the side gallerieswas first shotcreted, and then rockboltswere installed into holes drilled by one ofthe Atlas Copco rigs. Four-strand latticegirders were erected on the permanentsidewalls, and three-strand girders on thetemporary inner walls. The heading wasthen given a second coating of shotcrete.

Metrostav developed the three-laneeastern tube from the north portal, againusing the sidewall drift method. To shortenthe construction time, some 90 m of rightsidewall drift was excavated from anopening at cross passage No 5, and another110 m was driven from cross passage No 3. The left sidewall drift was excavatedin 15 m lengths. This was followed bydrilling and consolidation grouting of thesection passing under the built-up area.

Boodex System

An arch of 20-23 grouted umbrella holeswas maintained over the crown to protectthe stretches of tunnel that pass under sur-face buildings. These were installed by theL2 C drillrigs using the Atlas Copco Boodexsystem, a derivative of the more conven-tional Odex drilling system. To drill thehole, a 90 mm Odex pilot bit with 123 mmex-centre drillbit was used, followed intothe hole by threaded 3 m-long sections of 115 mm perforated casing tube. 3 m-longR38 extension rods allowed the hole to bedrilled and lined to full depth of 12 m or 15 m, when the Odex bit and extension steelcould be withdrawn, leaving the casing inplace. Pumping of the stiff water/cementgrout was carried out using a Craelius Uni-grout 200-100E-01 pump at 5 bar pressurethrough a hose with an expandable packer.

Both of the Rocket Boomer L2 C drill-rigs were adapted to Boodex drilling byreplacing the standard drifter feed by aspecially designed feed. The drifter shankadapter was replaced by a special-lengthBoodex adapter. The front and intermediatedrill steel supports were modified to acceptthe 115 mm casing tube, and the rockdrillcradle was equipped with a discharge headto collect the rock cuttings. A hydrauliccylinder moved the collector to one side tofacilitate the addition of casing tubes, andother small modifications were made to thehydraulic systems to match the new duty.

The drillrigs took an average of 3-5 minto drill each 3 m length, and pipe additiontook another 10 min. The 3 m pipes werechosen because they are light enough to bemanhandled, whereas longer pipes wouldrequire lifting gear

Drilling was not always straightforwardbecause of the proliferation of other steel,such as rockbolts and injection pipes,many of which were installed in the pilotdrive, and not mapped. A 20-hole umbrellagenerally took 48 h to drill and grout.

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

FACE DRILLING 69

Plan of the Mrázovka tunnel in Prague.

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The whole 221 m-long section of thewestern tube passing under the built-uparea was protected by 115 mm Boodexspiles. According to Metrostav, these pro-tection umbrellas significantly increasedground stability, and reduced settlement.On average, 18 pipes of 12 m or 15 mlength were installed in each umbrella,with a 3 m overlap, using the modifiedRocket Boomer L2 C. Total installationlength of Boodex spiles in the western tubewas 5,746 m.

Some 175 m of the eastern tube passingunder the built-up area also requiredBoodex umbrella protection, with 15 m-long pipes and 3 m overlap. With an esti-mated 18-20 pipes per umbrella, the totallength of spiles drilled in the eastern tubewas 4,375 m.

Convergence stations are installed at 15 m intervals throughout the drive, andthese are monitored daily.

South PortalWork from the South Portal commencedwith a roadheader. This was replaced bya Rocket Boomer L2 C when the rockquality changed.

However, because of habitation over-head, and a main collector sewer beneath,progress was necessarily slow on the initial76 sq m section. As they passed through a60 m danger zone above the sewer withjust 6 m clearance, each round of 220 holesin the top heading was drilled to only 1 mdepth in the 30-200 Mpa shale. They werecharged with packaged dynamite andprimed with millisecond delays, and blast-ing was restricted to between the hours of07.00 and 21.00. Two rounds constitutedone unit of advance, and four blasts/daywere achieved. The invert of the 107 sq mfull-section tunnel cleared the crown of thesewer by just one metre!

There are two positive aspects of thisrather unexpected situation: the improvedrock quality required less support, so theshotcrete thickness was reduced from 35 cm to 20 cm and the weight of the four-strand lattice girders was cut; and the pro-filing is much better than plan, withoverbreak averaging less than 1 sq m/magainst the contract allowance of 4.2 sq m/madvance. A pattern of 10 x 3 m-longSwellex rockbolts was installed, after shot-creting, every 2 m on advance.

Once the sewer was passed, the drillrigresumed 2 m rounds until it reached theposition of the ventilation drivage, where aconnection was made with the 75 m-deep,7.5 m-diameter surface shaft. Once thejunction position was reached, it was pos-sible to open a second face, on whichSubterra used one of its existing fleet ofRocket Boomer 352 drillrigs.

Subterra has since completed excava-tion of the single-lane tunnel branch Bfrom the south portal and the double-lanesection of the eastern tunnel, using theroadheader as a main production tool. �

Acknowledgements

Atlas Copco is grateful to Jiri Mosler ofMetrostav and Jan Vinter of Subterra, whogave freely of their time for interviews.Further information on the Mrázovkaproject is available from the Prague officeof Atlas Copco by e-mail request tojindrich.hummel@atlascopco.com

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

70 FACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer L2 C drilling the topheading at the south face.

South portals were accessed by atemporary tunnel beneath the Zlichov-Radlicka road.

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Micro Benching

The 1.7 km-long Agatsuma road tunnel,located in central Japan, around 120 kmnorth-west of Tokyo, was driven bydrill/blast in good quality rock. Built toreplace part of a road that will be floodedby a dam, the tunnel connects Agatsumawith Naganohara. Almost the whole lengthis in fresh andesite, with a compressivestrength of 80-100 Mpa, and with minimalwater influx.

Tunnelling started in October, 2001 andwas completed in November, 2002. Allexcavation was carried out using themicro-benching method and conventionaldrill and blast with an Atlas Copco RocketBoomer L3 C-2B, specially designed forJapan.

Micro-benching, a popular method inJapan, carries a top heading just a fewmetres ahead of the bench, allowing theroof to be fully supported before the benchis advanced. Sometimes, two rounds aretaken in the top heading for every round in

the bench, so drillrigs have to have goodboom extension in order to reach over thebench to the top heading face. Also, therigs are generally specified with twobaskets, in order to handle the extramovements involved. The method offersall of the advantages of top heading andbench techniques, without the need forsmaller rigs on the bench, and without any

AGATSUMA, JAPAN

FACE DRILLING 71

Advanced Boom ControlReduces OverbreakHot DebateJoint venture partners Nishimatsuand Morimoto recently collaboratedto settle one of the most debated is-sues surrounding the use of comput-erized drillrigs. The question iswhether the manual or automaticmode for positioning and collaringgets the best results. A test was setup at the Agatsuma road tunnel inJapan, where an Atlas Copco RocketBoomer L3 C-2B was operated inboth ABC Regular and ABC Totalmode over measured sections.Predictably, the fully automatic modewon the day, showing 11 cm lessoverbreak. In a situation where thecost of overbreak can be measured inextra scaling, transportation and con-crete, the value of ABC Total waseasily calculated. The conclusion isthat, in places where large overbreakhas been acceptable in the past, ABCTotal will produce a better profilethan ABC Regular by reducing depen-dency on rig operator skills.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer L3 C-2Bwith ABC Total.

Map of Japan showing location of Agatsuma.

TOKYO

AGATSUMA

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necessity for ramp access between invertand bench.

At Agatsuma, the Rocket Boomer L3 C-2B rig was equipped with threebooms mounted with powerful COP 1838rock drills, and two baskets to enable accessto the upper section of the tunnel face whichmay be up to 90 sq m section.

The rig was equipped with theAdvanced Boom Control system in the ABC Total version, which enables theoperator to switch between positioning anddrilling in the fully automatic or semi-automatic mode.

Using 14-ft feeds, the maximum holedepth was 4 m without extension drilling.The number of holes ranged between 144and 152, depending on whether V-cut orparallel hole cut was used, and the diameterof the holes was 45 mm, with a spacingalong the periphery of about 50 cm.

The high penetration rates of more than3m/min resulted in a drilling time of justover one hour for each 2.2 m round drilled.

Overbreak ReducedAn important consideration for the tun-nellers was to keep the amount ofoverbreak to a limit of 5 sq m, equal to23 cm on the radius, in order to minimizethe amount of concrete that would beneeded to cast the secondary concrete shellthat gives the tunnel its lining and finalsupport.

To find the best way to achieve thetarget, the Nishimatsu site managerinstructed his operators to alternatebetween the manual and automatic modeswhen positioning and collaring the holes.In the manual mode, or ABC Regular, theoperators were able to guide the boomsand feeds with the aid of the computerscreen, which displayed an image of thetunnel face, showing the location of eachblast hole, the position of the drillbit, andthe orientation of the feed.

In the fully-automatic mode, or ABCTotal, the operator simply monitored the

AGATSUMA, JAPAN

72 FACE DRILLING

Section of the 1.7 km-long Agatsumaroad tunnel.

Good quality rock (part of the study), mostly andesite,with a compressive strength of 80–100 MPa Other rock not included in the study

Where the test took place:the 1.7 km tunnel at

Agatsuma, about 120 kmnorth west of Tokyo

Quality TunnellingContour control is a major ingredient in quality tunnelling, but, to get the best returns, itis necessary to place every hole in the round with a high degree of accuracy. TheAdvanced Boom Control (ABC) system on Atlas Copco drillrigs offers three levels:Basic, Regular and Total, all designed to make life easier for the operator while produc-ing quality tunnels for the owner.

ABC Basic has instrumentation for angle measurement with feed direction shown onthe display.

ABC Regular includes a guidance display for positioning the booms to a preselecteddrilling pattern. The collaring point, hole direction and depth are all shown on thescreen. Completed holes are also shown, and each round is individually logged on a PCcard, including the number of holes, hole type and drilling time.

ABC Total gives completely automatic drilling, allowing the operator to simplysupervise the operations of the booms. The preselected drill plan and sequences areshown on the screen, as well as individual holes, even if the operator chooses the semi-automatic mode or to position the feed manually.

Atlas Copco drillrigs are equipped with ergonomically designed, sound deadenedcabs, with excellent all-round visibility. They have both standing and seated positionsfor the operator, and the display screens have sharp, well defined images, and arecolour adjustable.

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process as the rig computer guided thebooms and feeds into position.

A comparison of the effect on overbreakwas conclusive. In the fully automatic mode,the overbreak was found to average 11 cmless than when manual mode was used. Theautomatic mode also offered the opportunityto drill longer rounds, when required.

Substantial savings

Agatsuma project has special significanceas the first on-site test of manual and fully automatic drilling in relation tooverbreak.

The 11 cm reduction in overbreakresulted in 2.5 cu m less concrete beingneeded for each metre of tunnel. With con-crete costing USD150/cu m to place, asaving of USD400 per metre was achieved.This resulted in an overall saving ofUSD650,000 for the entire tunnel length.

In addition to reducing overbreak, theABC Total, or fully automatic mode,helped to reduce drilling time and con-sumption of drill bits and rods.

The client is naturally very pleased withthis performance, noting that the rig notonly gave a good return in terms of thelower overbreak, but was also very econom-ical in the consumption of spare parts. �

AGATSUMA, JAPAN

FACE DRILLING 73

Portal of Agatsuma road tunnel incentral Japan.

Minutes

Drilling of blast holes 150 x 2.2 m 75Charging and blasting/slurry 60Ventilation 10Mucking of 148 cu m 80Scaling and cleaning 30Shotcrete 5 cm over 45 sq m 40Bolting 13 units 3 m-long 40Total time for a 2 m round 335

Rate of advance 176 m/month

Typical work cycle for a 2.2 m round

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HONG KONG, CHINA

74 FACE DRILLING

Introduction

The development of Hong Kong as a majorsouthern gateway for China continuesapace. Integral to the overall plan is theenlargement of the freight railway system tohandle the huge volumes of goods comingthrough the container port, which is now thelargest in the world after Rotterdam. Wedescribe here two major railway tunnel con-tracts at which new generation Atlas CopcoRocket Boomer drillrigs equipped withCAN-bus control systems worked.

MTRC Pak Shing Kok Tunnels

The Hong Kong MTRC Pak ShingKok tunnels comprise a complex of fiveinterconnected tunnels driven as ninetunnels totalling 6 km in length. Thetunnels have a cross-section of some35 sq m and are located in crystallinepyroclastic rocks, resulting in high bitwear. For the drill and blast operations, thecontractor Hyundai-Kier Joint Ventureemployed three Atlas Copco Rocket BoomerL2 C drillrigs. These were two-boom rigswith a CAN-bus based control system.

The rigs were equipped with ABCRegular boom navigation system, withwhich the operator guides the booms andfeeds to the correct positions using a presetdrill pattern presented on the displayscreen in the cab of the drillrig. The feedscan host up to 14 ft-long rods to provide amaximum hole depth of 4.2 m.

The rock was hard and abrasive, but not as brittle as regular hard crystallinebasement rock. As a result, expectationsfor penetration would normally be on thelow side, and bit wear would be high.However, the average penetration achievedat Pak Shing Kok was in the range of 2.5 m/min, and the service lives of bits,rods and shanks was around 400 m,8-9,000 m, and 8-9,000 m respectively.These results are considered as good,taking into account the high penetrationrate.

A single operator controlled the twobooms on each machine, and the totaldrilling time, including positioning, for a70-hole, 4 m round was 1.5 to 2 h. As themanual moving of the boom from one holeposition to the next generally took about40 to 50 seconds, the operator was busywith the levers for two thirds of the drillingtime. The tunnels are being concrete lined,so it is very important to keep overbreak ata low level (Fig 1 overleaf).

Controlling Overbreak inHong KongComputerizationImproves Efficiency The use of new generation CAN-busdrillrigs in Hong Kong has been moni-tored at two different jobsites. Thefirst is at Pak Shing Kok, where AtlasCopco Rocket Boomer L2 C drillrigsequipped with ABC Regular workedfor Hyundai-Kier; and the second is atWest Rail, where larger RocketBoomer WL3 C drillrigs worked forNishimatsu and Dragages. Despitehard and abrasive rock in bothsituations, good average penetrationwas achieved, allied to economicconsumption of drillbits and rods.Operator wages were reduced dramat-ically, thanks to computerization ofthe drilling operation, and profilingwas as good as expected, given theother variables involved.

Rocket Boomer WL3 C drillrigs workingfor Nishimatsu and Dragages at a110 sq m face.

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Tunnel No 6 was the first to be excav-ated, and the objective was to keepoverbreak low by demanding smallermargins than usual, and the consequencewas too much underbreak. Some of theunderbreak is explained by application oftoo much shotcrete for primary support.

Certainly, better results with respect tooverbreak have been achieved on otherprojects, but it always comes down to theambition of the management and theincentive and skill of the labour.

West Rail Contract DB 350

The West Rail contract DB 350 includeda 5 km-long double-track tunnel located in the Repulse bay formation, whichcomprises mainly crystalline pyroclasticrocks. The joint venture companiesNishimatsu and Dragages split the tunnelhalf each.

Nishimatsu used the new generationAtlas Copco Rocket Boomer WL3 C CAN-bus drillrigs for face work. The tunneldesign, which was produced by the jointventure, is a double-track single tube tunnelwith a cross-section of 110 sq m. A concretewall along the centre-line separates the twotracks from each other. The two WL3 Cdrillrigs had feeds long enough to handle5.8 m holes. The drilled length of therounds varied generally from 5.0 to 5.8 m.In poor rock, these long rounds were short-ened. This is important to bear in mindwhen overbreak is discussed later. The rigswere equipped with ABC Total, whichmoves the booms and feeds to new positionsautomatically, after each hole is drilled.

The two rigs were positioned side byside at the tunnel face, and each drilled 77holes of the total 154 holes for the 110 sq mface, plus three 4 in holes for the parallelcut. The contour holes were given a spacingof 35 to 40 cm. Generally, all but the con-tour and the bottom holes were drilled inthe “Total mode”. The pull of each roundwas about 90%. Two rounds per day, 25days per month gave a production of 200-220 m per month. If the perimeter profilewas free of protruding rock, automaticdrilling was also used for the contour holes.

The wear on drilling tools was the sameas for the MTRC tunnels described earlier,with the exception of the bit life, whichwas around 500 m. Here again, it can beconcluded that the CAN-bus rig treated thedrilling tools well.

HONG KONG, CHINA

FACE DRILLING 75

Control panel of the new RocketBoomer WL3 C.

Fig 1. Profile results at West Railtunnel contract D&B 350 chainage1556 to 1997.

West rail tunnel contract D & B 350Hong Kong Overbreak (m)(after shotcrete support)

Fre

qu

ency

Fre

qu

ency

Overbreak (m) Underbreak (m)

West rail tunnel contract D & B 350Hong Kong Underbreak (m)

(after shotcrete support)

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One man operated the three-boom rig,and when the Total mode was utilized thebooms had no downtime, even for shorterrounds. The time for the drilling operation,including setup, was in the range of2-2.5 h, and the penetration rate for the48 mm spherical button bits was2.5 m/min. In cases where only one drillrigwas used at the face, the drilling of a fullround took 3.5 to 4 h.

Considering the length of the round,with respect to the poorer rock quality,overbreak could not match the result fromthe MTRC tunnels. Without any splittingon rock-classes, the results from 450 m oftunnel are shown in Fig 2 below. Here, asin the MTRC project, the drilling of thecontour holes starts 10 cm outside the

theoretical line, and the bottom holes30 cm outside the theoretical line. What issurprisingly encouraging, is that under-break is found only in half the surveyedsections and, where found, only smallquantities are registered. As the deviationis a multiplication of 2x the length of thehole, a 5.5 m-long hole can be expected todeviate 50% more than a 4 m-long hole.Consequently, the underbreak ought to bemore embarrassing than in the MTRC case.

Information on the rock quality provid-ed by the contractor shows that almost allexcavation is in rock having a value higherthan 10, which can be considered as good.Overbreak caused by geology should nothave been dominating in this case.

ConclusionsIt is very important for machine suppliersto have good working relationships withexperienced customers, as they, to someextent, become partners in the developmentof new equipment. Atlas Copco believes thatits new generation drillrigs are profitable toolswhen chasing costs in tunnel construction.

Improvements, such as better drill steeleconomy, savings on operator wages, andhigher utilization have resulted in a goodreception of the new series of drillrigs inHong Kong. While the results for overbreakare not conclusive, they are favourable, andthere is no doubt that the higher accuracyof the CAN-bus drillrigs is a contributingfactor. �

HONG KONG, CHINA

76 FACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer WL3 Cs used at WestRail.

Fig 2. Profile results at contract 611,MTRC.

Ove

r &

Un

der

bre

ak (

m)

Tunnel 1-9

Contract 611, MTRC Hong KongOver and Underbreak

Overbreak

Underbreak

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Second Tube for Graebern

A new 2.148 km-long tube has been drivenparallel to the existing Graebern tunnel inhighly variable ground conditions. Thefaces at either end were in different strata,requiring a flexible approach to excavationand support.

The contractors used Atlas CopcoRocket Boomer drillrigs to excavatearound 1.5 km of tunnel is to standard70 sq m section, 400 m of which was inexcavation class 7 with a reinforced shot-crete or concrete invert, requiring anenlarged section of 78 sq m.

An oversize safety section in the centerof the alignment will provide a third laneover a distance of 48 m, where vehiclesmay park in an emergency, or possibly turnaround. They may also turn to enter a widecross passage leading to the second tube,which is big enough for trucks.

At the south end of the alignment,where the rock was generally too soft forblasting, an Atlas Copco two-boom RocketBoomer L2 C drilled holes for spiling andbolting in the top heading, to enablemechanical excavation. The area is inten-sively folded and faulted, with a mixture of competent and incompetent rock. Asthere was no glacial cover during the last million years, glacial erosion did not remove the highly tectonised andincompetent parts present at the southernportal.

The centre section of the top headingwas generally left in place as a safetypillar, to support the tunnel face whilesectional lattice arches were installed at1.0-1.2 m centres, together with rockboltsand shotcrete. Part of the excavated facewas also temporarily secured by 12 m-longself drilling anchors, which were groutedin place. For systematic bolting, selfdrilling or cement grouted anchors withlengths of 4 m or 6 m were used.

When required, 25 mm-diameter, 4 m-long pipe spiles were set around the roofprofile in 45 mm-diameter holes drilled bythe Rocket Boomer L2 C. Any blastholes

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Removing HighwayBottlenecks in AustriaDualling theCrossroads of EuropeWith its position in the heart ofCentral Europe, Austria serves as atransportation hub for virtually anybusiness needing to move goodsacross the continent. For trafficbetween the Balkan States and thenorth, or diagonally across Europefrom east to south, Austria presentsthe shortest route. Indeed, the poten-tial for traffic nuisance is such thattrucks are currently banned from itshighways during the night hours.

In its efforts to upgrade to fullEuropean standards, Austria is build-ing more dual carriageways, anddriving parallel tunnels for a numberof existing bi-directional tunnelsacross the country. In the tunnels, thelatest in Atlas Copco technology isbeing employed, including RocketBoomers, Swellex rockbolts and MAIself drilling anchors. Such projects arethe parallel tunnels at Graebern andPlabutsch, and a twin tube tunnelproject at Steinhaus, located nearSemmering.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer L2 C atGraebern south face.

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required were drilled using 45 mm AtlasCopco Secoroc bits.

The top heading was followed by a2.7 m-high bench and invert, which wasexcavated some 60-80 m back from theface, but sometimes slipped back to 150 mbehind the face.

The north end of Graebern featuresbiotite gneiss, a more-competent metamor-phic sedimentary rock with a high amountof quartz and feldspar. Predominantly, therock mass is jointed and faulted, and somostly decomposed and friable. Therefore,spiling with pipes was often an absolutenecessity. In addition, Swellex 4 m-longbolts were set in the roof at the face asimmediate support.

Regular support comprised 15 cm of

shotcrete with one layer of wire mesh and4 m-long rockbolts. If spiling was required,lattice arches were erected, and shotcretedin place. A three-boom semi-automaticRocket Boomer L3 C performed the sup-port drilling duties at the north end, inaddition to blasthole drilling.

Drilling of a full round of approximately130 x 2 m-deep holes in the top headingtook an hour, in addition to a half-hourfor charging and blasting. Blasting agentswere dynamite and cartridged slurry, with19 intervals of electronic detonators withmillisecond delays at 80 milliseconds perstep.

The drilling rounds were set up using anarray of seven lasers to establish a perfectprofile.

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Rock Support at Graebern Tunnel.

Steinhaus at SemmeringThe Steinhaus tunnel is on the B306Vienna to Bruck road, which passesthrough Semmering, a favourite skiingresort for the Viennese. The B306 is beingupgraded, and will form part of the new S6highway. This will connect with the StMichael interchange on the section of theA9 Trans-European Highway between themain centres of Graz and Linz.

The tunnel is twin-tube and 1.5 km-long, on a double curving alignment thattakes it into the side of the valley in whichthe village of Steinhaus is located. It wasconstructed by Bilfinger Berger for theAustrian highways authority.

The rock quality is variable, generallysoft and non-glaciated, comprising chalk,phyllite, calcite and quartzite, with a maxi-mum cover of 60 m.

Rocket Boomer 352 S at Steinhausportal.

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The tunnels accommodate a two-lanehighway in each direction. There are threecross-passages, with the middle one havinga large cross-section to facilitate theswitching of trucks between tubes inemergency.

The full 80 sq m section of each maindrive was achieved with top heading,bench and invert excavations. The facespassed beneath some village houses witharound 50 m cover, and two blast vibrationmonitoring stations were set up.

Work at Steinhaus commenced at thewest portal with a 47 m-long central pilottunnel, within which the pillar between thetwo main tubes was cast using self-compacting concrete. The separation overthe first 50 m of alignment was 2 to 4 m,increasing progressively to 60 m at thehalfway mark. The rock pillar on thesecond 50 m of drive was anchored usingpre-stressed bolts, tightened by plates onboth sides.

The drillrig fleet comprised three late-series Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer 352s,and one newer Rocket Boomer L2 C. Theyspent 80% of their time drilling for rockreinforcement because, generally speaking,only 10-20 blast-holes were required in thefaces of the top headings.

The faces, which were mechanicallyexcavated, were secured by up to nine16 ft-long self drilling anchors with mortarinjection. Roof and side support wasachieved mainly with grouted rebars andself drilling rockbolts from Atlas CopcoMAI, and five MAI M400 water mixingpumps were used for grouting.

In order to maintain reasonable under-foot conditions, a temporary shotcreteinvert reinforced with steel mesh was laidin the top headings, every 4 or 5 arches onadvance. Drainage holes were drilled in theface whenever necessary. Usually, three orfour arches were set at 1.5 m intervals ineach face during a 24 h cycle of threeshifts.

At the 90 m mark on the south drive, a20 m-high quartzite runner was encoun-tered, which, fortunately for the tunnellers,proved to be dry. The drillrig stood away, drilling over the face and into thecavity.

Some 30 cu m of 8 mm concrete wasthen pumped through the drillholes, usingone of the shotcrete jumbos. Advance overa 10 m stretch beneath the filled cavity wasprotected by arches of 20-30 spiles made

of 51 mm x 8 m-long R32 pipe installed at2 m increments.

Once into more competent ground, thedrillrigs were able to deliver 80-90holes/round in the top headings, drilled to depths of 1.5-1.7 m. Blasting was bymillisecond and long delay non-electricdetonators and encapsulated slurry maincharge.

The bench followed at between 90 mand 220 m behind the face, where the tem-porary invert was ripped out by an excava-tor with hydraulic hammer.

A concrete pump was stationed at eachbench as a convenient way of pumpingshotcrete past the ramp position, fromwhere a mixer truck transported it to theface jumbo.

Self drilling rockbolts have becomevery popular in recent years, and are nowused in a number of different applications,for both surface and underground drilling.In tunnels, their primary use is for advancesupport of extremely friable rock, or in for-mations where the drill hole will collapsebefore a normal rockbolt can be put inplace.

The bolt is made up of five essentialparts: a threaded bolt, a single-usage drill bit, a connection casing, a screw plateand a nut. The rockbolts are available in standard lengths, by the metre from 2-6 m-long, with special customer-designed lengths of up to 12 m.

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Breakthrough is celebrated atSteinhaus.

FD3/25 p77-81 29/3/04 7:32 am Page 79

Repeat Performance atPlabutschThe alignment of the first Plabutsch tunnel,built in the early 1980s, is straight overmost of its length from the north portal,turning through 90 degrees to exit in aneasterly direction at the south end, some4 km from the airport. The tunnel has acontinuous gradient of 1%.

The new parallel tunnel was constructedfrom both ends by a joint venture of OstuStettin Leoben and Hinteregger Salzburgover a period of four years Summer, 2003,allowing two years for excavation, oneyear for concreting, and one year forequipment installation.

The new tunnel runs along the west sideof the existing tube at a spacing of 50 m,

and is connected to it by pedestrian cross-passages at 400 m intervals. Blastingrestrictions limited vibration could haveaffected the traffic tunnel, and the maxi-mum round allowable was 4 m.

Both ends were advanced as top head-ings with 1.2-2.5 m following benches anda drain at one metre below floor datum.The top headings, when in sound rock,were drilled with a pattern of 45 x 45 mmholes using ballistic bits. Four AtlasCopco drillrigs handled all of the drillingrequirements. These were multi-taskmachines equipped with computer assistedhole positioning and semi-automatic drillingprogrammes.

At the south portals, some 700 m of cutand cover constructed as part of the 1980contract has been used as the west car-

AUSTRIA, CENTRAL EUROPE

80 FACE DRILLING

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer L3 Cdrilling at the south bench atPlabutsch.

Longitudinal profile and plan of thePlabutsch tunnel.

FD3/25 p77-81 29/3/04 7:32 am Page 80

riageway exit from the natural tunnel. Thenorthbound traffic crossed over from thebi-directional natural tunnel to the cut andcover section at the portals to emerge inthe correct carriageway of the motorway.This section of the original tunnel wasclosed so that it could be utilized by con-struction traffic for the duration of thecontract. Another 600 m of cut and coverwas constructed to connect the existing cutand cover with the natural portal. Thisextended cut-and-cover hides the highwayfrom the Schloss St Martin, an historiccastle which overlooks the site.

It took a total of ten umbrella-drilledarches using an Atlas Copco 352 S toestablish the first 120 m of the south drive.

Drilling at the south face was then takenover by a new Atlas Copco L3 C drillrig,the first of two such machines ordered forthe Plabutsch contract. The L3 C isequipped with automatic boom control andachieved a smoother tunnel profile.

Blasting was by 18 separate timingintervals of millisecond delays because oftheir finer controllability. This resulted inless vibration and gave a good profile.Around 250 kg of dynamite was used tobackprime the holes, using 35 mm stickson the bulk charge and 20 mm sticks in thecontour holes. Stemming was not requiredon these loading ratios because the holeswere little more than half-primed. Steelarches were erected when required but, formost of the time, a combination of Swellexand rebar grouted bolts with mesh andshotcrete was sufficient.

The north face ground was soft and fri-able, and the main problem was to keep itin place while supports were installed. An

Atlas Copco 353 S Boomer drillrig wasutilised to install R32 threaded self-drilling3 m-long extension rockbolts into the face.A 15 m string took around 12 minutes toinstall, and the completed unit was groutedinto place using a fast setting sand/cementmix. Three such anchors were positionedto stabilize the centre section of the face,and a 5 m overlap was maintained. Theface was also lightly shotcreted as a furtherprecaution against spalling after eachround was cleared.

The top heading excavation was sup-ported using 4 m-long Swellex boltsimmediately after blasting, and these wereexpanded into full contact with the rockusing an onboard pump. The Swellex boltswere installed just in time to stop the roofpeeling back, and were sometimes alsoused in the face to secure hangings whilesafety work was carried out.

Once the face was mucked out, anothereleven 6 m-long grouted rebar bolts wereset in the crown using bolting equipmentmounted on the Rocket Boomer basket.

The north end was advanced on a 90 sq msection, with the first 600 m in dolomite.The drive passed beneath the Thalgrabenvalley at the 700 m point with just 12-15 mground cover, and then entered a difficultgeological section comprising schist, whichexhibited squeezing characteristics, andsteel lattice arches were erected as requiredat intervals of 1.0 m, 1.3 m, and 1.7 m. �

Acknowledgements

Atlas Copco is grateful to the contractorsfor facilitating the site visits on whichthese articles are based.

AUSTRIA, CENTRAL EUROPE

FACE DRILLING 81

Installing 4 m-long Swellex rockboltsfrom the Boomer basket at Plabutsch.

FD3/25 p77-81 29/3/04 7:32 am Page 81

KEMI, FINLAND

82 FACE DRILLING

Ore Production

Production in the open pit will be phasedout over the next few years as the under-ground mine comes on stream, and closureshould take place in 2007.

The ore at Kemi is classified as twomain types: fine concentrate type, andupgraded lumpy ore type. Suitable vol-umes of a given ore type are selectivelymining according to a schedule agreedwith the process plant.

Ore grade control in the undergroundmine involves intensive wire line diamondcore drilling, to determine boundaries andqualities of specific ore types. A CraeliusDiamec 264 APC drill rig carries out 12 kmof coring each year. Drill sections areestablished every 10 m and downholesurvey is standard procedure, using aMaxibore system. Based on the drill holedata, a 3D model of the orebody is createdand used as a basis for production planning.

OMS-logg data is fed to the Drillmapprogram to define the yields and Cr2O3content of upgraded lumpy ore. Imageanalysis and point loading index measure-ments are used to differentiate fine concen-trate ore types on the basis of grain sizeand hardness.

The geologists train the loader operatorsto identify ore types and waste so that,should the ore arriving at the process plantnot meet the specification for the blastbeing loaded, the operator can alter thematerial to be loaded.

Each ore blast is treated selectively atthe concentrator, in order to minimize feedvariation and maximize process stability.

Underground Infrastructure

The main decline starts at a portal in thefootwall side of the pit, at about 100 mbelow the rim. The decline is mostly 8 m-wide x 5.5 m-high, to accommodate pass-ing vehicles. It descends at 1:7 to a depthof 600 m at the base of the hoisting shaft,and connects with several intermediatesublevels. The decline is asphaltedthroughout most of its length.

There is also a 5,000 cu m repair shopfor open pit equipment at the 115 m level,and a larger 14,000 cu m workshop at the350 m level for the underground mobileequipment fleet. A huge 23,000 cu m mainworkshop is planned for the 500 m level.

The main pumping station is located atthe 350 m level, and has pumping capacityof 2 x 250 cu m/h. The slurry-type pumps,

Rapid Development at Kemi Chrome MineGoing UndergroundOre reserves at Outukumpu ChromeOy’s Kemi chrome mine are abun-dant, and the efficiency of the nearbyTornio smelter is enhanced by itsproximity to both the mine and har-bour facilities. When surface depositsdepleted, it was decided to switch tounderground mining, where intensiveuse will be made of informationtechnology to optimize the overallmining and processing operation.Atlas Copco drillrigs and rockbolters,equipped with RCS rig controlsystem, using Secoroc drill steel andbits, and installing Swellex rockbolts,are underpinning production anddevelopment, while helping providethe information on which mill outputquality depends.

Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer L2 C isused for development.

FD3/26 p82-84 29/3/04 7:32 am Page 82

with mechanical seals, pump the unsettledmine water to the surface with a total headof 360 m. Two other dewatering pumpingstations are located at the 500 m and 580 mlevels.

The crusher station at the 560 m level isequipped with a 1,000 t/h Nordberg gyra-tory crusher. This is fed from two sides byvibrating feeders from separate 8 m-diame-ter main ore passes from the 500 m level,and from one side by a plate feeder, towhich the ore can be dumped from the550 m level. A 40 t travelling gantry craneservices the entire crusher house. Crushedore gravitates onto a conveyor in a tunnelbelow the crusher for transport to the shaftloading pockets 500 m away.

Shafts

Some 1.5 km of raise boring was requiredfor ventilation purposes, with intake at4 m-diameter and exhausts at 3.5 m-diameter. In summer, fresh air is drawninto the workings down the main declineand through the intake, and exits throughthe exhaust shafts located at the extrem-ities of the orebody. In winter, the centralventilation shaft becomes the only intake,and air is heated on its way into themine. It is then exhausted, both up thedecline, and through the exhaust shafts.Contractor NCC raise bored the firstbackfill raise.

The main shaft was sunk in two stages,from surface to the 300 m level, and thenon to final depth at the 600 m level.Drillcon Raise AB core drilled the pilothole at 76 mm, and then reamed in threestages to 280 mm using DTH hammers. Araise borer then back reamed the hole to2.44 m diameter, following which crews

from contractor YIT slashed the shaft to5.5 m diameter in 4 m lifts.

Ten 2.2 m x 20 mm cement groutedrebars were installed to support each metreof shaft, with 8 cm of steel fibre reinforcedshotcrete and a 2 cm protective layer ofshotcrete without fibres. The shaft is fur-nished with skip and man riding cage,counterweight, and a separate service cage.

The 70 m-high x 11 m-wide x 11.4 m-long main shaft head frame, with ABBfriction winder, commenced ore produc-tion in Autumn, 2003.

Underground Production

Mining sublevels with 5 m x 5 m crosssections were established by NCC at 25 mvertical intervals, using two Atlas CopcoRocket Boomer L2 C drillrigs equippedwith 1838 ME rock drills.

KEMI, FINLAND

FACE DRILLING 83

Kemi underground mine simplifiedlong section.

277

600580 Pumpstation

115 Repair shop

300

450475500

2002 Trial stope

350 Pump station

Trial stoping area Backfill raise

350 Repair shop

450 Expl. storage

500 Pump station550

Crusher

Final pit bottom

80m3/s

70m3/s

EAR4

275

FAR2EAR3

40m3/s

The cabin and the computer controlsystem with double joystick operationhelps high productivity.

FD3/26 p82-84 29/3/04 7:32 am Page 83

For 2003, the mine took over the drift-ing operation. Rounds of 60-80 holes5.5 m-deep take about 2 hours to drill,charge and prime.

An emulsion charging truck with elevat-ing platform and Atlas Copco GA15compressor provides fast and efficientexplosives delivery. Pipe charges wereoriginally used for the profile holes, butthese were progressively replaced bymeasured amounts of slurry.

Some 600 m/month of sublevels wasmined, and contractors completed 30 kmof tunnels. The footwall granite is verycompetent, but much rock reinforcement isrequired in the weaker host rock, whereall drives are systematically rock bolted,and secured with steel fibre reinforcedshotcrete.

The new Atlas Copco Rocket BoomerL2 C purchased by the mine is equippedwith Rig Remote Access (RRA) option inorder to work in real-connection with themine communications network, facilitatedby the Rig Control System (RCS). RRAalso allows Atlas Copco to monitor andevaluate the drillrig systems fromits HQ in Orebro, and assist withtroubleshooting.

The mine is working two shifts/day, fivedays/week. The planned nominal capacityis 2.7 million t/y of ore, which allows forincreased ferro-chrome production atTornio when the smelting operation isexpanded.

Rock ReinforcementSwellex Mn12 2.4 m-long bolts are usedfor support in ore contact formations. Theseare being installed at a rate of 80-90 bolts/shift using a new Atlas Copco Boltec LC rig,which is returning drilling penetration ratesof 3.2 to 4 m/min. The RCS controlledBoltec LC rig mounts the latest SwellexHC1 pump, for bolt inflation at 300 barpressure, and reports progress on theoperator’s screen.

When Swellex was first introduced atKemi, the mine and Atlas Copco gottogether over proving trials. The SwedishCorrosion Institute was employed to evalu-ate the potential for corrosion, and came tothe conclusion that the application of shot-crete was beneficial to bolt life, with nosignificant internal or external corrosionexpected in the first 50 years.

Then Swellex Mn12 2.4 m-long boltswere installed in a damaged crosscut atKemi to study their efficiency in specificconditions, while the performance of theBoltec LC bolting rig was evaluated at theKvantorp test mine.

At the same time, Atlas Copco wasdeveloping an intelligent pump to ensurethe perfect installation of Swellex bolts.The new HC1 hydraulic pump is robust,simple, and with low maintenance cost.Coupled to an intelligent system, it reachesthe 300 bar pressure level quickly, andmaintains it for the minimum time forperfect installation. Combined with therig’s RCS system, the pump can confirmthe number of bolts successfully installedand warn of any problems with inflation.The Boltec rig with the new HC1 pumphas installed more than 22,000 SwellexMn12 bolts in 12 months – an exceptionalperformance!

A series of slip-pull tests carriedout throughout the mine proved thestrong anchorage capacity of SwellexMn12, with best results in the orebodyobtained from 37 mm-diameter holes,while 35 mm-diameter was better forthe softer talc-carbonate and mylonitezone. �

Acknowledgements

Atlas Copco is grateful to the minemanagement at Kemi, for their help andassistance in arranging the site visit andreading draft.

KEMI, FINLAND

84 FACE DRILLING

With the Boltec LC and Swellex Mn12rockbolts operators at Kemi mine areinstalling more than 80-90 bolts/shift.

FD3/26 p82-84 29/3/04 7:32 am Page 84

Southern Link

Sodra Lanken features 16.6 km of rocktunnels in total, and is the largest roadtunnel system ever built in Sweden. Thebudget for the link road was $800 million,which represents a large slice of the $5 bil-lion that has been set aside to cureStockholm’s transportation problems. Theproject is financed by loans that are guar-anteed by the Swedish government.

The new route is an urban motorway,and is part of the national road network. Itsdesign speed is 70 km/h, except on someof the access and exit ramps where this isreduced to 50 km/h. The lanes are 3.5 mwide, with a 1 m-wide hard shoulder onthe left of each carriageway and a 2 m-wide shoulder on the right. The steepestgradient is 5% on the main carriageways,and 6% on the ramps.

The radius is at least 300 m where thedesign speed is 70 km/h, with a minimumradius of 140 m where the design speed is

50 km/h. The permitted vehicle height is4.5 m, and the clearance under signs andfans is 4.8 m.

Ventilation is by exhaust towers at themain portals, with jet fans to move the airwithin the tunnels. Improvements in theefficiency of catalytic exhausts since thetunnels were first designed have led to areduction in the number of exhaust towersfrom four to two. The tunnels have

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

FACE DRILLING 85

Stockholm Gets Its SouthernLink RoadCompleting the RingThe population of Stockholm, capitalcity of Sweden, is expanding by 20,000each year and has already reached the2 million mark. This has been accom-panied by a steady increase in traffic,with 130,000 vehicles/day fightingtheir way around the existing sectionof the proposed ring road, and 160,000vehicles/day passing through the citycentre.

The Stockholm Road Plan calls fora 6 km-long centre ring road; a west-ern link, of which four short sectionshave been completed and theremainder will require 8 km of tun-nels; and the southern link, or SodraLanken, which has been under con-struction for the Swedish NationalRoad Administration. The rock exca-vation works on Sodra Lanken werecompleted in late-2002, and the linkwill be opened for traffic on 24thOctober, 2004. Atlas Copco RocketBoomer rigs were used throughout,drilling holes for blasting, rockbolts,and pregrouting.

Elevating cab on XL3 C gives acommanding view.

FD3/26b p85-87 29/3/04 7:33 am Page 85

waterproof concrete ceilings suspended bystainless steel bolts, and the rock walls areleft bare wherever possible, or given acoating of shotcrete. 300 CCTV camerasare being installed to monitor vehicularactivity within the tunnels.

Granite Precautions

Sodra Lanken comprises two parallel5.5 km-long, 18 m-wide three-lane tunnelswith cross-sectional area of 100 sq m.There are also crosspassages at 100 mintervals, a number of access and exit tun-nels, and two major intersections locatedunderground.

The tunnels were constructed in compe-tent crystalline Precambrian granite andgneiss, using controlled drill/blast meth-ods. Two major environmental problemsthat had to be overcome were the vibrationfrom blasting, and the control of waterseepage. The tunnels were driven in aheavily populated area, and it wasextremely important not to worry residentswith noise or vibration, and not to dewaterthe strata unduly because the water table isparticularly sensitive. Granite transmitsboth blasting vibration and drilling noise,so blasting was constrained within theperiod 07.00 to 22.00 each weekday, andwas forbidden at weekends. Drilling noisewas limited to an exceptionally low25 dBA at all times.

As a means of avoiding unnecessarydistress in the locality, some 70 apartmentswere made available for rehousing resi-dents while the tunnels passed close to, orbeneath, their homes.

In order to limit the construction roadtraffic, a crusher was installed within thetunnel complex with a conveyor system

leading to a harbour loading point. Most ofthe 2 million cu m of excavated rock were recycled, and exported by barge forconsumption.

More than 50,000 units of 3 m-long and4 m-long cement-grouted rockbolts wereinstalled, mainly in the roof of the tunnels.The holes for these bolts were generallydrilled by the face drillrigs.

Contracts

Construction has been undertaken in threemajor contracts, SL 01 and SL 02 by NCC,and SL 03 by Selmer. Selmer removedsome 700,000 cu m of rock to form 8.3 kmof tunnels, and applied 12,000 cu m ofshotcrete and installed 25,000 groutedrockbolts. Around 500,000 m of groutholes were drilled, into which 3,000 t ofcement grout was injected, and some8,000 cu m of concrete was placed.

NCC employed five large drillingjumbos and one smaller machine on thejob. Overburden ranged between 5 m and20-30 m. NCC also constructed five under-ground bridges where different legs of theroad cross over each other. These weregenerally opened using pilot tunnels,which were then excavated to create cham-bers in which the bridges were built. Oneof these underground bridges, at theHammarby end of the tunnel, has a span of 35 m with only 3.5 m ground cover.There are also two 1.2 m-diameter raise-bored ventilation holes, and a third at2.1 m-diameter.

A total of 140 people were employed atSodra Lanken, 65 working rock, 40 onconcrete and 35 staff.

Waterproofing

The roof was scaled both mechanically andby hand. In exceptional circumstances, theface was shotcreted. The roof was shot-creted, with 40 mm of fibre-reinforced mixfollowed by 20 mm of unreinforced mix,and the sides were shotcreted when neces-sary. There was a large-capacity shotcretejumbo at each site for this work. Theamount of shotcreting increased from thatoriginally planned, because areas that hadto be sealed using foam needed a shotcreteshell for waterproofing.

Integration of grouting work was diffi-cult, because the depth of pregrouting wasrestricted to 20 m with a 5 m overlap, so

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

86 FACE DRILLING

One of Selmer’s Atlas Copco RocketBoomer XL3 Cs at work.

FD3/26b p85-87 29/3/04 7:33 am Page 86

advance was limited to 15 m increments.The maximum span at the junctions was28 m.

A short length of tunnel through shal-low ground had to be jet grouted fromabove, after investigations from the pilotdrive revealed rock of insufficient strengthfor conventional opening. Because of itshigh visibility, the surface work attractedadverse attention. Faced with a similarproblem on a second stretch of shallowtunnel, the main contractor elected tofreeze the ground from within the tunnel,rather than suffer the consequences andconstraints of working from the surface. ANorwegian specialist contractor was calledin for this work, following success at asimilar job at Oslofjord.

Drilling

The blastholes and rockbolt holes weredrilled at 48 mm-diameter, and the grout-ing holes at 64 mm.

The three Atlas Copco Rocket Boomerdrillrigs working for NCC were fitted withthe MWD measure while drilling system,which allows hole depths to be adjustedduring drilling if ground conditionschange. The booms on these rigs were alsoset up for fast positioning, taking only 20seconds to move from hole to hole.

On the SL 03 contract, Selmer wasworking under 8-35 m overburden, forwhich the noise limit was set at 55 dBA

during daytime, 25 dBA during sleepinghours, and 35 dBA during weekend day-time. Blasting used a low-fume slurry,which was pumped into the holes by anautomatic charging truck, and primedusing Nonel detonators.

There were six Atlas Copco drillrigsemployed on this section, all drilling5 m-deep rounds and up to 4 m-longrockbolt holes. The objective was to drillfour rounds in every face each week, butrepetitive grouthole drilling impactedupon this.

Selmer was allowed to drill 25 m groutholes with a 7 m overlap, and the rockquality was excellent. The rigs drilled 32 x25 m grout holes in 16 hours. Some737,000 m of drilling for blasting wasundertaken, and another 210,000 m wasdrilled for grouting. Residents wereadvised 30 minutes ahead of blasting by amini-call system, and some 12 rounds/daywere blasted. It is claimed that drillingnoise can be detected within a 200 mradius, and can be irritating when within100 m radius. Blast noise can be heard upto 800 m away. �

Acknowledgements

Atlas Copco is grateful to the SwedishNational Road Administration for permis-sion to publish this article and to contrac-tors Selmer and NCC for their help andassistance at site and with proof reading.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

FACE DRILLING 87

Layout of Sodra Lanken tunnelcomplex.

FD3/26b p85-87 29/3/04 7:33 am Page 87

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer S1 LM

in 1

300

Max

170

0

13450 (BMH 2837)

1300

260

Direct controlled hydraulic tunnelling and

mining rig for low roof heights.

For cross sections up to 29m².

• Specially designed drill rig for drifting, crosscuts, and roof holes in very narrow and low drifts and tunnels. Tramming height only 1.30 m

• Direct controlled drilling system with anti-jamming function RPCF (Rotation Pressure Controlled Feed force)

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• BMH 2800 heavy-duty aluminium hydraulic feed with double bottom for high torsional resistance

• BUT 28 heavy-duty boom for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes

• Sturdy, articulated carrier with four wheel drive for easy manoeuvring in narrow tunnels and drifts

• Basic rig includes telescopic FOPS-approved protective roof, fi xed seat, water booster pump, cable reel, and work lights

Rocket Boomer S1LRock drill 1 x COP 1838ME/COP 1838 HF Feed 1 x BMH 2831 - BMH 2840Boom 1 x BUT 28Drilling system DCS 18 - S1 LLength (with BMH 2837) 13450 mmWidth 2480 mmHeight roof up 1700 mm roof down 1300 mmTurning radius 5600/2900 mmWeight 12500 kg

Main specifi cations

Main optional equipmentHole blowing kit, with 2x20 l air receiverBig hole drilling kitRock drill lubrication warning kitExtension drilling set BSH 110 (only for BMH 2000)Automatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomElectronic lookout indicator FAM1 or FAM2Exhaust catalyserFire suppression system ANSULAlternative roof stops; min 1500 mm, max 1700 mmGuards to prevent start of tramming with jacks down,slide beam out or roof up

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

Coverage area (with 2º look-out angle)

7520

5475

8888

Drillrigs2.indd 2 2004-02-23, 18:23:07

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer 104

ROCKETBOOMER 104

9710 (BMH 2831)

1985

700

Direct controlled hydraulic tunnelling drill rig

with one BUT 4 boom and COP 1838 rock drill.

For high speed drilling in small tunnels up to

20 m² .

• Specially designed drill rig for drifting, crosscuts, and roofholes. Compact transport width of 1.22 m

• Direct controlled drilling system with anti-jamming function RPCF (Rotation Pressure Controlled Feed force)

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• BMH 2800 heavy-duty aluminium hydraulic feed with double bottom for high torsional resistance

• BUT 4 heavy-duty boom for direct, fast and accurate positioning

• Sturdy, articulated carrier with four wheel drive for easy manoeuvring in narrow tunnels and drifts

• Basic rig includes telescopic FOPS-approved protective roof, cable reel, water booster pump, and work lights

Rocket Boomer 104Rock drill 1 x COP 1838MEFeed 1 x BMH 2825 - BMH 2837Boom 1 x BUT 4Drilling system DCS 18 - 104Length (with BMH 2831) 9710 mmWidth 1220 mmHeight roof up 2685 mm roof down 1985 mmTurning radius 4400/2539 mmWeight 12500 kg

Main specifi cations

Other versionsBoomer 104 with COP 1432 or COP 1238 rock drills

Main optional equipmentHydraulic feeds BMHE 2000 and BMHS 2000Hydraulic drill steel gripper BSH 110 for extension drilling(only for BMH 2800)FAM 104 electronic look-out indicatorFOPS-approved cabin Big hole drilling kitHole blowing kit with external airRock drill lubrication warning kitExhaust catalyserANSUL fi re suppression systemElectrical system 1000 v, direct start only

47604410

4720

Coverage area (with 2º look-out angle)Typical min. drift width 1.8 m

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

8989

Drillrigs2.indd 3 2004-02-23, 18:23:10

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer 281

11700 (BMH 2840)

2100

2800

Direct controlled hydraulic tunnelling drill rig

with one BUT 28 boom and COP 1838 rock

drill. For high speed drilling in cross sections

up to 31m².

• Designed for drifting, crosscuts, and roofholes. Compact transport width of 1.65 m

• Direct controlled drilling system with anti-jamming function RPCF (Rotation Pressure Controlled Feed force)

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• BMH 2800 heavy-duty aluminium hydraulic feed with double bottom for high torsional resistance

• BUT 28 heavy-duty boom for direct, fast and accurate positioning

• Sturdy, articulated carrier for high mobility and stable set up. Four-wheel drive, power steering, fail-safe brakes and central lubricated chassis

• Basic rig includes telescopic FOPS-approved protective roof, cable reel, work lights, water booster pump, and pump unloading function for easier start with low voltage

Rocket Boomer 281Rock drill 1 x COP 1838ME/COP 1838HFFeed 1 x BMH 2831 - BMH 2849Boom 1 x BUT 28Drilling system DCS 18 - 280Length (with BMH 2840) 11700 mmWidth 1700 mmHeight roof up 2800 mm roof down 2100 mmTurning radius 4400/2800 mmWeight 9300 kg

Main specifi cations

Other versionsBoomer 281 with COP 1432 or COP 1238 rock drills.Rocket Boomer/Boomer 281-1B with one serviceplatform HL 210Rocket Boomer/Boomer 281-L low-built versions,tramming height 1.73 m

Main optional equipmentTelescopic feed BMHT 2800Hydraulic drill steel gripper BSH 110 for extension drilling(only on BMH 2800)FAM electronic look-out indicatorFOPS-approved cabinBig hole drilling kitHole blowing kit with external airWater reelWater mist fl ushingRock drill lubrication warning kitAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomManual lubrication systemExhaust catalyserANSUL fi re suppression systemElectrical system 1000v, direct start only

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

Coverage area (with 2º look-out angle)Typical min. drift width 2.7 m

6080

56906110

9090

Drillrigs2.indd 4 2004-02-23, 18:23:10

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer L1 C

L1 C

www.atlascopco.com

L1 C

14220 (BMH 6816)

3010

Hydraulic tunnelling and mining rig with

computer-based drilling system for high

accuracy and productivity.

For cross sections up to 70 m².

• Rig Control System (RCS) with interactive operator control panel with full-colour display of the computer-based drilling system. Autocollaring and anti-jamming protection

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• Integrated diagnostic system can immediately identify faulty electronic components

• Advanced Boom Control ABC – assists the operator to achieve accurate drill hole location and improve the quality of the drilling by optimising the drilling pattern and reducing costly overbreak

• PC-card for transfer of data and for service engineers to store preferred drill settings

• Modular design of electronic and mechanical components

• Ergonomic cabin as optional, reduces noise level below 80 dB(A)

• Heavy-duty aluminium hydraulic feeds with double bottom for high torsional resistance

• BUT 35 heavy-duty booms for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes. New powerful feed rotation unit and increased coverage. Improved linkage in main boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints

• Sturdy, articulated carrier with four wheel drive for easy manoeuvring in narrow tunnels and drifts, powered by low emission, water-cooled diesel engine

• Basic rig includes telescopic FOPS-approved protective roof, adjustable operator’s control panel, fi xed seat, hydraulic driven compressor and water booster pump, cable reel, and work lights.

Rocket Boomer L1 CRock drill 1 x COP 1838ME/COP 1838HFFeed 1 x BMH 6814 - BMH 6820Boom 1 x BUT 35GDrilling system RCSLength (with BMH 6816) 14220 mmWidth 2210 mmHeight with fi xed cabin 3010 mmTurning radius 6250/3750 mmWeight 17800 kg

Main specifi cations

Main optional equipmentTelescopic feed BMHT 6800-series (not with ABC)Hydraulic drill steel support BSH 110Rod Adding System RAS, max 18+12 ftRod Handling System RHS for 6 rods, incl. RAS and BUT 35SLAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomAdvanced Boom Control - ABC available in three levelsFOPS-approved cabinAdditional operator’s control panelAlternative mounting heights of cabin or protective roofHole blowing kit, with 80 l air receiverWater mist fl ushing with external water and air supplyRock drill lubrication warning kitExhaust water scrubber 95 lExhaust catalyserAnsul fi re suppression system, dry or wetService platform HL 210-MBEHydraulic Swellex pumpManual lubrication system1000 V electronic system, direct start only

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

Coverage area (with 2º look-out angle)Typical min. drift width 3.2 m

10210

8410

9690

9191

Drillrigs2.indd 5 2004-02-23, 18:23:11

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer L1 C-DH

L1 C

www.atlascopco.com

L1 C

14220 (BMH 6816)

3010

Hydraulic tunnelling and mining rig with

computer-based drilling system for high

accuracy and productivity.

For cross sections up to 70 m².

• Rig Control System (RCS) with interactive operator control panel with full-colour display of the computer-based drilling system. Autocollaring and anti-jamming protection

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• Integrated diagnostic system can immediately identify faulty electronic components

• Advanced Boom Control ABC – assists the operator to achieve accurate drill hole location and improve the quality of the drilling by optimising the drilling pattern and reducing costly overbreak

• PC-card for transfer of data and for service engineers to store preferred drill settings

• Modular design of electronic and mechanical components

• Ergonomic cabin as optional, reduces noise level below 80 dB(A)

• Heavy-duty aluminium hydraulic feeds with double bottom for high torsional resistance

• BUT 35 heavy-duty booms for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes. New powerful feed rotation unit and increased coverage. Improved linkage in main boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints

• Sturdy, articulated carrier with four wheel drive for easy manoeuvring in narrow tunnels and drifts, powered by low emission, water-cooled diesel engine

• Basic rig includes telescopic FOPS-approved protective roof, adjustable operator’s control panel, fi xed seat, hydraulic driven compressor and water booster pump, cable reel, and work lights.

Rocket Boomer L1 C-DHRock drill 1 x COP 1838ME/COP 1838HFFeed 1 x BMH 6814 - BMH 6820Boom 1 x BUT 35GDrilling system RCSLength (with BMH 6816) 14220 mmWidth 2210 mmHeight with fi xed cabin 3010 mmTurning radius 6250/3750 mmWeight 18650 kg

Main specifi cations

Main optional equipmentHydraulic drill steel support BSH 110Rod Adding System RAS, max 18+12 ftRod Handling System RHS for 6 rods, incl. RAS and BUT 35SLAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomAdvanced Boom Control - ABC available in three levelsBasic, Regular and TotalFOPS-approved cabinAdditional operator’s control panelAlternative mounting heights of cabin or roofHole blowing kit, with 80 l air receiverInternal water mist fl ushing with water tank (940 l) and air supplyRock drill lubrication warning kitExhaust water scrubber 95 lExhaust catalyserAnsul fi re suppression system, dry or wetService platform HL 210-MBEHydraulic Swellex pumpManual lubrication system

Coverage area (with 2º look-out angle)Typical min. drift width 3.2 m

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

10210

8410

9690

9292

Drillrigs2.indd 6 2004-02-23, 18:23:11

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer 28223

0070

0

11820 (BMH 2843)

Direct controlled hydraulic tunnelling drill rig

with two BUT 28 booms and COP 1838 rock

drills. For high speed drilling in cross sections

up to 45m².

• Designed for drifting, crosscuts, and roofholes. Compact transport width of 1.98 m

• Direct controlled drilling system with anti-jamming function RPCF (Rotation Pressure Controlled Feed force)

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• BMH 2800 heavy-duty aluminium hydraulic feed with double bottom for high torsional resistance

• BUT 28 heavy-duty boom for direct, fast and accurate positioning

• Sturdy, articulated carrier for high mobility and stable set up. Four-wheel drive, power steering, fail-safe brakes and central lubricated chassis

• Basic rig includes telescopic FOPS-approved protective roof, cable reel, work lights, water booster pump, and pump unloading function for easier start with low voltage

Rocket Boomer 282Rock drill 2 x COP 1838MEFeed 2 x BMH 2831 - BMH 2849Boom 2 x BUT 28Drilling system DCS 18-280Length (with BMH 2843) 11820 mmWidth 1980 mmHeight roof up 3000 mm roof down 2300 mmTurning radius 5500/3000 mmWeight 17500 kg

Main specifi cations

Main optional equipmentTelescopic feed BMHT 2800Hydraulic drill steel gripper BSH 110 for extension drilling(only on BMH 2800)FAM electronic look-out indicatorFOPS-approved cabinBig hole drilling kitHole blowing kit with external airWater reelWater mist fl ushingRock drill lubrication warning kitAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomManual lubrication systemExhaust catalyserANSUL fi re suppression systemElectrical system 1000v, direct start only

Coverage area (with 2º look-out angle)Typical min. drift width 3.0 m

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

87008100

6300

9393

Drillrigs2.indd 7 2004-02-23, 18:23:12

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer M2 C

13610 with BMH 6816

3010

M2 C

M2 C

www.atlascopco.com

Hydraulic tunnelling and mining rig with

computer-based drilling system for high

accuracy and productivity.

For cross sections up to 45m².

• Rig Control System (RCS) with interactive operator control panel with full-colour display of the computer-based drilling system. Auto-collaring and anti-jamming protection

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• Integrated diagnostic system can immediately identify faulty electronic components

• Advanced Boom Control ABC – assists the operator to achieve accurate drill hole location and improve the quality of the drilling by optimising the drilling pattern and reducing costly overbreak

• PC-card for transfer of data and for service engineers to store preferred drill settings

• Modular design of electronic and mechanical components

• Ergonomic cabin as optional, reduces noise level below 80 dB(A)

• BMH 6800 heavy-duty aluminium hydraulic feeds with double bottom for high torsional resistance

• BUT 32 heavy-duty booms for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes

• Sturdy articulated carrier with four wheel drive for easy manoeuvring in narrow tunnels and drifts, powered by low emission, water-cooled diesel engine

• Basic rig includes telescopic FOPS-approved protective roof, adjustable operator’s control panel, fi xed seat, hydraulic driven compressor and water booster pump, cable reel, and work lights

Rocket Boomer M2 CRock drill 2 x COP 1838ME/COP 1838 HFFeed 2 x BMH 6812 - BMH 6818Boom 2 x BUT 32Drilling system RCSLength (with BMH 6816) 13610 mmWidth 2210 mmHeight with fi xed cabin 3010 mmTurning radius 6250/3800 mmWeight 19600 kg

Main specifi cations

Main optional equipmentHydraulic drill steel gripper BSH 110 for extension drillingRod Adding System RAS, for 14+10 ft rodsAdvanced Boom Control ABC available in three levels:Basic, Regular and TotalFOPS-approved cabinAdditional operator’s control panelAlternative mounting heights of cabin or roofHole blowing kit with external airWater mist fl ushingRock drill lubrication warning kitAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomExhaust catalyser with silencerManual lubrication systemANSUL fi re suppression systemHydraulic Swellex pumpElectrical system 1000v, direct start only

Coverage area (with 2º look-out angle)Typical min. drift width 3.2 m

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

77008590

6300

9494

Drillrigs2.indd 8 2004-02-23, 18:23:12

Rocket Boomer M2 C

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

2900

14170 (with BMH 6816)

L2 C

www.atlascopco.com

L2 C

Rocket Boomer L2 C

Hydraulic tunnelling rig with computer-

based drilling system for high accuracy and

productivity.

For cross sections up to 104 m2.

• Rig Control System (RCS) with interactive operator control panel with full-colour display of the computer-based drilling system. Autocollaring and anti-jamming protection

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• Integrated diagnostic system can immediately identify faulty electronic components

• Advanced Boom Control ABC – assists the operator to achieve accurate drill hole location and improve the quality of the drilling by optimising the drilling pattern and reducing costly overbreak

• PC-card for transfer of data and for service engineers to store preferred drill settings

• Modular design of electronic and mechanical components

• Ergonomic cabin as optional, reduces noise level below 80 dB(A)

• Heavy-duty aluminium hydraulic feeds with double bottom for high torsional resistance

• BUT 35 heavy-duty booms for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes. New powerful feed rotation unit and increased coverage. Improved linkage in main boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints

• Sturdy, articulated carrier with four wheel drive for easy manoeuvring in narrow tunnels and drifts, powered by low emission, water-cooled diesel engine

• Basic rig includes telescopic FOPS-approved protective roof, adjustable operator’s control panel, fi xed seat, hydraulic driven compressor and water booster pump, cable reel, and work lights.

Rocket Boomer L2 CRock drill 2 x COP 1838ME/COP 1838 HFFeed 2 x BMH 6814 - BMH 6820Boom 2 x BUT 35GDrilling system RCSLength (with BMH 6816) 14170 mmWidth 2500 mmHeight 3010 mmTurning radius 7360/4000 mmWeight 23600 kg

Main specifi cations

Other versionsRocket Boomer L2 D electric-hydraulic, direct controlled drill rig

Main optional equipmentTelescopic feed BMHT 6800 (not with ABC)Hydraulic drill steel gripper BSH 110 for extension drilling (only on BMH 6800)Rod Adding System RAS, for 18+12 ft rodsExtended boom reach with 700 mm long fi xed boom segmentAdvanced Boom Control ABC available in three levels: Basic, Regular and TotalMeasure While Drilling MWD - logging drilling dataFOPS-approved cabin Additional operator’s control panelHole blowing kit with external airWater mist fl ushingRock drill lubrication warning kitAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomService platformExhaust catalyser with silencerManual lubrication systemANSUL fi re suppression systemHydraulic Swellex pumpElectrical system 1000 v, direct start only

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

Coverage area (incl. 250 mm look-out)Typical min. drift width 3.5 m

9300

1280013400

9595

Drillrigs2.indd 9 2004-02-23, 18:23:13

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer L2 C-2B

Two-boom hydraulic jumbo, with two service

platforms for high speed tunnelling adapted

for the micro-benching method.

For cross sections up to 114 m²

• Rig Control System (RCS) with interactive operator control panel with full-colour display of the computer- based drilling system. Auto-collaring and anti-jamming

protection• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening

for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy• Integrated diagnostic system can immediately identify

faulty electronic components• Advanced Boom Control ABC – assists the operator to

achieve accurate drill hole location and improve the quality of the drilling by optimising the drilling pattern and reducing costly overbreak

• Two service platforms side-mounted and especially designed for micro-benching, providing fl exibility, effi ciency and operator’s safety

• PC-card for transfer of data and for service engineers to store preferred drill settings

• Large and ergonomic cabin with noise level below 80dB(A)• BUT 35 heavy-duty booms for direct, fast and accurate

positioning between holes. New powerful feed rotation unit and increased coverage. Improved linkage in main

boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints• Modular design of electronic and mechanical components• Sturdy carrier with all-wheel drive for easy manoeuvring.

Powered by a turbo-charged, watercooled 6-cylinder, low emission diesel engine for high mobility. Four jacks for stable set up.

• Basic rig includes FOPS-approved cabin, adjustable operator’s seat with armrest controls, hydraulic driven compressor and water booster pump, cable reel, and work lights

Rocket Boomer L2 C-2BRock drill 2 x COP 1838MEFeed 2 x BMH 6800-seriesBoom 2 x BUT 35GService platform 2x SP4Drilling system RCSLength 17170 mmWidth 2500 mmHeight with fi xed cabin 3660 mmTurning radius 11800/6800 mmWeight 47000 kg

Main specifi cations

Main optional equipmentTelescopic feed BMHT 6800 (not with ABC)Hydraulic drill steel gripper BSH 110 for extension drilling (only on BMH 6800)Rod Adding System RAS, for 20+10 ft rodsExtended boom reach with 700 mm long fi xed boom segmentAdvanced Boom Control ABC available in three levels: Basic, Regular and TotalMeasure While Drilling MWD – logging drill dataAdditional operator’s control panelLiftable cabin, 1100 mm Hole blowing kit with external airWater mist fl ushingRock drill lubrication warning kitAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomExhaust catalyser with silencerManual lubrication systemANSUL fi re suppression systemHydraulic Swellex pumpElectrical system 1000 v, direct start only

Coverage area (incl. 250 mm look-out)Typical min. drift width 3.5 m

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

L2 C-2B

L2 C-2B

17170 (BMH 6820)

3660

1100

1000

0

1410013200

9696

Drillrigs2.indd 10 2004-02-23, 18:23:14

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer L3 C-2B

Three-boom hydraulic jumbo, with two

service platforms for high speed tunnelling

adapted for the micro-benching method.

For cross sections up to 114 m²

Main optional equipmentTelescopic feed BMHT 6800 (not with ABC)Hydraulic drill steel gripper BSH 110 for extension drilling (only on BMH 6800)Rod Adding System RAS, for 20+10 ft rodsExtended boom reach with 700 mm long fi xed boom segmentAdvanced Boom Control ABC available in three levels: Basic, Regular and TotalMeasure While Drilling MWD – logging drill dataAdditional operator’s control panelLiftable cabin, 1100 mm Hole blowing kit with external airWater mist fl ushingRock drill lubrication warning kitAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomExhaust catalyser with silencerManual lubrication systemANSUL fi re suppression systemHydraulic Swellex pumpElectrical system 1000 v, direct start only

Coverage area (incl. 250 mm look-out)

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

Rocket Boomer L3 C-2BRock drill 3 x COP 1838MEFeed 3 x BMH 6800-seriesBoom 3 x BUT 35GService platform 2x SP4Drilling system RCSLength 17170 mmWidth 2500 mmHeight with fi xed cabin 3660 mmTurning radius 11800/6800 mmWeight 50000 kg

Main specifi cations

• Rig Control System (RCS) with interactive operator control panel with full-colour display of the computer-

based drilling system. Auto-collaring and anti-jamming protection

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• Integrated diagnostic system can immediately identify faulty electronic components

• Advanced Boom Control ABC – assists the operator to achieve accurate drill hole location and improve the quality of the drilling by optimising the drilling pattern and reducing costly overbreak

• Two service platforms side-mounted and especially designed for micro-benching, providing fl exibility, effi ciency and operator’s safety

• PC-card for transfer of data and for service engineers to store preferred drill settings

• Large and ergonomic cabin with noise level below 80dB(A)• BUT 35 heavy-duty booms for direct, fast and accurate

positioning between holes. New powerful feed rotation unit and increased coverage. Improved linkage in main boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints

• Modular design of electronic and mechanical components• Sturdy carrier with all-wheel drive for easy manoeuvring.

Powered by a turbo-charged, water-cooled 6-cylinder, low emission diesel engine for high mobility. Four jacks for stable set up.

• Basic rig includes FOPS-approved cabin, adjustable operator’s seat with armrest controls, hydraulic driven compressor and water booster pump, cable reel, and work lights

17170 (BMH 6820)

3660

1100

1000

0

1410013200

9797

Drillrigs2.indd 11 2004-02-23, 18:23:14

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer L3 C

L3 C

L3 C

1100

3660

17070 (BMH 6820)

• Rig Control System (RCS) with interactive operator control panel with full-colour display of the computer-based drilling system. Auto-collaring and anti-jamming protection

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• Integrated diagnostic system can immediately identify faulty electronic components

• Advanced Boom Control ABC – assists the operator to achieve accurate drill hole location and improve the quality of the drilling by optimising the drilling pattern and reducing costly overbreak

• PC-card for transfer of data and for service engineers to store preferred drill settings

• Large and ergonomic cabin with noise level below 80dB(A)

• BUT 35 heavy-duty booms for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes. New powerful feed rotation unit and increased coverage. Improved linkage in main boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints

• Modular design of electronic and mechanical components

• Sturdy carrier with all-wheel drive for easy manoeuvring. Powered by a turbo-charged, water-cooled 6-cylinder, low emission diesel engine for high mobility. Four jacks for stable set up.

• Basic rig includes FOPS-approved cabin, adjustable operator’s seat with armrest controls, hydraulic driven compressor and water booster pump, cable reel, and work lights

Hydraulic tunnelling rig with fi xed boom

console for high capacity tunnelling.

For cross sections up to 114m²

Rocket Boomer L3 CRock drill 3 x COP 1838MEFeed 3 x BMH 6800-seriesBoom 3 x BUT 35GDrilling system RCSLength 17070 mmWidth 2500 mmHeight with fi xed cabin 3660 mmTurning radius 11800/6800 mmWeight 37000 kg

Main specifi cations

Main optional equipmentTelescopic feed BMHT 6800 (not with ABC)Hydraulic drill steel gripper BSH 110 for extension drilling (only on BMH 6800)Rod Adding System RAS, for 20+10 ft rodsExtended boom reach with 700 mm long fi xed boom segmentAdvanced Boom Control ABC available in three levels: Basic, Regular and TotalMeasure While Drilling MWD – logging drill dataAdditional operator’s control panelLiftable cabin, 1100 mm Hole blowing kit with external airWater mist fl ushingRock drill lubrication warning kitAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomService platformExhaust catalyser with silencerManual lubrication systemANSUL fi re suppression systemHydraulic Swellex pumpElectrical system 1000 v, direct start only

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

Coverage area (incl. 250 mm look-out)

1275013600

9950

9898

Drillrigs2.indd 12 2004-02-23, 18:23:15

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

www.atlascopco.com

16960 (BMH 6820)

36

60

11

00

Rocket Boomer XL3 C

Hydraulic tunnelling rig with high reaching

Eagle console for railway tunnels and

underground caverns.

For cross sections up to 179m²

• Rig Control System (RCS) with interactive operator control panel with full-colour display of the computer-based drilling system. Auto-collaring and anti-jamming protection

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• Integrated diagnostic system can immediately identify faulty electronic components

• Advanced Boom Control ABC – assists the operator to achieve accurate drill hole location and improve the quality of the drilling by optimising the drilling pattern and reducing costly overbreak

• PC-card for transfer of data and for service engineers to store preferred drill settings

• Large and ergonomic cabin with noise level below 80dB(A)

• BUT 35 heavy-duty booms for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes. New powerful feed rotation unit and increased coverage. Improved linkage in main boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints

• Modular design of electronic and mechanical components

• Sturdy carrier with all-wheel drive for easy manoeuvring. Powered by a turbo-charged, water-cooled 6-cylinder, low emission diesel engine for high mobility. Four jacks for stable set up.

• Basic rig includes FOPS-approved cabin, adjustable operator’s seat with armrest controls, hydraulic driven compressor and water booster pump, cable reel, and work lights

Rocket Boomer XL3 CRock drill 3 x COP 1838MEFeed 3 x BMH 6800-seriesBoom 3 x BUT 35GDrilling system RCSLength 16960 mmWidth 2700 mmHeight with fi xed cabin 3660 mmTurning radius 11800/6700 mmWeight 42000 kg

Main specifi cations

Main optional equipmentTelescopic feed BMHT 6800 (not with ABC)Hydraulic drill steel gripper BSH 110 for extension drilling (only on BMH 6800)Rod Adding System RAS, for 20+10 ft rodsExtended boom reach with 700 mm long fi xed boom segmentAdvanced Boom Control ABC available in three levels: Basic, Regular and TotalMeasure While Drilling MWD – logging drill dataAdditional operator’s control panelLiftable cabin, 1100 mm Hole blowing kit with external airWater mist fl ushingRock drill lubrication warning kitAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomService platformExhaust catalyser with silencerManual lubrication systemANSUL fi re suppression systemHydraulic Swellex pumpElectrical system 1000 v, direct start only

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

Coverage area (incl. 250 mm look-out)

1440016100

1305

0

9999

Drillrigs2.indd 13 2004-02-23, 18:23:15

DRILLRIG SPECIFICATIONDRILLRIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

www.atlascopco.com

11

00

36

60

17220 (BMH 6820)

Rocket Boomer WL3 C

Hydraulic tunnelling rig with extra wide

reaching boom console for highway tunnels

and underground caverns.

For cross sections up to 163m²

• Rig Control System (RCS) with interactive operator control panel with full-colour display of the computer-based drilling system. Auto-collaring and anti-jamming protection

• COP 1838 rock drill with modern double refl ex dampening for high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy

• Integrated diagnostic system can immediately identify faulty electronic components

• Advanced Boom Control ABC – assists the operator to achieve accurate drill hole location and improve the quality of the drilling by optimising the drilling pattern and reducing costly overbreak

• PC-card for transfer of data and for service engineers to store preferred drill settings

• Large and ergonomic cabin with noise level below 80dB(A)

• BUT 35 heavy-duty booms for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes. New powerful feed rotation unit and increased coverage. Improved linkage in main boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints

• Modular design of electronic and mechanical components

• Sturdy carrier with all-wheel drive for easy manoeuvring. Powered by a turbo-charged, water-cooled 6-cylinder, low emission diesel engine for high mobility. Four jacks for stable set up.

• Basic rig includes FOPS-approved cabin, adjustable operator’s seat with armrest controls, hydraulic driven compressor and water booster pump, cable reel, and work lights

Rocket Boomer WL3 CRock drill 3 x COP 1838MEFeed 3 x BMH 6800-seriesBoom 3 x BUT 35GDrilling system RCSLength 17220 mmWidth 3010 mmHeight with fi xed cabin 3660 mmTurning radius 11800/6600 mmWeight 43000 kg

Main specifi cations

Main optional equipmentTelescopic feed BMHT 6800 (not with ABC)Hydraulic drill steel gripper BSH 110 for extension drilling (only on BMH 6800)Rod Adding System RAS, for 20+10 ft rodsExtended boom reach with 700 mm long fi xed boom segmentAdvanced Boom Control ABC available in three levels: Basic, Regular and TotalMeasure While Drilling MWD – logging drill dataAdditional operator’s control panelLiftable cabin, 1100 mm Hole blowing kit with external airWater mist fl ushingRock drill lubrication warning kitAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomService platformExhaust catalyser with silencerManual lubrication systemANSUL fi re suppression systemHydraulic Swellex pumpElectrical system 1000 v, direct start only

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

Coverage area (incl. 250 mm look-out)

1760018250

1065

0

100100

Drillrigs2.indd 14 2004-02-23, 18:23:16

FACE DRILLING I

Atlas Copco launchesthe super-fast 30 kW hydraulic rock drill

The

face

of I

nnov

atio

n

COP 3038

I

FD3/pi-iv 29/3/04 7:47 am Page i

IIIII FACE DRILLING

COP 3038 - a true high

Atlas Copco launches the super-fast 30 kW hydraulic rock drill COP 3038

for tunnelling and drifting applications, which represents a major step

in new product development. After more than 700,000 metres of test

drilling in various geological conditions, the COP 3038 design has pro-

ved to drill amazingly 50% faster than its predecessor COP 1838 ME.

You can both see and virtually hear the difference.

Same percussive energy twice as fast

The energy per percussive blow is the same as forCOP 1838 ME, but the blow frequency is almost doubled, from about 50 to 100 Hz. A new spool valve systemand redesigned hydraulic fl ow channels together with theimpact piston design enable the fast piston move-ments. On top of that, a patented invention provides anextra rapid turn of the piston in its rear position.“It could be described as a bouncing chamber” com-ments Andreas Nordbrant, Product Portfolio Manager atAtlas Copco Rocktec Division in Örebro, Sweden. Thefront end of the rock drill has been redesigned, using4 seals of same type, to cope with water pressureof 20 to 40 bar required to effi ciently fl ush out the drillcuttings. Also water intrusion, especially when drillingup-holes, is better prevented. Compared to COP 1838 ME,the COP 3038 is 5 kg lighter and 15 mm shorter.

Service friendly

Hydraulic oil from the dampener drainage gives automaticgearbox lubrication, which means that no grease nipples are needed. Altogether there are 10 % fewer parts comparedto COP 1838 ME, and most hoses have been connected at the rear end. The overhaul can be made having therock drill horizontally placed. Thanks to these features the total time for overhaul is reduced by 25% compared to COP 1838 ME.

II

FD3/pi-iv 29/3/04 7:47 am Page ii

FACE DRILLING III

frequency performer

Power and intelligence

The COP 3038 is intended for the new generation Rocket Boomer L2C and Rocket Boomer L3C rigs, which arealready regarded as the most powerful and intelligenttunnelling rigs on the market today. Rigs furnished withCOP 3038 will be featuring a new power pack and a newcontrol system software to fully utilize the power of therock drill. Equipped with COP 3038, the Rocket BoomerL2C and Rocket Boomer L3C rigs will become evenmore powerful, consequently making these rigs the number one choice on the market.

Applications

The COP 3038 rock drill is suitable for face drilling appli-cations, especially where major benefi ts can be derived from extraordinary high penetration rates such as intunnelling, drifting and room and pillar mining. COP 3038is intended for 43 to 64 mm diameter holes using a T38shank adapter. For best service life and optimumdrilling performance, usage of the patented SecorocMagnum SR 35 system is recommended. COP 3038 can also be used for rock reinforcement drilling at reduced power in combination with a R32 shank adapter and a down-sized drill string.

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

IIIII

FD3/pi-iv 29/3/04 7:47 am Page iii

IV FACE DRILLING

COP 3038 Top hammer rock drill for hole diameter range 43 - 64 mmThe COP 3038 rock drill is suitable for face drilling appli-cations, especially where major benefi ts can be derived from extraordinary high penetration rates such as in tun-nelling, drifting and room and pillar mining. COP 3038is intended for 43 to 64 mm diameter holes using a T38 shank adapter. For best service life and optimum drilling

performance, usage of the patented Secoroc MagnumSR 35 system is recommended. COP 3038 can also be used for rock reinforcement drilling at reduced power in combination with a R32 shank adapter and a down-sizeddrill string.

Technical data

COP 3038

Weight, incl. adapter 165 kg Length, excl. adapter 990 mmImpact power, max 30 kW Impact rate 102 Hz Hydraulic pressure, max 200 barRotation speedrange, max 0-380 rpm Flushing water 20-40 bar Lubrication air, max 6 bar Shank adapter T38

A new range of super-fast Rocket Boomer face drilling rigs

The new Rocket Boomer designation system, Rocket Boomer L32, L = large, 3 = 30kW, 2 = rig with two booms.

Rocket Boomer L32 Rocket Boomer L33

Rocket Boomer XL33 Rocket Boomer WL33

IV

FD3/pi-iv 29/3/04 7:47 am Page iv

ROCK DRILL SPECIFICATIONROCK DRILL SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

COP 1532 Top hammer rock drill for hole diameter range 35* – 64 mm

Hydraulic rock drills

A powerful rock drill with very high capacity and less stress in the drill steel. COP 1532 is the shortest rock drill in its class for the best utilisation of the feed length. Impact power and frequency can be controlled and adjusted independently of each other. A modern hydraulic refl ex dampener gives the rock drill the best protection from refl ected shock waves.

“Back hammering” function makes it possible to use the impact mechanism as an aid to take out a stuck drill steel.*One rod drilling

Technical data

COP 1532Weight 172 kg Length 850 mm Impact power, max 15 kWImpact rate 65 HzHydraulic pressure, max 230 barRotation speed range, max 0-380 rpmRotation pressure, max 210 barRotation motor size (OMSU80) -02Drill steel torque, max 520 NmFlushing air pressure 10 barLubricating air consump. at 2 bar 5 l/sShank adapter, male R28, R32, T38Shank adapter, female R32, R38

COP 1838ME/MEX Top hammer rock drill for hole diameter range 64 – 89 mmCOP 1838ME is specially suitable for small to medium hole sizes. Adjustable stroke length makes it possible to adjust impact rate and energy to actual rock conditions and hole size. Powerful, stepless variable and reversible rotation motor gives high torque and excellent speed control. The effi cient refl ex damping system of the COP 1800 series is called “dual damping” due to its high

effi ciency and double acting function. As the feed and the boom are not subjected to unnecessary strain, the entire drill string will give longer service life. The automatic tightening system of the drill string results in straighter holes and optimum penetration.COP 1838MEX has built-in hydraulic extractor.

Technical data

COP COP 1838ME 1838MEXWeight 170 kg 229 kgLength 1008 mm 1206 mmImpact power, max 18 kW 18 kWImpact rate 60 Hz 60 HzHydraulic pressure, max 230 bar 230 barRotation speed range, max 0-210 rpm 0-210 rpmRotation pressure, max 210 bar 210 barRotation motor size (OMS 160) -07 -07Drill steel torque, max 1000 Nm 1000 NmFlushing air pressure 10 bar 10 barLubricating air consump. at 2 bar 6 l/ 6 l/sShank adapter R38, T38, T45

COP 1838HF Top hammer rock drill for hole diameter range 43 – 76 mmCOP 1838HF is an alternative to the COP 1838ME for thesmall to medium hole sizes. It has a signifi cantly higherdrill speed than the ME version but gives the same outstanding drill steel economy. The COP 1838HF doesn’t hit harder - it hits 20% faster. Powerful, stepless variable and reversible rotation motor gives high torque and excellent speed control.

Technical data

COP 1838HF Weight 170 kgLength 1008 mmImpact power, max 22 kWImpact rate 73 HzHydraulic pressure, max 250 barRotation speed, max 0-270/0-210 rpmRotation pressure, max 210 barRotation motor size (OMS 125/OMS160) -06/-07Drill steel torque, max 820/1000 NmFlushing air pressure 10 barLubricating air consump. at 2 bar 6 l/sShank adapter R32, R38, T38, T45

The effi cient refl ex damping system of the COP 1800 series is called “dual damping” due to its higheffi ciency and double acting function. As the feed and the boom are not subjected to unnecessary strain, the entire drill string will give longer service life. The automatic tightening system of the drill string results in straighter holes and optimum penetration.

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Rock drills.indd 1 2004-02-23, 19:07:17

ROCK DRILL SPECIFICATIONROCK DRILL SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

COP 1238ME/LP Top hammer rock drill for hole diameter range 35* ñ 89 mmThe COP 1238-series of rock drills have an excellent reputation for high productivity, dependability in operation, and good economy in bench drilling. Powerful, stepless variable and reversible rotationmotor gives high torque and enables great possibilities with rotation speed. Additional benefi ts

include the ability to shock waves. “Back hammering” function makes it possible to use the impact mechanism as an aid to take out a stuck drill steel.*One rod drilling

Technical data

Overhaul Kit COP 1238MEComplete kit for overhaul and service of the rock drill

Main features• This kit contains all parts needed for service and overhaul of your rock drill COP 1238ME as per factory recommendation.• With this kit you will bring your rock drill back to factory specifi cation, and optimize your production in an economical way.• The parts are contained in a solid wood box, for shipping and handling at the job site.• One part number for easier order handling and logistics.• The kit also includes the overhauling instructions and spare parts list which you need for overhauling COP 1238ME.• Competitive priced compared to buying individual items.

Rebuild kit

For COP 1238 ME-T38 Part number 3115 1436 90

Part number Specifi cation

3115 0288 90 Including above kit 3115 1436 90

and below item

3115 0288 00 Piston 1

3115 0288 91 Including above kit 3115 0288 90

and below items

3115 1823 00 Valve piston 13115 2078 00 Flushing head 1

Rebuild kit

For COP 1238 ME-T45 Part numer 3115 1435 90

Part number Specifi cation

3115 0288 92 Including above kit 3115 1435 90

and below item

3115 0288 00 Piston 1

3115 0288 93 Including above kit 3115 0288 92

and below items

3115 1823 00 Valve piston 13115 2079 00 Flushing head 1

Seal Kit COP 1238 Part number 3115 9150 95

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COP 1238ME COP 1238LP

Weight 151 kg 150 kgLength 1002 mm 1002 mmImpact power, max 12 kW 12 kWImpact rate 40-60 Hz 50-75 HzHydraulic pressure, max 230 bar 190 barRotation speed range, max 0-330 rpm 0-330 rpmRotation pressure, max 210 bar 210 barRotation motor size (OMS 100) -05 -05 Drill steel torque, max 650 Nm 650 NmFlushing air pressure 10 bar 10 barLubricating air consump. at 2 bar 5 l/s 5 l/sShank adapter R32, T38, T45

102102

Rock drills.indd 2 2004-02-23, 19:07:20

DRILL RIG OPTIONSDRILL RIG OPTIONS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Advanced Boom Control - BasicOperator controlled, computer supported drill feedguidance tool for precise drill hole alignment

103103

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

ABC Basic with lowest level of automation, manual positioning, angle indication of feed, hole length indication and basic logging.

Correctly placed drill holes lead to a longer advance, an acc-urate excavated tunnel profi le and minimum damage to the surrounding rock. The result is signifi cant savings inthe costs of blasting, mucking, reinforcement and, if speci-fi ed in the contract, fi lling the overbreak with concrete. In the drill-blast method of tunnelling and mining, drilling is the fi rst activity in a series of work procedures. The method is characterized by its cyclic repetition of the different ac-tivities. Each step brings the tunnel face one step forward into the rock.Any error introduced during drilling is diffi cult to rectify in the ensuing work procedures. Common sources of human error in positioning and aligning the drill holes are:• Inaccurate marking of the tunnel cross-section on the face• Inaccurate marking of the contour holes• Incorrect collaring• Inaccurate alignment of the feed

Advanced Boom Control, ABC is an optional tool forNew Generation RCS (Rig Control System) Boomer rigs equipped with BUT 32 or BUT 35 booms. It enables the holes in a round to be accurately located and drilled.ABC is available in three levels of automation - Basic,Regular and Total.

ABC Basic has the lowest level of automation and is usefulin reducing the errors due to a wrongly aligned feed. It isan operator controlled, RCS supported system for use where computerized guidance is only required for aligningthe drill feed correctly.

Main Features• Provides three different ways to defi ne a reference direction for drilling.• Simple and easy-to-use system in which the selected boom and feed is moved by the operator to the position of the drill hole. The operator then aligns the drill feed in the direction of the drill hole under the guidance of ABC Basic and initiates drilling.• Can be optionally upgraded to the next higher level of automation, ABC Regular.

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Hardware componentsRCS Boomer rigs with BUT 32 or BUT 35 booms canbe equipped with the optional ABC Basic tool. Theadditional hardware includes three sensors and oneresolver module for each boom. The sensors monitor the alignment of the boom and feed. The resolver mo- dule integrates the signals from the sensors into the rig RCS system and the alignment is displayed on the operator's control panel.

Sensor locations1. Boom swing 2. Feed swing 3. Feed inclination

ABC-blad.indd 1 2004-03-19, 14:21:07

DRILL RIG OPTIONSDRILL RIG OPTIONS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Advanced Boom Control - RegularOperator controlled, computer supported drill feed positioningand guidance tool for precise drill hole location and alignment

Correctly placed drill holes lead to a longer advance, an acc-urate excavated tunnel profi le and minimum damage to the surrounding rock. The result is signifi cant savings inthe costs of blasting, mucking, reinforcement and, if speci-fi ed in the contract, fi lling the overbreak with concrete. In the drill-blast method of tunnelling and mining, drilling is the fi rst activity in a series of work procedures. The method is characterized by its cyclic repetition of the different ac-tivities. Each step brings the tunnel face one step forward into the rock.Any error introduced during drilling is diffi cult to rectify in the ensuing work procedures. Common sources of human error in positioning and aligning the drill holes are:• Inaccurate marking of the tunnel cross-section on the face• Inaccurate marking of the contour holes• Incorrect collaring• Inaccurate alignment of the feed

Advanced Boom Control, ABC is an optional tool forNew Generation RCS (Rig Control System) Boomer rigs equipped with BUT 32 or BUT 35 booms. It enables the holes in a round to be accurately located and drilled.ABC is available in three levels of automation - Basic,Regular and Total.

ABC Regular provides a medium level of automation suit-able for all applications where the operator, guided by the system, can accurately position, align, collar and drill holes to the required depth. It is also possible to record drill hole data, while drilling, for subsequent analysis on the offi ce PC.

Main features• Drill patterns and other relevant tunnel data can easily be created on the site offi ce PC with a Windows-based software application developed by Atlas Copco. This application software, Tunnel Manager Lite, is delivered with all rigs equipped with ABC Regular.• Data transfer between the offi ce PC and the Boomer rig is by means of a PC card.• The operator is guided by the drill pattern information displayed on the control panel screen to accurately po- sition and align the drill feeds.• Two alternative possibilities are available for choosing the starting point of the drill hole: - from a theoretical reference plane - from the actual point of contact with the rock• A common hole depth function can be activated that enables all holes to end in the same plane irrespective of the starting point.• Direct touch-keys are located on the control panel for quick access to important functions.• A built-in program is provided to compensate for mech- anical defl ection of the booms.• Logging of drill hole data for subsequent analysis of the drill round.

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Hardware componentsRCS Boomer rigs with BUT 32 or BUT 35 booms canbe equipped with the optional ABC Regular tool. Theadditional hardware includes nine sensors and two resolver modules for each boom. The sensors moni-tor the alignment of the boom and feed. The resolver module integrates the signals from the sensors into the rig RCS system and the position and alignment is displayed on the operator's control panel.

Sensor locations1. Boom swing angle2. Boom lift3. Boom telescope4. Feed swing5. Feed lift6. Feed rotation

7. Feed look-out8. Feed extension9. Hole depthAlso included are two sensorsfor rig inclination.

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ABC Regular with medium level of automation, computer guidedpositioning, feedback on operators display, navigation to tunnel laser and logging of drilling on PC card.

ABC-blad.indd 2 2004-03-19, 14:21:09

DRILL RIG OPTIONSDRILL RIG OPTIONS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Advanced Boom Control - TotalComputer controlled, operator supervised boom andfeed positioning for high quality drilling

Correctly placed drill holes lead to a longer advance, an acc-urate excavated tunnel profi le and minimum damage to the surrounding rock. The result is signifi cant savings inthe costs of blasting, mucking, reinforcement and, if speci-fi ed in the contract, fi lling the overbreak with concrete. In the drill-blast method of tunnelling and mining, drilling is the fi rst activity in a series of work procedures. The method is characterized by its cyclic repetition of the different ac-tivities. Each step brings the tunnel face one step forward into the rock.Any error introduced during drilling is diffi cult to rectify in the ensuing work procedures. Common sources of human error in positioning and aligning the drill holes are:• Inaccurate marking of the tunnel cross-section on the face• Inaccurate marking of the contour holes• Incorrect collaring• Inaccurate alignment of the feed

Advanced Boom Control, ABC is an optional tool forNew Generation RCS (Rig Control System) Boomer rigs equipped with BUT 32 or BUT 35 booms. It enables the holes in a round to be accurately located and drilled.ABC is available in three levels of automation - Basic,Regular and Total.

ABC Total provides the highest level of automation, ena-bling a complete round to be drilled automatically underthe supervision of, but with least interference by, the ope-rator. It is suitable for all applications requiring accuratelocation of the drill holes in order to give a desired tunnelprofi le with minimum overbreak and minimum damage to the surrounding rock. This, together with longer advance,can give a substantial increase of profi t. With ABC Total,positioning and alignment are carried out by the computerson the rig and the round is drilled accurately accordingto a predetermined drill plan.

Main Features• Fully automatic positioning, collaring and drilling of a complete round according to the drill plan and drill sequ- ence designed on the offi ce PC using Atlas Copco’s Tunnel Manager Lite software.• High degree of repeatability ensuring accurate positioning and drilling of holes round after round.• Four levels of drilling modes to suite a variety of drilling needs.• In automatic mode, an integrated boom collision detect function supervises and avoides collision between the booms.• Integrated function that automatically compensates for mechanical defl ection of the booms and feeds.

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Hardware componentsRCS Boomer rigs with BUT 32 or BUT 35 booms canbe equipped with the optional ABC Total tool. The additional hardware includes nine sensors and two resolver modules for each boom. The sensors monitor the alignment of the boom and feed. The resolver module integrates the signals from the sensors into the rig RCS system and the alignment is displayed on the operator's colour screen.

7. Feed lockout8. Feed extension9. Hole depthAlso included are two sensors for indication of rig position (X and Y).

Sensor locations1. Boom swing2. Boom lift3. Boom telescope4. Feed swing5. Feed lift 6. Feed rotation

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

105105

ABC Total with high level of automation, automatic round drillingor semi-automatic drilling or manual drilling, hole to hole movestrategy, boom collision control and hole sequence programming.

ABC-blad.indd 3 2004-03-19, 14:21:10

DRILL RIG OPTIONSDRILL RIG OPTIONS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING106106

Tunnel Manager Lite - TMLSupport software for planning, administration and evaluationof the drilling operation in mining and tunnelling projects

Tunnel Manager Lite, TML, is a Windows-based support program that runs on a regular stand-alone offi ce PC. It is primarily used for the creation, organization and ad-ministration of drilling and tunnel data for New GenerationBoomer rigs equipped with the new optional function.

Main Features• Different sets of data related to a specifi c mine or civil construction project are stored in a hierarchical structure with easily identifi able headings. This allows easy and quick retrieval of data.• Well-designed, easy-to-use functions create relevant tun- nel information, such as tunnel profi les, drill patterns, tunnel alignment, etc. Data is easy to create and transferbetween the offi ce PC and Boomer rig.

DescriptionTML is a specially designed support program that enablesthe creation, storage and analysis of vital drilling data forbetter drifting and tunnelling operations. It is availablefor use with New Generation Boomer rigs equipped with

the optional ABC Regular, ABC Total, MWD or Boltviewfunctions. Before starting a tunnel construction project,the project owner produces a set of drawings and standardinformation on the project. TML uses this information to prepare detailed construction plans, such as tunnel profi les, drill patterns, tunnel alignment tables and charts defi ningthe position and alignment of the laser beam. The plans are prepared on a stand-alone offi ce PC and transferred to the drill rig on a PC card. Actual data collected duringdrilling can be recorded on a PC card at the rig, transferredback to the offi ce PC and analysed using TML.

TML consists of a set of integrated functions for:• Designing the tunnel alignment• Designing the laser line• Designing the tunnel profi le and corresponding drill pattern• Evaluating the results of drilling from data logged during drilling• Generating hard copy reports

ABC-blad.indd 4 2004-03-19, 14:21:10

DRILL RIG OPTIONSDRILL RIG OPTIONS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING 107107

One of the most diffi cult yet extremely important steps indrifting and tunnelling is to predict the geological and geo-mechanical properties ahead of the tunnel face, particularlyin stretches where rock formations are expected to varyconsiderably. Early prediction of these properties can savemuch valuable time and money and improve safety by allo-wing appropriate measures to be taken before reaching diffi cult and dangerous formations. Measure While Drilling, MWD, is a method for collecting appropriate drilling dataand presenting it systematically on the offi ce PC for evalu-ation and prediction by experienced onsite staff. In tunnel-ling and drifting applications, MWD is intended for use onBoomer rigs equipped with the Rig Control System (RCS).

Main FeaturesThe MWD method has been developed to be an integralpart of the normal drill and blast activities. It does not req-uire any expensive specialised rigs or elaborate set-ups.A standard Boomer equipped with RCS can be upgradedfor MWD application. Since the procedure of collecting MWD data can be combined with other normal drilling acti-vities, such as drilling of probe holes, pre-grout holes, or even normal blast holes, this method can be easily inte-grated into normal tunnelling activities. MWD can be usedfor immediate evaluation in the Tunnel Manager software.As soon as the recorded data is transferred to a stand-alone PC, the results can be plotted and evaluated.

DescriptionMWD is an optional function designed for use on NewGeneration Boomer rigs with RCS. A minimum require-ment is that the Boomer rig should be equipped with the appropriate ABC (Advanced Boom Control) option - ABC Regular or ABC Total. If collection of data is planned over a length longer than a single-pass hole, then the feeds should be equipped for extension drilling. One or all of the booms on the rig can be equipped for MWD data coll-ection. Eight drilling parameters are recorded at pre-determined intervals. The shortest interval is 2 cm. All mainparameters infl uencing the drilling process are recorded.These parameters also contain information that collecti-vely can be used to predict the rock formation.

The parameters are:• Feed pressure• Dampener pressure• Penetration rate• Impact pressure• Rotation pressure• Rotation speed• Water pressure• Water fl owThe parameters are recorded on the rig on a PC card, whichis then taken to the offi ce PC for downloading and eva-luation of the results.

Measure While Drilling - MWDOptional function for evaluation of geological and geomechanical variations ahead of the tunnel face from data recorded during drilling

ABC-blad.indd 5 2004-03-19, 14:21:11

DRILL RIG OPTIONSDRILL RIG OPTIONS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING108108

Rig Remote AccessOn-line monitoring of drill rigs

Mine office computer

Mine office computer

W W WExternal computer

External computer

At the worksite: Computerized rigswith RCS system and the RRA option

Worksite's local proxy server

Loca

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a ne

twor

k

Rig Remote Access affords supervision or control of a drill rig

One of the new Atlas Copco functions made available by RCS is the Rig Remote Access (RRA) option. Since RCS is based on PC technology and the mining and construction industry is using computers in data networks more than ever before, the new Atlas Copco drill rigs are easily con-nected to the customer’s site computer network, just as toany other PC. This enables functionality such as work orderhandling, log data transfer, and remote trouble-shooting.

Using RRA, drill plans can be uploaded to the drill rig, or log fi les downloaded to the controller’s PC, via phone mo-dem or local network connection. Drill rig status can be observed on-line using a standard web browser on a re-mote PC. This eliminates the need for manual handling andtransport of memory cards to transfer drill plans and log-ging information to and from the drill rig.

On worksites with multiple machines running with some level of automation, a central monitoring and control room is commonly used. In this kind of set-up, the RCS system can easily be interfaced, with status and log information from the rig being transferred on-line via the work site’sdata network. The installation is no different than installinga standard PC to the same data network.

Rig Remote Access includes a web server on the rig that allows simple access to the rig using a standard web bro-wser such as the Microsoft Explorer from any PC in the work site network. RRA also includes functions for fi le transfer using the standard fi le transfer protocol (FTP).

AdvantagesMachine monitoring is included in the worksite data network. There is no requirement for a machine specifi c data communication system or network. The rig is connected directly to the worksite data network. Cost and support is reduced. The local on-site IT technicians can carry out rig communication and network support.

Furthermore, reduced costs are possible through:Rationalisation possibilities for even smaller construction sites and mines. Cost effective integration into existing network system due to standard communication proto-cols (TCP/IP, IREDES). Effi cient planning of production andrig maintenance due to automated information exchange between the central offi ce and the rig. Increased availabilitythrough on-line expert troubleshooting assistance from Atlas Copco, if work site data network has Internet connectivity.

ABC-blad.indd 6 2004-03-19, 14:21:12

DRILL RIG OPTIONSDRILL RIG OPTIONS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING 109109

Safe Bolting System

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A boom conversion kit has been developed that allows the operator to place a rockbolt into the feed or change drill bit from the safety of the operator’s platform. This eliminates the need for the operator to work under unse-cured rock, which may be the case when the face drilling jumbo is used for both bolt hole drilling and installation of rockbolts.

The problem is solved with a new boom system, based on the well proven BUT 32/35 booms, which lets the ope-rator put the bolt in the feed and install it while standing on the platform.

This is accomplished by changing the rotation unit and the feed holder, and fi tting a longer feed tilt cylinder. When the new components are installed, the feed can rotate a full 180º from the face, back towards facing the operator’s platform.

A dead-man’s handle ensures the operator does not infl ictany damage onto him/her self or to the machine. A small platform is mounted on the side of the rig where the ope-rator can stand to install the bolt, or change a drill bit.

The operator can perform the bolt hole drilling and boltinstallation without leaving the drill rig.

After the drill steel is removed and the bolt installation tool is attached to the rockdrill, the bolt is placed into the feed.

From the platform the operator can easily put a washer on the rockbolt or change a drill bit.

The Safe Bolting System includes:• Boom part components for left- or right-hand side boom• Hydraulic and electric components incl. dead-man’s handle• Platform set for left- or right-hand side mounting

ABC-blad.indd 7 2004-03-19, 14:21:13

DRILL RIG OPTIONSDRILL RIG OPTIONS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Ergonomically designed workspacewith advanced technology

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from a comfortable position. The ergonomically designedoperator’s seat is vertically and laterally adjustable and slewable for easy entry. The control levers are located inthe collapsible armrests. Full colour display contains all the information needed to operate or supervise the drill rig.Rigs with smaller cabins feature an adjustable operator’s seat and ergonomically designed drilling control panel with large colour display. An optional extra control panel for a standing operator adds to the cabin’s fl exibility.Good insulation affords a noise level below 80 dB, andrubber damping of the cab mounting reduces vibration and gives greater comfort during tramming. Cabin com-plies with European and International safety demands for Falling Object Protective Structure FOPS.

Features in summary• Ergonomically designed drilling control panel with large colour display.• Option of two control panels for 1- and 2-boom rigs.• Option of two control panels for 3-boom rigs with two sitting or two standing, or one sitting and one standing opreator. Sitting operator with armrest controls.• Spacious and comfortable working environment inside the FOPS-approved cabin. • Improved working and tramming lights.• Excellent visibility for both drilling and tramming.• Noise level below 80 dB(A).• Hydraulically driven air conditioning unit continues to operate during tramming.

The interplay between man and machine starts in the operator’s cabin, and Atlas Copco has expended great effort in designing a cabin with operator comfort in mind.Even the smallest details have been considered to producea modern workstation. The cabin offers excellent visibilityfor both drilling and tramming. The laminated windscreenis equipped with a large wiper, as is the rear window. Effective air ventilation clears condensation mist from allof these windows. The cabin is designed so that the ope-rator can monitor and control the entire drilling process

Right armrest keypad with control levers for boom and drilling, buttons for boom console, service platform, cabin and selection of different ABC Total functions.

Left armrest keypad with boom/feed control lever and buttons for boom selection, start and stop, and selection of ABC Basic or Regular functions.

Adjustable operator control panel with high resolution colour display.

Increased visibility during drilling due to the 1.1 metre cabin lift and wider frontwindow with no visible frames.

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ABC-blad.indd 8 2004-03-19, 14:21:15

DRILL RIG OPTIONSDRILL RIG OPTIONS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

FAM angle indicator for DCS rigsA easy-to-use instrument for increased drilling accuracy

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linked together so that only one boom has to be aligned on the laser beam.The system is also available with hole depth measurement (option), which instantaneously shows the hole depth reached when drilling.FAM is menu-driven with icons which makes it universal to all languages. A built-in fault indication and fault fi nding system helps to detect and locate electronic faults.FAM is used on rigs with direct controlled drilling system and with Atlas Copco BUT 28, BUT 32 and BUT 35 booms.

FAM is available in two versions:I. Shows feed direction and specifi ed drill hole length.II. Shows feed direction, specifi ed drill hole length, hole depth reached and total drillmeter.

Instrumentation (for each boom):• One high resolution colour display with integrated control keys• Two resolver sensors to measure the horizontal angle of each boom tripod• One gravitational sensor to measure the dip of the feed• One drill hole depth sensor (if option FAM II is chosen)• One resolver module for calculations and communication• High tensile strength communication cabling to link together all components• One service tool box for service and maintenance.

Easy to use instrument to:• Increase drilling accuracy• Limit overbreak while keeping tunnel profi le• Keep drill holes parallel• Keep the rounds in the right direction

The main menu is shown when the system is started. From here, the working menu is accessed or the other alternatives: Sensor angle menu, Drilling menu, Display brightness menu. Fault fi nding menu or Password menu.

The working menu showsfeed direction and specifi ed drill hole length. If the system has hole depth measurement (option), hole depth reached and total drill-metre is also shown here.

The sensor menu shows the measured angles, boom swing, feed swing and feed inclination.

The fault-fi nding menu may show the status of either the sensors and resolver module or the display.Status may be either OK or NOT OK (crossed-out OK).

FAM (Feed Angle Measurement) is a system for measuringand indicating the direction of the feed. The system calcu-lates the deviation from a reference direction that the alig-nment of the feed would give in full-depth drilled holes. The deviation is presented in centimetre and a feed angle. A reference direction and the full-hole depth (not the drill steel length) must be specifi ed in order for the -system to present correct values.The feed direction is shown graphically in the form of anarchery target with the bull’s-eye as the reference direction. If the feed direction differs from the reference direction, a line is shown which describes the resulting departure from the reference direction at the bottom of the hole (full-depth hole).Deviation can be measured with reference to the drill rig, or with reference to a laser (or other tunnel reference line). If more than one FAM is installed on a rig, they are

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ABC-blad.indd 9 2004-03-19, 14:21:17

HYDRAULIC BOOMSHYDRAULIC BOOMS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

BUT 35G

BUT 32

BUT 28

BUT 4B

Boom typeWeight, boom only, kgFeed extension, mmTelescopic boom extension, mmFeed roll-over, degreesCoverage area, m2

Max. weight of feed and rockdrill to be mounted, kg

BUT 4B*1100150090036023

600

Hydraulic booms for tunnelling and mine drilling applicationsThe BUT series of hydraulic booms offer the excellent stability and accuracy of movement that are needed for precision drilling. This also gives fast positioning, low drill steel costs and straight holes. They also offer the fl exibility needed to serve for different kinds of drilling tasks.In addition, BUT booms incorporate features specially developed to improve ease and speed in manoeuvring, to enable complete rounds to be drilled faster. One such feature is the joystick control for lift and swing movements, which positions the boom smoothly and swiftly at a stepless, adjustable speed.

Main features• With the direct positioning system, the boom can be moved straight to the next collaring location.• Double tripod suspension gives accurate parallel holding in all directions.• 360 degrees feed roll-over gives full coverage of the tunnel face without any blind spots and with no change in parallelity.• Feed tilt cylinder rotates the feed into vertical position with the rock drill facing the operator. This gives fast and simple roof drilling and good supervision of the drilling sequence.• Boom extensions makes it possible to drill two rows of roof or cross-cut holes from the same set-up.• Main boom joints have axial bearings bushings, and boom joints for the cylinders are fi tted with adjustable expanding shafts all maintaining the accuracy and operational precision of the boom.

Technical data

BUT 2817501250125036048

700

BUT 3220751800125036041

700

BUT35G28601800160036092**

850

*) BUT 4 is also equipped with feed rotation ±114° and feed dump cylinder 18° up, 60º down.**) Coverage area for BUT 35 with 700 mm fi xed boom segment is 112 m².

BUT 35G is a heavy duty boom with a new powerful rotation unit. Coverage area 92 m² (or 112 m² with fi xed boom segment). It is designed for operation within large-sizedrifts and underground openings.

BUT 32 is a heavy duty boom with a coverage area of 41 m². It is designed for operation within large to medium-size drifts and underground openings.

BUT 28 is a heavy duty boom with a coverage area of 48 m². It is designed for operation within medium-size drifts and underground openings.

BUT 4B is a heavy duty boom with double rotation devices, which makes it possible to position the centre-mounted feed vertically on both sides of the feed. Coverage area of 23 m². It is designed for use in small-area drifts.

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

BUT series

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But booms.indd 2 2004-03-23, 10:08:44

HYDRAULIC DRILL SUPPORTHYDRAULIC DRILL SUPPORT

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Atlas Copco hydraulic drill steel support

BSH 110BThe BSH 110B hydraulic drill steel support is used for extension drilling of longer rounds in combination with BMH 2000 and 600 feeds.The drill steel support is remote controlled and used for manually joining and separating one or more rods. It grips and holds the threaded joint when the drill string is extended or retracted.

Main features

• Fully compatible with Atlas Copco BMH 2000 and 6000 feeds• Remote controlled from operator platform• Multifunction like gripping, guiding and fully opened• Interchangeable bushing halves and bushings for different drill rod dimensions

BSH 110B Kit

Basic kit includes controls, mounting kit, bushing halves and bushing.

Bushing halves Qty Dimensions3128 2021 01 2 H28 D=403128 2021 02 2 R32 D=453128 2021 03 2 H32 D=443128 2021 04 2 H35 D=443128 2021 05 2 T38 D=563128 2021 06 2 T45 D=633128 2021 07 2 H25 D=363128 2021 08 2 R28 D=40

BSH 110B

Drill rods

Bushing Qty Dimensions3128 3025 46 1 D=373128 3025 47 1 D=333128 3025 48 1 D=433128 3025 49 1 D=473128 3025 50 1 D=593128 3025 51 1 D=643128 3025 52 1 D=293128 3025 61 1 D=413128 3025 62 1 D=51

Drilling

Extending

Drill through

BSH 110B

Gripping

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

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HYDRAULIC DRILL SUPPORT HYDRAULIC DRILL SUPPORT

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Rocket Boomer L

2 C

Boomer

SDA-range

BSH 110-SDA

BSH 110-SDA Kit

Atlas Copco hydraulic MAI-bolt support

BSH 110-SDAThe BSH 110-SDA hydraulic MAI-bolt support makes it possible to semi-mechanize the installation of AtlasCopco MAI-bolts with Atlas Copco Boomer rigs.The design with forward reaching gripper arms makes it possible to reduce the protruding part of the installed Atlas Copco MAI-bolt to a minimum.

Main features

• Fully compatible with Atlas Copco BMH 2000 and 6000 feeds• Remote controlled from operator platform• Multifunction like gripping, guiding and fully opened• Interchangeable bushing halves for standard bolt diameters, R32, R38, and R51• Compatible with SDA shank adapters for COP 1238, COP 1440 and COP 1838 rock drills

Basic kit includes control panel, mounting kit and bushing halves.

Bushing halvesFor Anchor rod R25 3128 2021 23For Anchor rod R32 3128 2021 22For Anchor rod R38 3128 2021 21For Anchor rod R51 3128 2021 20

COP Conversion kitFor COP 1238 3128 3124 80For COP 1838 3128 3124 79For COP 1440 3115 3129 90

BSH 110-SDA

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

114114

BSH 110.indd 2 2004-02-23, 19:17:28

ROD ADDING SYSTEMROD ADDING SYSTEM

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Mechanized rod adding systemRAS 6000 is a mechanized rod adding system for extension drilling of extra long holes in drifts and tunnels, using Speedrod® extension rods.The RAS system consists of a control unit, and two mechanical grippers mounted on the feed beam. The drilling cycle starts with one Speedrod in the feed and another in the grippers. When the fi rst Speedrod is drilled into the rock, the next Speedrod is added. Additional extension rods can be added. The two-rod extension drilling almost doubles the hole depth. The RAS system enables the drilling of

• Enables drilling of longer rounds• Low weight and small dimensions• Can be used with Atlas Copco BMH 6000 feeds• Can be used with Speedrod® dimensions R32, T38• Manually controlled drilling

longer rounds, deeper holes for cement injection around the tunnel profi le and long bolt holes in confi ned places. It also allows the rig to be used for exploratory drilling ahead of the face.

1. The fi rst SPEEDROD is drilled into the rock.

2. The grippers lift the second rod into place and drilling continues.

3. When the hole is fi nished, the RAS system uncouples and removes the rod.

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

115115

RAS 6000

RAS 6000.indd 1 2004-02-25, 10:15:50

HYDRAULIC FEED HYDRAULIC FEED

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING116116

Hydraulic feeds BMH-series

BMH 2000

BMH 2000 and 6000

The BMH 2000 series feeds are intended for medium-sized and small drill rigs, while the BMH 6000 series are for medium-sized and heavy drill rigs. Hole depth has been maximized in relation to overall length to enable the longest possible rounds to be drilled in confi ned spaces.

The BMH feeds feature strong aluminium beams with extremely high resistance against bending and torsional stresses. All surfaces exposed to wear are protected by stainless-steel guide sleeves and all sliding parts are easily replaceable.

Intended forrock drill

Feed range Net weight*kg

Drill steel lengthmm

Feeding depthmm

Total lengthmm

COP 1238COP 1238COP 1432COP 1432COP 1838COP 1838

BMH 2325 - BMH 2349BMH 6312 - BMH 6320BMH 2625 - BMH 2649BMH 6612 - BMH 6620BMH 2825 - BMH 2849BMH 6812 - BMH 6821

2500 - 49203700 - 61002500 - 43103700 - 61002500 - 49203700 - 6400

2205 - 46253443 - 58432180 - 46003345 - 57452205 - 46253443 - 6140

4087 - 65075287 - 77773697 - 61174910 - 73104087 - 65075287 - 7977

285 - 365424 - 540265 - 350410 - 525290 - 370430 - 580

Feed force BMH 2000 - 12,5/15,0 kN (at 80/100 bar); BMH 6000 - 20 kN (at 100 bar)* = with hoses, without rock drill and drill steel.

BMHS 2000 BMHE 2000

BMHS 2000 and BMHE 2000

The BMHS and BMHE 2000 series feeds are short units intended for use in very confi ned spaces. With their side-mounted hose drum and short cradle, they can use drill steels 300 mm longer than standard feeds of the same overall length.

On BMHE 2000 the front drill-steel support is mounted in a telescopic arrangement that can be extended by up to 700 mm to enable even longer drill steels - and drill steels of different lengths - to be used as necessary. The maximum possible drill-steel length differential is 700 mm.

COP 1432 2500 - 4310 2181 - 3991 3354 - 5164 260 - 318

Feed force 12,5 kN, 2800 Ibf* = with hoses, without rock drill and drill steel

Intended forrock drill

Feed range Net weight*kg

Drill steel lengthmm

Feeding depthmm

Total lengthmm

BMHS 2625 - BMHS 2643

Intended forrock drill

Feed type Net weight*

kg

Drill steel lengthmin/max

mm

Feeding depthmin/max

mm

Total lengthRetract/extract

mm

BMHE 2628 - 21BMHE 2631 - 24BMHE 2634 - 27BMHE 2637 - 31

COP 1432COP 1432COP 1432COP 1432

2100 - 28002400 - 31902700 - 34003090 - 3700

1746 - 24462046 - 27362346 - 30562736 - 3346

2964 - 36653264 - 39553564 - 42653954 - 4565

300320335350

Feed force 12.5 kN, 2800 lbf* = with hoses, without rock drill and drill steel.

BMH.indd 2 2004-02-25, 11:05:39

HYDRAULIC FEEDHYDRAULIC FEED

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Hydraulic telescopic feeds BMHT-series

BMHT 2000

BMHT 2000 and 6000

The BMHT 2000 and 6000 series telescopic feeds are ideal for use in confi ned spaces where they facilitate multi-tasking, e.g. drifting, roof-hole and cross-cut drilling, always permitting longest possiblerounds to be drilled. The front drill-steel support is

mounted on a telescopic feed beam that can be extended (depending on feed size) by up to 1.2, 1.5 or 1.8 m for BMHT 2000 and 1.8 or 2.4 m for BMHT 6000, to enable two drill steel lengths - and drill steels of different lengths - to be used.

Intended forrock drill

Feed type Net weight*

kg

Drill steel lengthmin/max

mm

Feeding depthmin/max

mm

Total lengthRetract/extract

mm

BMHT 2331 - 19BMHT 2337 - 22BMHT 2337 - 25BMHT 2343 - 25BMHT 2631 - 19BMHT 2637 - 22BMHT 2643 - 25BMHT 2831 - 19BMHT 2837 - 22BMHT 2837 - 25BMHT 2843 - 25

COP 1238COP 1238COP 1238COP 1238COP 1432COP 1432COP 1432COP 1838COP 1838COP 1838COP 1838

1900 - 30902200 - 37002500 - 37002500 - 43101900 - 30902200 - 37002500 - 43101900 - 30902200 - 37002500 - 37002500 - 4310

1608 - 27981908 - 34082208 - 34082208 - 40181633 - 28231933 - 34332233 - 40431608 - 27981908 - 34082208 - 34082208 - 4018

3407 - 46073707 - 52174007 - 52174007 - 58273107 - 42973407 - 49073707 - 55173407 - 46073707 - 52174007 - 52174007 - 5827

405420425435392407430410425430440

Feed force 12.5 kN (at 80 bar)* = with hoses, without rock drill and drill steel.

Intended forrock drill

Feed type Net weight*kg

Drill steel lengthmin/max

mm

Feeding depthmin/max

mm

Total lengthRetract/extract

mm

BMHT 6314 - 08BMHT 6316 - 10BMHT 6318 - 10BMHT 6614 - 08BMHT 6616 - 10BMHT 6620 - 12BMHT 6814 - 08BMHT 6816 - 10BMHT 6818 - 10

COP 1238COP 1238COP 1238COP 1432COP 1432COP 1432COP 1838COP 1838COP 1838

2500 - 43103090 - 49203090 - 55302500 - 43103090 - 49203700 - 61002500 - 43103090 - 49203090 - 5530

2221 - 40362813 - 46382813 - 52582130 - 39402720 - 45453330 - 57302221 - 40362813 - 46382813 - 5258

4090 - 59004680 - 65004680 - 71253725 - 55354315 - 61404925 - 73254090 - 59004680 - 65004680 - 7125

635655680610640690635680690

Feed force 20.0 kN* = with hoses, without rock drill and drill steel.

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

117117

BMH.indd 3 2004-02-25, 11:05:41

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

118 FACE DRILLING

Drifting Drill bit designs

Model -17

2+3 gauge buttons,2 front buttons.Model -17 is specially designedfor bolting. Available withspherical or ballistic (-67)buttons.

Model -27

2+3 gauge buttons,2 smaller front buttons.With its large buttons, model -27 is ideal for mediumhard to hard abrasive rock. It isavailable with spherical orballistic (-67) buttons.

Model -34

3+3 gauge buttons,2 front buttons.Model -34 offers very goodpenetration. Ideal for mostrock formations including hardrock. Available with sphericalor ballistic (-67) buttons.

Model -37

2+2+2 gauge buttons,3 front buttons.With 9 buttons and superbflushing, model -37 bits offervery good penetration. Idealfor most rock formationsincluding hard rock with heavyfrontal wear on the bit.Available with spherical orballistic (-67) buttons.

Model -37-66

2+2+2 gauge buttons,3 front buttons.With 9 full-ballistic buttons andexcellent flushing with extraflushing grooves model -37-66offers extremely goodpenetration rate in soft rock.The bit has been developedmainly for soft rock but hasalso been tested successfullyin medium hard rock.

Model -39

2+2+2 gauge buttons, 3 smaller front buttons.With its larger gaugebuttons, model -39 is idealfor abrasive rock. Availablewith spherical buttons.

Model -56

2+2 gauge buttons, 2 smaller front buttons.Traditionally used in hardrock formations, model -56delivers excellentpenetration rate. Availableonly with spherical buttons.

Model -42

Reaming bit.Dome-shaped front.Model -42 is a newalternative to traditionalreaming equipment. Use ina pre-drilled pilot hole. Triedand tested with excellentresults.

Cross-type bit

4 chisel inserts in crossformation.Traditional insert bit forextremely abrasive rockformations. Ideal for softformations that cause“snakeskin” problems forcarbide. Produces straightholes but has lowerpenetration and shorterservice life than button bits.

- 5 XXX - 6 XXXFlat face button bit Drop centre button bit

- XXXX - 67 - XXXX - 45Ballistic buttons Retrac skirt

Please observe that all button bits are manufactured over-sized1.0–1.5 mm, meaning that for example a 45 mm bit is at least 46 mm as new and a 89 mm bit 90 mm. This is done because ofthe fast initial wear on button bits. When it is of importance,also consider that the hole is always 1–3 mm bigger than the bitdimension depending on rock formation.

Model -27-30 Model -37-30

Guide bit.Square skirt.Ideal where hole deviation is a problem.Longer service life, better penetrationrate and longer grinding intervalscompared to a cross-type bit, which isnormally used to avoid hole deviations.Suitable for most rock formationsincluding hard rock. Available withspherical or ballistic (-67) buttons.

FD3/Page 118 29/3/04 7:37 am Page 118

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLING 119

Length (L) Part No. Weightmm foot/inch SR28/R32 approx kg

1800 5'11" 225-0418-03-C, 02 8.92100 7' 225-0421-03-C, 02 10.42200 7'4" 225-0422-03-C, 02 11.02300 7'8" 225-0423-03-C, 02 11.42400 7'10" 225-0424-03-C,02 12.22475 8'13⁄8" 225-0425-03-91-C, 02 13.02600 8'61⁄8" 225-0426-03-C, 02 12.92675 8'91⁄4" 225-0427-03-91-C, 02 13.32800 9'21⁄4" 225-0428-03-C, 02 14.33000 10' 225-0430-03-C, 02 15.03000 10' 225-0430-03-91-C,02 14.93090 10'31⁄2" 225-0431-03-C, 02 15.8

Buttons � WeightDiameter Part No. No. of button diameter Buttons angle° Flushing hole approx

mm inch SR35 thread buttons Gauge Centre Gauge Centre Side Centre kg

Spherical buttonsButton bit 33 119⁄64 125-5033-17,39-20 7 5 � 7 2 � 7 35 1 1 0.4

33 119⁄64 125-5033-41,39-20 7 5 � 8 2 � 7 40 15 1 1 0.435 13⁄8 125-5035-27,39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 7 25 10 1 1 0.537 129⁄64 125-5037-99,39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 7 35 15 1 1 0.538 11⁄2 125-5038-27,39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 7 30 1 1 0.5

Ballistic buttons33 119⁄64 125-5033-41-67, 39-20 7 5 � 8 2 � 7 40 15 1 1 0.335 13⁄8 125-5035-27-67,39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 7 25 10 1 1 0.4

Drifting SR28 mm (11⁄8")

MAGNUM SR28thread system 28 mm (11⁄8") diameter thread 25 mm (1") diameter thread

Conical shaped rope threadfacilitates rapid coupling and uncoupling

Drill bit designs

-5xxx-17 -5xxx-27 -5xxx-41

FOCUS buttonbit technology

More material at the bit head

33% more material means a substantialincrease in metal fatigue resistance

Drifter rodSR28 mm (11⁄8") Hex 35 mm (13⁄8") R32 mm (11⁄4")

Fully carburized. Rod section 39.3 mm

Shank adapter Coupling Hex. drifter rod Button bit

Drill bit

FD3/Page 119 29/3/04 7:37 am Page 119

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

120 FACE DRILLING

Drifting R28 mm (11⁄8")

Shank adapter Coupling Hex. drifter rod

Button bit

Guide button bit

Cross-type bit

Reaming equipment

Drill bit designs

-5xxx-27 -5xxx-27-30 -5xxx-37 -5xxx-56 Cross-type bit

Buttons � Gauge WeightDiameter Part No. No. of button diameter buttons Flushing hole approx

mm inch Rope thread buttons Gauge Centre angle° Side Centre kg

Spherical buttons

Button bit 37 129⁄64 107-5037-27, 39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 7 30 1 1 0.538 11⁄2 107-5038-27, 39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 7 30 1 1 0.638 11⁄2 107-5038-56, 39-20 6 4 � 9 2 � 8 30 2 1 0.641 15⁄8 107-5041-27, 39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 8 35 1 1 0.741 15⁄8 107-5041-27-30, 39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 8 35 1 1 0.943 111⁄16 107-5043-27, 39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 9 35 2 1 0.743 111⁄16 107-5043-27-30, 39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 9 35 1 1 0.945 13⁄4 107-5045-37, 39-20 9 6 � 9 3 � 8 35 1 1 0.8

Ballistic buttons

38 11⁄2 107-5038-27-67, 39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 7 40 1 1 0.641 15⁄8 107-5041-27-67, 39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 8 40 1 1 0.7

Insert

Cross-type bit Width Height

38 11⁄2 107-7038-44, 20-17 10.3 19.5 0.641 15⁄8 107-7041-44, 20-17 11.1 20.0 0.741 15⁄8 107-7041-44-30, 20-17 11.1 20.0 0.945 13⁄4 107-7045-44, 20-17 11.1 20.0 0.9

Drill bit

SECOROC Grind Matic:How to spend less on Secoroc products

FD3/Page 120 29/3/04 7:38 am Page 120

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLING 121

Drifting R28 mm (11⁄8")

Drifter rod

Coupling

R28 mm (11⁄8") Hex 28 mm (11⁄8") R32 mm (11⁄4")

Fully carburized. Rod section 32 mm

R28 mm (11⁄8") Hex 32 mm (11⁄4") R38 mm (11⁄2")

Fully carburized. Rod section 35.8 mm

R28 mm (11⁄8") Hex 32 mm (11⁄4") R32 mm (11⁄4")

Fully carburized. Rod section 35.8 mm

R28 mm (11⁄8") Hex 28 mm (11⁄8") R38 mm (11⁄2")

Fully carburized. Rod section 32 mm

R28 mm (11⁄8") Hex 32 mm (11⁄4") R32 mm (11⁄4")

With slimmed shank end for female shank adapters.

Fully carburized. Rod section 35.8 mm

Length (L) Part No. Weightmm foot/inch Rope thread approx kg

2400 7'10" 207-0424-03-C,02 12.22750 9' 207-0428-03-91-C,02 14.43700 12'11⁄2" 207-0437-03-C,02 18.94000 13'13⁄8" 207-0440-03-C,02 20.54310 14'11⁄2" 207-0443-03-C,02 22.04920 16'11⁄2" 207-0449-03-C,02 25.3

2900 9'61⁄8" 207-0529-04-C,02 18.83090 10'11⁄2" 207-0531-04-C,02 20.03700 12'11⁄2" 207-0537-04-C,02 24.04310 14'11⁄2" 207-0543-04-C,02 27.9

3090 10'11⁄2" 207-0531-03-C,02 19.73700 12'11⁄2" 207-0537-03-C,02 23.5

3090 10'11⁄2" 207-0531-03-78-C,02 20.03700 12’11⁄2" 207-0537-03-78-C,02 24.04000 13’13⁄8" 207-0540-03-78-C,02 25.94310 14'11⁄2" 207-0543-03-78-C,02 27.9

2475 8'13⁄8" 207-0424-04-91-C,02 12.64310 14'11⁄2" 207-0443-04-C,02 22.0

Thread diameter Diameter Length (L) Part No. Weightmm inch mm inch mm inch Rope thread approx kg32 11⁄4 44 13⁄4 150 61⁄8 303-0044,00 1.038 11⁄2 55 25⁄32 170 63⁄4 304-0055,00 1.7

For a free subscription to Mining & Construction magazine visit

www.miningandconstruction.com

FD3/Page 121 29/3/04 7:38 am Page 121

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

122 FACE DRILLING

Drifting R32 mm (11⁄4")

Drill bit designs

-5xxx-27 -5xxx-34-67 -5xxx-37-67 -5xxx-37-30-67 -5xxx-37-66 -5xxx-56 -5076 -6064-45 Cross-type bit

Button bit

Guide button bit

Cross-type bit

“Dome” reaming bit

Reaming equipment

Hex. drifter rod

Round drifter rod

Hex. Speedrod

Shank adapter Coupling

Buttons � Gauge WeightDiameter Part No. No. of button diameter buttons Flushing hole approx

mm inch R32 thread buttons Gauge Centre angle° Side Centre kgSpherical buttons

41 15⁄8 103-5041-27,39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 8 35 1 1 0.8Button bit 41 15⁄8 103-5041-56,39-20 6 4 � 9 2 � 9 35 2 1 0.6

43 111⁄16 103-5043-27,39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 9 35 2 1 0.7

45 13⁄4 103-5045-27,39-20 7 5 � 11 2 � 8 30 2 1 0.845 13⁄4 103-5045-37,39-20 9 6 � 9 3 � 8 35 1 3 0.845 13⁄4 103-5045-39,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 8 30 1 3 0.8

48 17⁄8 103-5048-27,39-20 7 5 � 11 2 � 9 35 2 1 1.048 17⁄8 103-5048-37,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 8 40 1 3 0.9

51 2 103-5051-27,39-20 7 5 � 11 2 � 10 35 2 1 1.051 2 103-5051-37,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 1.051 2 103-6051,49-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 30 – 3 1.051 2 103-6051-45,49-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 30 – 3 1.2

57 21⁄4 103-5057-20,39-20 9 6 � 11 3 � 9 35 – 3 1.1

64 21⁄2 103-5064,49-20 12 8 � 10 4 � 10 40 – 2 1.564 21⁄2 103-5064-45,49-20 12 8 � 10 4 � 10 40 – 2 2.264 21⁄2 103-6064,49-20 10 6 � 11 3 � 10, 1 � 10 35 – 3 1.564 21⁄2 103-6064-45,49-20 10 6 � 11 3 � 10, 1 � 10 35 – 3 2.2

76 3 103-5076,49-20 12 8 � 11 4 � 11 40 – 2 1.876 3 103-6076-45,49-20 13 8 � 11 4 � 11, 1 � 11 35 1 4 3.5

Drill bit

FD3/Page 122 29/3/04 7:39 am Page 122

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLING 123

Drifting R32 mm (11⁄4")

Buttons � Gauge WeightDiameter Part No. No. of button diameter buttons Flushing hole approx

mm inch R32 thread buttons Gauge Centre angle° Side Centre kgBallistic buttons

Button bit 41 15⁄8 103-5041-27-67,39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 8 40 1 1 0.7

43 111⁄16 103-5043-27-67,39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 9 40 2 1 0.743 111⁄16 103-5043-37-67,39-20 9 6 � 8 3 � 8 40 1 3 0.7

45 13⁄4 103-5045-27-67,39-20 7 5 � 11 2 � 8 30 2 1 0.845 13⁄4 103-5045-34-67,39-20 8 6 � 9 2 � 9 40 2 2 0.845 13⁄4 103-5045-37-67,39-20 9 6 � 9 3 � 8 40 1 3 0.845 13⁄4 103-5045-37-30-67,39-20 9 6 � 9 3 � 8 40 1 3 1.1

48 17⁄8 103-5048-37-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 8 40 1 3 0.948 17⁄8 103-5048-37-30-67,39-20 8 6 � 10 2 � 8 25 1 3 1.2

51 2 103-5051-37-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 1.051 2 103-5051-37-45-67,49-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 1.151 2 103-5051-37-30-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 1.6

54 21⁄8 103-5054-37-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 1.0

64 21⁄2 103-5064-67,49-20 12 8 � 10 4 � 10 40 – 2 1.5Soft rock bits (full-ballistic buttons)

45 13⁄4 103-5045-37-66,39-20 9 6 � 9 3 � 8 40 1 3 0.8

48 17⁄8 103-5048-37-66,39-20 9 6 � 9 3 � 9 40 1 3 0.8

51 2 103-5051-37-66,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 0.8Insert

Width HeightCross-type bit 41 15⁄8 103-7041-44, 20-17 11.1 20.0 0.7

43 111⁄16 103-7043-44, 20-17 11.1 20.0 0.845 13⁄4 103-7045-44, 20-17 11.1 20.0 0.948 17⁄8 103-7048-38, 02-17 14.0 22.0 0.951 2 103-7051-38, 02-17 14.0 22.0 1.251 2 103-7051-38-45, 02-17 14.0 22.0 1.757 21⁄4 103-7057, 02-17 10.3 19.5 1.364 21⁄2 103-7064, 08-17 10.3 19.5 1.4

X-type bit 76 3 103-8076,08-16 14.0 26.0 1.7

Drill bit, cont

Length (L) Part No. Weight

mm foot/inch Rope thread T thread approx kg 2400 7'10" 203-0524-04-C,02 15.33090 10'11⁄2" 203-0531-04-C,02 203-0531-35-C,02 19.83400 11'13⁄4" 203-0534-35-C,02 22.04000 13'13⁄8" 203-0540-04-C,02 25.64310 14'11⁄2" 203-0543-04-C,02 203-0543-35-C,02 27.54920 16'11⁄2" 203-0549-04-C,02 203-0549-35-C,02 31.35530 18'11⁄2" 203-0555-04-C,02 203-0555-35-C,02 34.83700 12'11⁄2" 203-0537-04-95-C,00 23.64310 14'11⁄2" 203-0543-04-95-C,02 27.5

Drifter rodR32 mm (11⁄4") Hex 32 mm (11⁄4") R/T38 mm (11⁄2")

Fully carburized. Rod section 35.8 mm

R32 mm (11⁄4") Hex 32 mm (11⁄4") R38 mm (11⁄2")

Double thread, fully carburized. Rod section 35.8 mm

FD3/Page 123 29/3/04 7:39 am Page 123

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

124 FACE DRILLING

Length (L) Part No. Weightmm foot/inch Rope thread T thread approx kg 3090 10'11⁄2" 203-0631-04-C,02 203-0631-35-C,02 24.03700 12'11⁄2" 203-0637-04-C,02 203-0637-35-C,02 29.14000 13'11⁄2" 203-0640-04-C,02 31.14310 14'11⁄2" 203-0643-04-C,02 203-0643-35-C,02 33.14920 16'11⁄2" 203-0649-04-C,02 203-0649-35-C,02 37.85530 18'11⁄2" 203-0655-04-C,02 203-0655-35-C,02 42.46100 20' 203-0661-04-C,02 203-0661-35-C,02 47.33700 12'11⁄2" 203-0637-35-MF-C,02 29.04310 14'11⁄2" 203-0643-35-MF-C,02 34.14920 16'11⁄2" 203-0649-35-MF-C,02 38.85530 18'11⁄2" 203-0655-35-MF-C,02 43.66400 21' 203-0664-35-MF-C,02 50.3

4310 14' 203-2843-04-C,02 37.34920 16'11⁄2" 203-2849-35-C,02 42.1

Drifter rodR32 mm (11⁄4") Hex 35 mm (13⁄8") R/T38 mm (11⁄2")

Fully carburized. Rod section 39.3 mm

R32 mm (11⁄4") Hex 35 mm (13⁄8") T38 mm (11⁄2")

Speedrod, fully carburized. D = 57 mm. Rod section 39.3 mm

Drifting R32 mm (11⁄4")

Thread diameter Diameter Length (L) Part No. Weightmm inch mm inch mm inch Rope thread T thread approx kg 38 11⁄2 52 23⁄64 170 63⁄4 335-0052,00* 1.538 11⁄2 55 25⁄32 170 63⁄4 304-0055,00 335-0055,00 1.9

Coupling

* Recommended for high frequency drifters.

R32 mm (11⁄4") Round 39 mm (117⁄32") R/T38 mm (11⁄2")

Fully carburized.

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FD3/Page 124 29/3/04 7:39 am Page 124

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLING 125

Buttons � Gauge WeightDiameter Part No. No. of button diameter buttons Flushing hole approx

mm inch SR35 thread buttons Gauge Centre angle° Side Centre kgSpherical buttons

Button bit 43 111⁄16 128-5043-27,39-20 7 5 � 9 2 � 9 35 2 1 0.745 13⁄4 128-5045-37-30-67,39-20 9 6 � 9 3 � 8 40 1 3 1.045 13⁄4 128-5045-39,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 8 30 1 3 0.848 17⁄8 128-5048-39,39-20 9 6 � 11 3 � 8 35 1 3 0.9

Ballistic buttons45 13⁄4 128-5045-37-67,39-12 9 6 � 9 3 � 8 40 1 3 0.748 17⁄8 128-5048-37-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 8 40 1 3 0.848 17⁄8 128-5048-37-30-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 8 40 1 3 1.151 2 128-5051-37-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 0.951 2 128-5051-37-30-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 1.354 21⁄8 128-5054-24-45-67,39-20* 11 8 � 9 3 � 9 35 2 1 1.854 21⁄8 128-5054-37-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 1.064 21⁄2 128-5064-67,49-20 12 8 � 10 4 � 10 40 – 2 1.6

Drifting SR35 mm (13⁄8")

* Reversed flushing

MAGNUM SRthread system

Button bit

Guide button bit

“Dome” reaming bit

Reaming equipment

25% more material means a substantialincrease in metal fatigue resistance

Conical shaped rope threadfacilitates rapid coupling and uncoupling

More material at the bit head

35 mm diameter thread 32 mm diameter thread

Drill bit designs

-5xxx-27 -5xxx-37-67 -5xxx-37-30-67 -5xxx-39 -5064

FOCUS buttonbit technology

Shank adapter Coupling

Hex. drifter rod

Round drifter rod

Hex. Speedrod

Round Speedrod

Drill bit

FD3/Page 125 29/3/04 7:40 am Page 125

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

126 FACE DRILLING

Drifting SR35 mm (13⁄8")

Length (L) Part No. Weightmm foot/inch SR35/R38 thread SR35/T38 thread approx kg 2670 8'9" 228-0627-35-91-C,02 21.03090 10'11⁄2" 228-0631-04-C,02 24.03150 10'4" 228-0632-35-91-C,02 24.53300 10'10" 228-0633-04-C,02 25.63700 12'11⁄2" 228-0637-04-C,02 228-0637-35-C,02 29.14310 14'11⁄2" 228-0643-04-C,02 228-0643-35-C,02 33.14920 16'11⁄2" 228-0649-04-C,02 228-0649-35-C,02 37.85530 18'11⁄2" 228-0655-35-C,02 42.46400 21' 228-0664-35-C,02 49.74310 14'11⁄2" 228-0643-35-MF-C,02 34.1

5530 18'11⁄2" 228-2855-35-C,02 47.3

5530 18'11⁄2" 228-2855-35-MF-C,02 46.9

Thread diameter Diameter Length (L) Part No. Weightmm inch mm inch mm inch Rope thread T thread approx kg 38 11⁄2 52 23⁄64 170 63⁄4 335-0052,00* 1.538 11⁄2 55 25⁄32 170 63⁄4 304-0055,00 335-0055,00 1.9

Coupling

* Recommended for high frequency rock drills.

Drifter rodSR35 mm (13⁄8") Hex 35 mm (13⁄8") R/T38 mm (11⁄2")

Fully carburized. Rod section 39.3 mm

SR35 mm (13⁄8") Hex 35 mm (13⁄8") T38 mm (11⁄2")

Speedrod, fully carburized. D = 57 mm. Rod section 39.3 mm

SR35 mm (13⁄8") Round 39 mm (117⁄32") T38 mm (11⁄2")

Fully carburized.

SR35 mm (13⁄8") Round 39 mm (117⁄32") T38 mm (11⁄2")

Speedrod, fully carburized. D = 57 mm

Keep up to date with the world of mechanized rock excavation –

Visit Mining & Construction on-line atwww.min-con.com

FD3/Page 126 29/3/04 7:40 am Page 126

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLING 127

Drifting R35 mm (13⁄8")

Drill bit designs

-5xxx-37-67 5xxx-37-66 -5xxx-27-30 -5xxx-39 -5064-67 -6051-45

Button bit

Guide bit

“Dome” reaming bit

Reaming equipment

Hex. drifter rod

Round drifter rod

Hex. Speedrod

Round Speedrod

Shank adapter Coupling

Buttons � Gauge WeightDiameter Part No. No. of button diameter buttons Flushing hole approx

mm inch R35 thread buttons Gauge Centre angle° Side Centre kg

Spherical buttons

Button bit 48 17⁄8 109-5048-37,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 8 35 1 3 0.948 17⁄8 109-5048-39,39-20 9 6 � 11 3 � 8 35 1 3 0.951 2 109-5051-37,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 1.051 2 109-5051-39,39-20 9 6 � 11 3 � 9 35 1 3 1.051 2 109-6051,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 30 – 3 0.951 2 109-6051-45,49-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 30 – 3 1.1

Ballistic buttons48 17⁄8 109-5048-37-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 8 40 1 3 0.948 17⁄8 109-5048-37-30-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 8 40 1 3 1.351 2 109-5051-37-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 0.951 2 109-5051-37-30-67,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 1.4

Soft rock bits (full ballistic buttons)

48 17⁄8 109-5048-37-66,39-20 9 6 � 9 3 � 9 40 1 3 0.851 2 109-5051-37-66,39-20 9 6 � 10 3 � 9 40 1 3 0.9

Drill bit

For free membership of the Frequent Drillers’ Club go to www.drillersclub.com

FD3/Page 127 29/3/04 7:40 am Page 127

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

128 FACE DRILLING

Drifting R35 mm (13⁄8")

Drifter rod

Coupling

R35 mm (13⁄8") Hex 35 mm (13⁄8") T38 mm (11⁄2")

Fully carburized. Rod section 39.3 mm

R35 mm (13⁄8") Hex 35 mm (13⁄8") T38 mm (11⁄2")

Speedrod, fully carburized. D = 57 mm. Rod section 39.3 mm

R35 mm (13⁄8") Round 39 mm (117⁄32") T38 mm (11⁄2")

Fully carburized.

*Recommended for high frequency rock drills.

R35 mm (13⁄8") Round 39 mm (117⁄32") T38 mm (11⁄2")

Speedrod, fully carburized. D = 57 mm.

Length (L) Part No. Weightmm foot/inch T thread approx kg

3700 12'11⁄2" 209-0637-35-C,02 28.54920 16'11⁄2" 209-0649-35-C,02 37.85530 18'11⁄2" 209-0655-35-C,02 42.46100 20' 209-0661-35-C,02 47.0

5530 18'11⁄2" 209-0655-35-MF-C,02 44.06100 20' 209-0661-35-MF-C,02 48.0

4310 14'11⁄2" 209-2843-35-C,02 37.04920 16'11⁄2" 209-2849-35-C,02 42.15530 18'11⁄2" 209-2855-35-C,02 48.06100 20' 209-2861-35-C,02 53.5

5530 18'11⁄2" 209-2855-35-MF-C,02 46.96100 20' 209-2861-35-MF-C,02 52.0

Thread diameter Diameter Length (L) Part No. Weightmm inch mm inch mm inch T thread approx kg38 11⁄2 55 25⁄32 190 71⁄2 335-0055,00 1.938 11⁄2 52 23⁄64 190 71⁄2 335-0052,00* 1.5

Rock Reinforcementsecond edition

www.rockreinforcement.com

Talking TechnicallyCase StudiesProduct Specifications

a technical reference edition

140 exciting pages all about

Rock ReinforcementGet your own copy atwww.min-con.com

FD3/Page 128 29/3/04 7:41 am Page 128

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLING 129

Drifting Reaming equipment Hex 22 mm (7⁄8"), R25 (1"), R28 (11⁄8”),R32 (11⁄4”), SR35 (13⁄8”), R35 (13⁄8”)

Buttons � GaugeDiameter Number button diameter buttons Weight

mm inch Part No. of buttons Gauge Centre angle° approx kg

64 21⁄2 175-5064,39-20 10 8 � 10 2 � 9 35 0.876 3 175-5076,39-20 10 8 � 11 2 � 11 35 1.289 31⁄2 175-5089,39-20 12 8 � 11 4 � 11 35 1.7

Drill bit, 6° taper

Reaming button bit for22 mm (7⁄8") pilot rod and25 mm (1"), 28 mm (11⁄8"),32 mm(11⁄4") pilot adapter.

Buttons � GaugeDiameter Number button diameter buttons Weight

mm inch Part No. of buttons Gauge Centre angle° approx kg

89 31⁄2 187-5089-20,39-20 12 8 � 12.7 4 � 10.0 35 1.8

102 4 187-5102,39-20 12 8 � 12.7 4 � 12.7 35 2.0

102 4 187-5102-20,39-20 12 8 � 11.0 4 � 12.7 35 2.1

127 5 187-5127,39-20 20 12 � 12.7 8 � 12.7 35 4.0

Drill bit, 12° taper

Reaming button bit for28 mm (11⁄8"),32 mm (11⁄4") and35 mm (13⁄8") pilot adapter.

Length Weightmm inch Part No. approx kg

800 2'71⁄2" 575-3108,11-17 3.3

1200 3'11" 575-3112,11-17 4.4

1600 5'3" 575-3116,11-17 5.6

2000 6'7" 575-3120,11-17 7.0

2400 7'10" 575-3124,11-17 8.2

Pilot rod, 6° taper22 mm (7⁄8") hex. Shank length 108 mm (41⁄4")

Thread Diameter Pilothole Part No. Weight

mm inch mm inch mm Rope Thread approx kg

25 1 26 11⁄32 36 502-2303,00-17 1.3

28 11⁄8 26 11⁄32 36 507-2503,00-17 1.5

32 11⁄4 26 11⁄32 36 503-2603,00-17 1.5

SR35 13⁄8 26 11⁄32 36 528-2603,00 1.5

Pilot adapter, 6° taper

For 64, 76 and 89 mm reaming button and cross-type bits.

Thread Diameter Pilothole Part No. Weight

mm inch mm inch mm Rope Thread approx kg

28 11⁄8 36 113⁄32 38–48 507-7802,00-17 2.6

32 11⁄4 40 19⁄32 41–48 503-7802,00-17 2.2

R35 13⁄8 40 19⁄32 48–51 509-7802,00-17 2.2

SR35 13⁄8 40 19⁄32 48–51 528-7802,00-17 2.3

32 11⁄4 – – 41–48 503-7902,00 2.1

35 13⁄8 – – 48–54 509-7902,00 2.1

Pilot adapter, 12° taper

For 89, 102 and 127 mm reaming button bits.

For 89, 102 and 127 mm reaming button bits.

FD3/Page 129 29/3/04 7:41 am Page 129

DRIFTING EQUIPMENT

130 FACE DRILLING

Drifting Dome bits for reamingR32 (11⁄4”), SR35 (13⁄8”), R35 (13⁄8”)

Buttons � Gauge WeightThread Diameter No. of button diameter buttons Flushing hole approx

mm inch mm inch Part No. buttons Gauge Centre angle° Side Centre kg

Spherical buttons

R32 11⁄4 76 3 103-5076-42-24,49-20 10 9 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 1 3 2.0

R32 11⁄4 89 31⁄2 103-5089-42-24,49-20 15 14 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 2 2 2.5

R32 11⁄4 102 4 103-5102-42-24,49-20 17 16 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 2 2 3.2

R32 11⁄4 127 5 103-5127-42-24,49-20 19 18 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 1 3 4.8

SR35 13⁄8 89 31⁄2 128-5089-42-24,49-20 15 14 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 2 2 2.5

SR35 13⁄8 102 4 128-5102-42-24,49-20 17 16 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 2 2 3.1

SR35 13⁄8 127 5 128-5127-42-24,49-20 19 18 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 1 3 4.8

R35 13⁄8 102 4 109-5102-42-24,49-20 17 16 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 2 2 3.1

Ballistic buttons

R32 11⁄4 76 3 103-5076-42-24-67,49-20 10 9 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 1 3 2.0

R32 11⁄4 89 31⁄2 103-5089-42-24-67,49-20 15 14 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 2 2 2.5

R32 11⁄4 102 4 103-5102-42-24-67,49-20 17 16 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 2 2 3.2

R32 11⁄4 127 5 103-5127-42-24-67,49-20 19 18 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 1 3 4.8

SR35 13⁄8 76 3 128-5076-42-24-67,49-20 10 9 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 1 3 2.0

SR35 13⁄8 89 31⁄2 128-5089-42-24-67,49-20 15 14 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 2 2 2.5

SR35 13⁄8 102 4 128-5102-42-24-67,49-20 17 16 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 2 2 3.1

R35 13⁄8 102 4 109-5102-42-24-67,49-20 17 16 � 12.7 1 � 12.7 35 2 2 3.1

-5076-42-24-67 -5089-42-24 -5102-42-24-67

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156 exciting pages all about

Surface DrillingGet your own copy atwww.min-con.com

FD3/Page 130 29/3/04 7:42 am Page 130

SECOROC GRINDING

FACE DRILLING 131

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FD3/pages 131-135 29/3/04 7:42 am Page 131

SECOROC GRINDING

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Keep up to date with the world of mechanized rock excavation –

Visit Mining & Construction on-line atwww.min-con.com

Grinding

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For free membership of the Frequent Drillers’ Club go to www.drillersclub.com

Grinding Diamond grinding wheels for button bits

Grinding wheels for steel grinding of button bitsDiamond boron nitride

FD3/pages 131-135 29/3/04 7:42 am Page 134

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Grinding Ceramic grinding wheels for button, integral and insert bits

Grinding templates

Button bits

Integral bits

Insert bits

FD3/pages 131-135 29/3/04 7:42 am Page 135

BOLTING RIG SPECIFICATIONBOLTING RIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

6550

2270

700

Main specifi cations

A fully mechanized rock bolting rig for bolt lengths

1.5 – 2.4 m. Effective in roof heights up to 8 m

(max. 9.7 m).

Boltec 235H-DCSRock drill 1 x COP 1532Bolting unit MBUBoom 1 x BUT 35HBDrilling system DCS 12-55Length, tramming 12050 mmWidth, excl bolt rack 2155 mmHeight 2270 mmTurning radius 5800/3300 mmWeight 16000 kg

Boltec 235H-DCS

• MBU bolting unit with a unique design based on a single feed system utilizing a cradle indexer at the rear end and a robust drill steel support plus indexer for grouting at the top end. Low-mounted magazine for 10 bolts, designed for maximum fl exibility during drilling and bolting.• DCS, direct hydraulic control system for drilling and bolting, that incorporates an excellent antijamming function and RPCF (Rotation Pressure Controlled Feed force). • COP 1532 rock drill, shortest in its class, with modern hydraulic refl ex dampening gives genuine high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy. Separately variable frequency and impact power can be adapted to certain drill steel/rock conditions.• BUT 35HB heavy-duty boom for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes. Improved linkage bearings in main boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints reducing maintenance requirements.• Sturdy, articulated carrier with four wheel drive for easy manoeuvring in narrow tunnels and drifts. Power steering, fail-safe brakes and central lubricated chassis. Four jacks for stable set up.• Basic rig includes telescopic FOPS-approved protective roof, cable reel, search light (1x 70 W), work lights (3 x 500 W halogen), bolt rack, water booster pump, compressor, air receiver and pump unloading function for easier start.

Optional equipmentSwellex kitBolt rotator kitResin/Cement cartridge kitSplitset kitExhaust water scrubber Exhaust catalyzer ANSUL fi re suppression system ANSUL Electric cable warning deviceElectrical system 1000 V, direct start onlyWater hose reel ø1400 mmManual lubrication systemRig washing kit, with hose and reelAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomReverse alarmBeacon warning lamp

Visit www.rockreinforcement.com for more information

136136

Boltec.indd 2 2004-03-02, 13:57:52

BOLTING RIG SPECIFICATIONBOLTING RIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Boltec SL

A semi-mechanized rock bolting rig with electrical

remote control system for safety and productivity.

For bolt lengths 1.6 – 1.8 m. Effective in roof

heights up to 1.8 m

• Rock bolting with Swellex bolts, resin grouted rebar bolts or mechanical bolts. Hole size diameter 29 up to 51 mm. In 1.8 m roof height max. bolt length is 1.6 - 1.8 m depending on bolt type.• Resin bolting quality is controlled by pre-setting the bolt rotator’s speed, torque and acting time for accurate mixing and curing of the resin.• Swellex bolting quality is controlled by pre-setting the infl ation time.• Extension drilling up to 51 mm enables installation of Connectable Swellex rockbolts up to any lengths in low roof heights.• Electrical pilot system with controls for positioning, drilling and bolting in a portable operator’s control panel.• MBU 16SL bolting unit with a unique design based on a single feed system utilizing a cradle indexer at the rear end and a robust drill steel support at the top end. Designed for maximum fl exibility during drilling and bolting. Bolting unit is connected to the boom via a fl exible positioning unit.• Extendable protective roof at the bolting unit for improved operator’s safety. Hydraulic jacks to support the panel roof at the bolting unit with a force of 80 kN.• COP 1028HB is a light rock drill with separate reversible rotation and stepless variable rotation speed, and high torque capacity that contribute to good drilling results.• BUT 32SL heavy-duty boom for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes. Improved linkage bearings in main boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints reduce maintenance.• Sturdy, articulated carrier with four wheel drive for fast tramming and easy manoeuvring in narrow tunnels and drifts. Power steering, failsafe brakes and central lubricated chassis. Four jacks for stable set up.• Basic rig includes telescopic FOPS-approved protective roof, cable reel, work lights, water booster pump and

pump unloading function for easier start with low vol- tage. Standardization with Rocket Boomer S1L on high capacity 55 kW electric motor and powerpack.• Minimum tramming height 1.3 m.

Optional equipmentAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear partBolt rotator for max 240 Nm/ 810 rpm or max 480 Nm/450 rpmRock drill lubrication warning kitSwellex installation equipmentAlternative roof stops; min 1500 mm, max 1700 mmExhaust catalyserFire suppression system AnsulGuards to prevent start of tramming with jacks down, slidebeam out or roof upSafety beltRear view mirrorsBeacon warning lampBack-up alarmElectric outlet for accessoriesRig washing kit, with water hose and reelManual lubrication system

Main specifi cations

Boltec SLRock drill 1 x COP 1028Bolting unit MBU 16SLBoom 1 x BUT 32SLDrilling system EDSLength, tramming 10000 mmWidth 2480 mmHeight, carrier 1300 mm roof min/max 1300/1700 mmTurning radius 6180/3550 mmWeight 12800 kg

137137

Visit www.rockreinforcement.com for more information

Boltec.indd 3 2004-03-02, 13:57:54

BOLTING RIG SPECIFICATIONBOLTING RIG SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

7385

3010

2265

www.atlascopco.com

MC

MC

Fully mechanized rock bolting rigs with computer-

based control system for high productivity and

precision. For bolt lengths 1.5 - 6 m. Effective

in roof heights up to 11 m.

• Rig Control System (RCS) with interactive operator control panel with full-colour display of the computer- based drilling system. Automatic functions in the drilling process such as auto-collaring and antijam- ming protection as well as improved regulation of the rock drill provide high performance and outstan- ding drill steel economy. Integrated diagnostic and fault location system. Distributed hydraulic system with fewer and shorter hoses for increased availability. PC-card for transfer of data and for service engineers to store optimal drill settings.• MBU bolting unit with a unique design based on a single feed system utilizing a cradle indexer at the rear end and a robust drill steel support plus indexer for grouting at the top end. Low-mounted magazine for 10 bolts, designed for maximum fl exibility during drilling and bolting. • COP 1532 rock drill, shortest in its class, with modern hydraulic refl ex dampening gives genuine high speed drilling and excellent drill steel economy. Separately variable frequency and impact power can be adapted to certain drill steel/rock combinations.• BUT 35HB heavy-duty boom for direct, fast and accurate positioning between holes. Improved linkage bearings in main boom joints and new axial bearings in all boom joints reduce maintenance. • Sturdy, articulated carrier with turbocharged water- cooled, low emission diesel engine. High ground clearance, four-wheel traction and articulated steering for easy manoeuvring in narrow drifts and fast tramming in steep ramps.• Optional ABC Basic, angle reading instrument.• Smart oil leakage shut-down system minimises hydraulic oil pollution.• Standard rig includes FOPS approved telescopic protective roof, fi xed seat, hydraulic driven com- pressor and water booster pump, cable reel, bolt rack, air receiver and working lights.

Other versionsBoltec MD electric-hydraulic, direct controlled bolting rig.Boltec LD electric-hydraulic, direct controlled bolting rig.

Optional equipmentAir-water mist fl ushing, external airWater mist fl ushing with external water and air supply Rock drill lubrication warning kitAutomatic boom lubrication system, rear part of boomSwellex installation kitAutomatic cartridge handlerManual cartridge shooting systemSplit Set installation kitBulk cement with hose grouting systemABC Basic - with angle indicationCabin with fi xed seat, FOPS approved 80 dB(A)Additional operator’s control panel Exhaust water scrubber 150 lFire suppression system Ansul/ForrexAutomatic fi re suppression system, including suppressioninside electric cabinet1000 V electric system, direct start onlyExtra transformer, 10 kVA Service platform Rig washing kit, with water hose and reel Manual lubrication system

Main specifi cations

Boltec MC and LC Boltec MC Boltec LCRock drill 1 x COP 1532 1 x COP 1532Bolting unit MBU MBU Bolt lengths 1.5 - 3.5 m 1.5 - 6 m Roof heights up to 8 m up to 11 mBoom 1 x BUT 35HB 1 x BUT 35HBEDrilling system RCS RCSLength, tramming 12500 mm 13200 mmWidth, excl bolt rack 2210 mm 2500 mmHeight, standard 3050 mm 3100 mmTurning radius 6250/3800 mm 7200/4400 mmWeight 22600 kg 22600 kg

Boltec MC

Boltec MC and LC

138138

Visit www.rockreinforcement.com for more information

Boltec.indd 4 2004-03-02, 13:57:55

ROCK REINFORCEMENTROCK REINFORCEMENT

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Swellex® – The engineered rock

reinforcement systemThe Swellex rock bolting system has gained worldwide acceptance since its introduction some twenty years ago. Today the Swellex system is in use at mines and construction sites worldwide.Operators who have used Swellex to solve their toughest support problems have simultaneously increased their profi ts! The features behind this success are:• Immediate full-column rock reinforcement• High tolerance to variation in hole diameter• Swellex bolts accommodate large ground movements• The bolt is insensitive to blast vibration• Swellex rockbolts are quickly installed and very little training is required to perform the operation• Extendable version for narrow places or extra- long rock reinforcement• Large range of application• Atlas Copco rock reinforcement team back up• High anchorage capacity• Instant full load-bearing capacity

• Swellex can easily be installed manually or mechanically• Standard length up to 8 metres• Corrosion protection available• Cost-effective in most rock types and conditions, boosting productivity• Controllable over time• Worldwide distribution network• Swellex installation procedure ensures that every bolt is perfect

Swellex goes ManganeseWith its non-stop research for improvement andnew product development, Atlas Copco is about to redefi ne the concept of safety and productivity in rock reinforcement, without conceding any advantages of the Swellex concept.

The new Swellex Manganese (Mn) line is made out of steel specially developed to provide extra strength, rigidity and elongation capacity, in order to provide a huge work capability.

Comparison of Typical Properties

Swellex Manganese LineHole diameter

mm

32-3932-39

43-5243-52

43-5243-52

Ultimate Load (profi le)kN

100120

+20%

120160

+33%

200240

+25%

Elogation%

2030

+50%

2030

+50%

2030

+50%

Work IndexkNx%

20003600+80%

24004800

+100%

40007200+80%

Standard SwellexSwellex Mn12Increase

Midi SwellexSwellex Mn16Increase

Super SwellexSwellex Mn 24/EIncrease

Typical Properties are based on statistical data on large population of samples

Swellex Mn Face plates h29/h39 89 kN minimum breaking load ASTM F432 95 compliant

Visit www.rockreinforcement.com for more information

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Swellex.indd 1 2004-03-04, 10:26:21

SELF DRILLING ANCHORSSELF DRILLING ANCHORS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Self Drilling Anchors for safer and faster tunnelling

The Atlas Copco MAI Systems® SDA® consist of afully threaded steel bar, a sacrifi cial drill bit, a coupler to extend the anchor to the required length, and a hexagonal nut and bearing plate.

The MAI® threaded bar features a hollow bore forfl ushing or simultaneous drilling and grouting, andhas a left-handed standard rope thread for connection to standard drill tooling. Bars come in several lengths, from 2-12 meters, with different diameters and thread types. The sacrifi cial drill bit is the most crucial part of the anchor system, responsible for the high productivity of the installation. Ground conditions determine thetype of anchors and drill bits to be used.

The Atlas Copco MAI Systems®, Self DrillingAnchor (SDA®) is a unique anchoring system and is today’s answer to the increasing demands of thetunnelling industry for safer and faster production.The system provides advantages for all areas of it’sapplications, where boreholes would require the time consuming drilling with casing systems inunconsolidated or cohesive soil.

Features and Advantages• Fits Atlas Copco standard Boomers.• Particularly suitable for diffi cult ground conditions.• A high rate of installation since drilling, placing and grouting can be performed in one single operation.• Self drilling system eliminates the requirement for a cased borehole.• Installation with simultaneous drilling and grouting possible.• Easy installation in all directions, also upwards.• Suitable for working in limited space, height and in areas of diffi cult access.• Simple post grouting system.

Applications• Radial bolting• Forepoling• Face stabilization• Soil nailing• Portal preparation

Anchor rodOutside diameter mmUltimate load capacity kNYield load capacity kNAver. tensile strength RM N/mm²Aver. yield strength Rp0,2 N/mm²

R25N25200150805660

Technical data

R32N32280230720560

R32S32360280740570

R38N38500400700540

R51L51550450690580

R51N51800630840670

T76N76

16001200880660

T76S76

19001500790630

Full range of sacrifi cial MAI® bits for most tunnelling and grouting purposes.

Threaded hollow MAI® anchor bar including bit, coupler, bearing plate and nut.

MAI Systems® SDA®

140140

Visit www.rockreinforcement.com for more information

Mai.indd 2 2004-03-04, 10:53:14

GROUTINGGROUTING

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Grouting equipment

Pump capacity

Equipment for sealing, strengthening and stabilizing of rock and soil

Double-acting piston pumpsThe PUMPAC pump system is based on the same effi cient double-acting pump principle used on the well-known ZB range of grout pumps.PUMPAC is easy and user-friendly thanks to its modular parts and fast-change valve assembly units. PUMPAC has easy maintenance, featuring a self-cleaning fl uid end and water fl ushing of cement and hydraulic piston rods.The pump can be delivered with three different sizes of electric motors, 7.5, 15 and 22 kW and two sizes of grout cylinders - 110 and 150 mm diameter.

Grout cylinder sizeBall valves Flow l/min Pressure bar110 mm 0-135 0-100150 mm 0-235 0-55

MixersCEMIX is a high speed colloidal grout mixer for mixing water/cement ratios down to 0.35.The mixer produces a thoroughly uniform mix free of lumps or aggregates and with every cement particle individually separated and wet.CEMIX can be delivered in three different sizes of containers: CEMIX 103, 203 and 403 for a volume of 100, 200 and 400 litres respectively.The CEMIX is powered by an electric, hydraulic or air prime mover.

AgitatorsThe CEMAG agitator with its sloping bottom and inclined agitator shaft, creates the important counter currents which keep the quality of the grout for a long time.CEMAG can be delivered in four different sizes of containers: CEMAG 202, 402, 802 and 1602 for a volume of 200, 400, 800 and 1600 litres respectively.The CEMAG is powered by an electric, hydraulic or air prime mover.

RecordersLOGAC is a computer-based logging system for sampling and storing data during grouting operations. It is recording time, real time, fl ow, volume and pressure when grouting or water pressure tests are carried out. The data is being stored on a PC memory card.The LOGAC system exists in two versions;-the LOGAC S recorder for one grout line-the LOGAC GL recorder for up to 8 grout lines (each grout line is started and stopped individually), for standard grouting operations as well as for grouting with GIN and taking Lugeon readings.The LOGAC system is designed for fi eld operation and is characterised by its simplicity in operation.

141141

Grouting.indd 1 2004-03-04, 10:55:48

VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONVEHICLE SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Small Diesel Scooptram® LHDs

Detroit Diesel Series 40 DDEC

Tramming capacity (kg)Mechanical breakout force (kg)Hydraulic breakout force (kg)Operating weight of vehicle** (kg)

Length (m)Height, canopy/cab (m)Bucket height, max (m)Width, vehicle*** (m)

Standard diesel engine

Optional diesel engine

Standard bucket (m )3

*All data apply to standard equipped vehicles **Empty vehicle ***Less bucket

Diesel Scooptram model ST2GST2D ST3.5 ST600LP

3 600 5 936 9 06011 500

6.710 2.085 3.890 1.615

3 600 6 710 9 06012 700

7.080 2.160 3.890 1.615

6 000 7 950 9 96017 500

8.460 2.250 3.470 1.830

6 000 8 688 9 30017 300

8.625 1.560 3.785 1.895

DeutzF6L-912W

DeutzBF4M1013EC

DeutzF8L-413FW

DeutzBF6M1013E

DeutzF8L-413FWB

ST710

DeutzBF6M1013FC MVS

6 50010 347 14 20018 200

8.825 2.105 4.345 1.925

1.9 1.9 3.1 3.1 3.2

Diesel ScooptramsAtlas Copco manufactures a complete range of loading and hauling equipment for underground mining and for tunnelling, with a system for every application.

The Atlas Copco line of diesel LHDs ranges from the 3.6metric ton tramming capacity ST2D to the 15 metric tontramming capacity of the ST1520, each of which has do-zens of options. Most vehicles are equipped with the paten-ted SAHR “fail-to-safe” brake system, catalytic purifi er andexhaust silencer, and have an axle oscillation between 14 and 20 degrees.

38503270

Video Camera

R22402000 x 45˚ Chamfered Corner

385032

70

R5430

1560

1400

3786

8624

Visit www.atlascopco.com/retc for more information

ST600LP

ST600LP

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Wagner.indd 2 2004-03-16, 14:17:40

VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONVEHICLE SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

ST8CST1020 ST1520

Detroit Diesel Series 60 DDEC

Detroit Diesel Series 60 DDEC

Detroit Diesel Series 60 DDEC

Tramming capacity (kg)Mechanical breakout force (kg)Hydraulic breakout force (kg)Operating weight of vehicle** (kg)

Length (m)Height, canopy/cab (m)Bucket height, max (m)Width, vehicle*** (m)

Standard diesel engine

Standard bucket (m3)

10 00013 381 14 95826 300

9.745 2.355 5.060 2.260

14 50019 878 23 25039 200

10.980 2.710 5.205 2.460

15 00021 674 25 50341 000

11.175 2.650 6.000 2.735

ST8B

Deutz DieselF12L-413FW

13 60817 70622 37436 800

10.290 2.650 5.335 2.795

*All data apply to standard equipped vehicles **Empty vehicle ***Less bucket

Diesel Scooptram model ST7.5Z

12 24515 700 17 97040 000

10.900 2.505 5.710 2.565

Detroit Diesel Series 60 DDEC

5.0 5.8 6.5 6.9 7.5

2355

1750

9745

5060

ST1020

Large Diesel Scooptram® LHDs

2000 x 45˚ Chamfered Corner

R3450

340040254330

4330

4025

3400

R6775

R6120

Visit www.atlascopco.com/retc for more information

ST1020

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Wagner.indd 3 2004-03-16, 14:17:42

VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONVEHICLE SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Electric Scooptram® LHDs

1750

1730

8635

3885

3685

3685

R5540

R2745

EST2D

Technical data*

Electric, three phase56 kW, 50 or 60 Hz

Tramming capacity (kg)Mechanical breakout force (kg)Hydraulic breakout force (kg)Operating weight of vehicle** (kg)

Length (m)Height (m)Bucket height, max (m)Width, vehicle*** (m)

Standard diesel engine

Standard bucket (m3)

3 629 6 000 9 31611 400

6.835 2.085 3.890 1.615

EST3.5

Electric, three phase74.6 kW, 50 or 60 Hz

6 000 8 180 9 96017 000

8.635 1.750 3.885 1.955

Electric Scooptram model

*All data apply to standard equipped vehicles **Empty vehicle ***Less bucket

1.9 3.1

Electric ScooptramsThe Scooptram EST2D is an LHD for small-sized opera-tions that range from construction sites to narrow-vein mining. The Scooptram EST3.5 is an LHD for small to medium-sized underground operations that include deve-lopment work, production mining and construction sites.This vehicle is attractive for operations that have existinginfrastructure for electric LHDs or for those that have in-suffi cient ventilation for diesel LHDs.

Several hundred electric-drive Atlas Copco Scooptrams have been delivered around the world. Currently available are the EST2D, EST3.5.

• Random-wrap Cable Reel with Automatic Tension Control• 50 Hz or 60 Hz, 380 to 1000 Volts• Spicer Modulated Shift Transmission with Integral Torque Converter• SAHR Brake System• ROPS/FOPS Canopy • Off-board Start• Effi cient, Reliable, Cost Effective

Electric LHD Advantages Relative to Diesel:• Lower Ventilation Requirement• Lower Levels of Noise and Heat• Lower Energy Costs• More Powerful Digging Action • Constant Torque and Quick Response• Lower Maintenance Costs

Electric LHD Disadvantages Relative to Diesel:• Limited Travel Due to Cable• Expensive Cable-replacement Cost

Capitalizing on years of electric LHD successes, the EST3.5 is ready to deliver reliable productivity to your operation

EST3.5

Visit www.atlascopco.com/retc for more information

EST3.5

144144

Wagner.indd 4 2004-03-16, 14:17:43

VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONVEHICLE SPECIFICATION

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Mine Trucks

2425

4420

9010

MT2000Mine Truck model MT436B MT5010

Payload capacity (kg)Operating weight of vehicle** (kg)

Length (m)Height, canopy/cab (m)Box height, max (m)Width, vehicle*** (m)

Volume semi-heaped (m ) 3

Standard diesel engine

32 65030 600

10.180 2.680 5.385 3.065

20 00020 400

9.010 2.425 4.420 2.210

50 00042 000

11.220 2.800 6.750 3.200

Detroit Diesel Series 50 DDEC

Detroit Diesel Series 60 DDEC

CumminsQSK19-C650

6.7-12.5 10.7-18.4

MT431B

28 12329 300

10.180 2.740 5.365 2.795

Detroit DieselSeries 60 DDEC

8.4-18.4 16.0-31.0

Technical data*

*All data apply to standard equipped vehicles **Empty vehicle ***Less bucket

Visit www.atlascopco.com/retc for more information

R4640

3365

4210

33654210

R7490

2000 x 45˚ Chamfered Corner

Mine TrucksAtlas Copco offers a full line of 4-wheel-drive, articulated underground haulage trucks with capacities ranging between 20 and 50 metric tonnes.

All Mine Trucks are equipped with a twin cylinder-raised dump box, and some are available with the patented Teletram box. Others utilize the ejector-type box in lowheadroom situations. All trucks are equipped with SAHRbrakes for safety, reliability and lower operating costs; axle oscillation of 16-20 degrees; catalytic purifi er and exhaust silencer; and can dump in approximately 15 seconds.

MT2000

MT2000

145145

Wagner.indd 5 2004-03-16, 14:17:43

ROCK DRILL SPECIFICATIONS ROCK DRILL SPECIFICATIONS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

RH 656W A rock drill with a very favourable relation of highhigh penetration/low air consumption. It has a robustrifl e bar rotation mechanism

and fl ushing system with double concentric tubes. The low weight makes the drill handy also as a sin-ker. A T-handle can easily be fi tted instead of using a pusher leg. Suitable pusher leg is BMK 625.

Stopers BBD 46WS/WR (Falcon)All-steel rock drills suitable for produ-ction drilling, raise driving and bolting.They have a robust ratchet wheel rota-tion mechanism, short stroke and goodpenetration rates in soft and medium-hard rock. The large diameter piston makes them very effi cient even withlow air pressure. The WR version hasclockwise rotation and can be used fortightening nuts when roof bolting.

BBD 94W (Panther)High performance rock drill for soft to hard rock. It has ratchet wheel rotation mechanism, short stroke and high impact rate. It is also effi cient at low air

pressure. The pusher leg control is placed on the pusher leg itself. Suitable pusher legs for BBD 94W are ALF 72D-1 and 72D, and ALF 67/80D.

BBC 34W (Leopard)Highly effi cient rock drill for medium to hard rock. It has a powerful rifl e bar rotation mechanism, long stroke and high impact energy.

The large diameter piston makes it very effi cient even with low air pressure. The pusher leg control is placed at the backhead of the rock drill. Suitable pusher legs for BBC 34W are ALF 71-1 and 71, and ALF 67/80.

BBC 16W (Puma)All-round rock drill which suits most drilling appli-cations. It has a robust rifl e bar rotation mechanism, long stroke and good

penetration rates in hard rock. The pusher leg control is placed at the backhead of the rock drill. Suitable pusher legs for BBC 16W are BMHT 51-3 and 51, ALF 71-1 and 71, and ALF 67/80.

A reliable team of effi cient pusher leg drillsAtlas Copco rock drills and rock drilling tools are an unbeatable combination of high performance and superior reliability. The pneumatic pusher leg drills are characterized by low spare parts consumption and minimum maintenance requirements. They are robust but simply designed, with high impact energy and low air consumption. The uniform high quality of materials and manufacturing

processes contribute to the long service life of the machines. Together with the pusher legs the rock drills form an attractive and cost effectivedrilling unit. The pneumatic telescopic and double-telescopic pusher legs are available in a number of versions. All are of a simple, robust design for reliable operation and minimum maintenancerequirements.

Pusher legsThe pneumatic telescopic and double-telescopic pusher legs are available in a number of versions.All are of a simple, robust design for reliable opera-tion and minimum maintenance requirements.

Hole rangemm

Description Strokelength

mm

Weight

kg

Length

mm

Air requirement at6 bar1/s

Impactfrequency

Hz

Pistonboremm

BBC 16WBBC 34WBBD 94WRH 656W

27 - 4027 - 4127 - 4027 - 40

60889748

39385534

70809065

55704560

26312722

710775670630

Airconsumption

at 6 bar*l/s (cfm)

Rock drillpistonboremm

Strokelength

mm

Impactrate

at 6 bar*Hz

Rotation rate

at 6 bar*rev/sec

Feedinglength

mm

Lengthretracted

mm

Lengthretracted

mm

Lengthextended

mm

Feedpistonboremm

Weight

kg

Description

BBD 46WS-6BBD 46WS-8BBD 46WR-6BBD 46WR-8

75 (159)75 (159)75 (159)75 (159)

75757575

45454545

51514949

4.04.06.56.5

770970770970

1435165014351650

2205262022052620

75757575

39403940

Stopers

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BBC.BBD.indd 2 2004-03-17, 13:22:21

COMPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENTCOMPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

VAM Water separatorsVAM water separators are based on the centrifugal principle. They feature automatic discharge via a fl oat controlled bottom valve, and a coarse strainer for solid particles.

Description Ordering No.Hoseconnection

Air flow Weight

VAM 5A 25 1 120 254 10 22 8092 0110 82

Working pressure 10 bar (145 psi)

mm l/s kg lbcfmin

Water separators, fitted with claw couplings

BLG and CLG are highly efficient mineral oillubricators for pneumatic equipment. Their simple, strong design makes the lubricators very resistant to rough handling.

BLG and CLG Lubricators

Description Ordering No.Hose innerdiameter

Air flow Oil volume Weight

CLG 30, for bothmineral and synthetic oil

BLG 30, for mineral oil

25 1 15-140 32-300 1.3 0.3 3 6.6 8202 5102 39

25 1 15-140 32-300 1.3 0.3 3 6.6 8202 5102 05

Max working pressure 20 bar (290 psi)

mm l/s l gal lbkgcfmin

Lubricators, fitted with claw couplings

Description Ordering No.Oil volume Weight

0.2 l bottle

1 l bottle

5 l container

25 l container

200 l barrel

0.2 0.04 0.24 0.53 8099 0202 40

1 0.22

5 1.1

1.1 2.4

5.8 13

28 62

220 485

8099 0202 36

8099 0202 02

8099 0202 20

8099 0202 28

l gal lbkg

25 5.5

200 44

Air oil, synthetic lubricant with excellent lubrication, anticorrosion and antifreezing properties

Having no moving parts contributes to safe and trouble-free operation. The oil supply is easily adjusted even during operation.

147147

complem. equipm..indd 1 2004-03-04, 11:36:41

COMPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENTCOMPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Description Ordering No.Thickness Max workingpressure

Innerdiameter

WeightLengthroll

Universal

Universal

9030 2015 00

9030 2011 00

mm in

20 3/4

25 1

2.3 3/32 20 290

20 290

20 65

20 65

4.5 10

6 13

mm in bar psi m ft kg lb

2.5 3/32

Mantex flat hoses, Pre-mounted hoses with fitted couplings and hose clamps

HosesThe Atlas Copco rubber hose is ideal for allapplications and air lines in use on building and construction sites, in mines and shipyards.

• The Mantex fl at hose is a lightweight hose, weighing only one third of a conventional rubber

hose.

Description Ordering No.Outerdiameter

Max workingpressure

Innerdiameter

WeightLengthroll

Rubber hose, 30m

Rubber hose, 30m

Rubber hose, 30m

Rubber hose, 30m

Rubber hose, 20m

Rubber hose, 20m

Rubber hose, 30m

9030 2037 00

9030 2038 00

9030 2039 00

9030 2040 00

9030 2040 03

9030 2041 00

9030 2041 03

mm in

10 3/8

12.5 1/2

16 5/8

17 11/16 16 232

16 232

16 232

16 232

16 232

16 232

16 232

30 98

30 98

30 98

30 98

20 65

30 98

20 65

6.9 15.2

12.3 27.1

13.9 30.6

19.3 42.5

12.9 28.3

24.0 52.9

16.0 35.3

mm in bar psi m ft kg lb

22 5/8

25 1

25 1

25 1

20 3/4

20 3/4

30 13/16

30 13/16

36 15/16

36 15/16

Round rubber, hose rolls

Description Ordering No.Thickness Max workingpressure

Innerdiameter

WeightLengthroll

Lightweight hose, 60m

Lightweight hose, 100m

Lightweight hose, 200m

Lightweight hose, 60m

Lightweight hose, 100m

Lightweight hose, 200m

Lightweight hose, 60m

Lightweight hose, 60m

Lightweight hose, 40m

9030 2014 00

9030 2014 01

9030 2014 02

9030 2006 00

9030 2006 01

9030 2006 02

9030 2007 00

mm in

20 3/4

20 3/4

20 3/4

2.3 3/32 20 290

20 290

20 290

20 290

20 290

20 290

14 203

60 195

100 325

200 650

60 195

100 325

200 650

60 195

13 29

22 48

44 96

16 35

26 57

52 114

27 60

mm in bar psi m ft kg lb

2.3 3/32

2.3 3/32

25 1

40 11/2

25 1

25 1

2.5 3/32

2.5 3/32

2.5 3/32

2.5 3/32

9030 2008 00 14 203 60 195 36 7950 2 2.8 7/64

9030 2009 00 10 145 40 130 36 7976 3 3.0 1/8

Mantex flat hoses, hose rolls

Max working pressure below is calculated with safety factor 5. Burst pressure = 5 x Max working pressure

Descriptionfor products

Ordering No.Outerdiameter

Max workingpressure

Innerdiameter

WeightLengthroll

Universal

Universal

Universal

9030 2045 00

9030 2049 00

9030 2050 00

mm in

12.5 1/2

20 3/4

25 1

22 5/8 16 232

16 232

16 232

15 49

15 49

15 49

5.9 13

7.6 16.8

12 26.5

mm in bar psi m ft kg lb

30 13/16

36 15/16

Round rubber hoses, pre-mounted hoses fitted with couplings and hose clamps

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COMPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENTCOMPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Claw couplingsYou will not fi nd a better claw coupling anywhere with such a low pressure drop. And its strength and life span are unsurpassed. Atlas Copcocouplings are always easy to assemble anddismantle. They are also available with a lock nut to provide effective, reliable sealing even under extreme conditions.

• Hard treatment resistant• Made of galvanised drop-forged, hardened steel• All couplings mate, regardless of nipple and thread size

Description Ordering No.Fit to couplingordering No.

9000....

Comment

Packing

Packing

Packing

Lock spring

9000 0000 00

9000 0015 00

9000 0268 00

3176 8640 00

0300 00 to0314 00

0260 00 to0262 00

0263 00 and0264 00

Can be replaced by specialpacking 9000 0000 01

Can be replaced by specialpacking 9000 0319 00

Fits to all 9000 0300 00to 9000 0314 00 couplings

Packings and lock spring for claw couplings

Special packings can be used in max. temp +200˚C (390˚F) steam and -40˚C to +250˚C(-40˚F to +482˚F) air. Excellent for neutral and alkaline liquids (pH above 5)

Connection Ordering No.BoreHose innerdiameter

Weight

Hose nipple

Hose nipple

Hose nipple

Hose nipple

Hose nipple

Hose nipple

Hose nipple with lock nut

Hose nipple with lock nut

Hose nipple with lock nut

9000 0308 00

9000 0309 00

9000 0310 00

9000 0311 00

9000 0312 00

9000 0313 00

9000 0260 00

mm in

6.3 1/4

10.0 3/8

12.5 1/2

5.0 3/16

8.0 5/16

10.5 13/32

13.5 17/32

17.2 11/16

22.0 7/8

8.0 5/16

0.11 0.25

0.13 0.29

0.14 0.31

0.14 0.31

0.15 0.33

0.17 0.38

0.29 0.64

mm in kg lb

25.0 1

10.0 3/8

16.0 5/8

20.0 3/4

9000 0261 00 10.5 13/32 0.29 0.6412.5 1/2

9000 0262 00 13.5 17/32 0.29 0.6416.0 5/8

Hose nipple with lock nut 9000 0263 00 17.2 11/16 0.32 0.7120.0 3/4

Hose nipple with lock nut 9000 0264 00 22.0 7/8 0.32 0.7125.0 1

Claw couplings

Connection Ordering No.BoreConnectingthread

Weight

External thread

External thread

External thread

External thread

Internal thread

Internal thread

Internal thread

Internal thread

Cover

9000 0300 00

9000 0301 00

9000 0302 00

9000 0303 00

9000 0304 00

9000 0305 00

9000 0306 00

G3/8A

G1/2A

G3/4A

11.3 7/16

14.8 37/64

19.0 3/4

25.5 1

15.0 19/32

18.6 3/4

24.2 1

0.11 0.25

0.12 0.27

0.13 0.29

0.13 0.29

0.12 0.27

0.13 0.29

0.14 0.31

mm in kg lb

G1/2

G3/4

G1A

G3/8

9000 0307 00 30.3 13/16 0.15 0.33G1

9000 0314 00 0.18 0.40

Claw couplings

149149

complem. equipm..indd 3 2004-03-04, 11:36:44

COMPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENTCOMPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Hosejointingnipple

Hoseclamp

Connectingnipples

External thread

Hoseclamp

Hosenipple

Hose diam.inner

Cup nutHexagonal

Cup nutWing

9000 0215 00

9000 0216 00

9000 0217 00

9000 0218 00

9000 0219 01

mm in

0347 6105 003/810

1/212.5

9000 0321 00

9000 0322 00

9000 0323 01

9000 0324 00

9000 0325 00

9000 0326 00

9000 0337 00

9000 0337 00

9000 0338 00

9000 0339 00

G5/8

9000 0331 00G5/8

9000 0331 00G3/4

9000 0332 00G3/4

9000 0332 00G3/4A - G3/4A

9000 0343 00G7/8A - G1A

9000 0345 00G11/8A - G1A

9000 0346 00

G7/8

9000 0333 00G11/8

9000 0334 00

9000 0194 00

1/212.5

9000 0195 005/816

9000 0196 003/420

9000 0197 00125

Guide, hose couplings for round rubber hoses

Hoseclamp

Hosenipple

Connectingnipples

Internal thread

PackingHose diam.inner

Connecting nipples

External thread

Cup nutWing

9000 0194 00

9000 0196 00

mm in

9000 0370 001/212.5

3/420

9000 0025 00 3)

9000 0197 00 9000 0372 00 9000 0154 00

9000 0154 00

9000 0154 00G1/2A

9000 0028 00G3/4A

9000 0029 00G1A

9000 0030 00G1

9000 0035 00

G3/4

9000 0034 00

G1/2

9000 0033 00

9000 0371 00 9000 0025 00 3)

9000 0025 00 3)125

Guide, hose couplings with particularly coarse thread for round rubber hoses

Hoseclamp

Hosejointingnipple

PackingClawcoupling

Hose diam.inner

mm in

9000 0218 00 1)3/420 125

9000 0194 009000 0313 009000 0312 00

9000 0000 00 3)

9000 0000 00 3)

9000 0219 01 1) 9000 0196 00

Guide, Mantex flat hoses

Hose couplings for rubber hose

Hosejointingnipple

Hoseclamp

Connectingnipples

Internal thread

Hosenipple

PackingHose diam.inner

Connectingnipples

External thread

Cup nutWing

9000 0220 00 2)

9000 0221 00 2)

9001 0045 00 2)

mm in

9000 0381 00

9000 0198 01

9000 0189 00

11/240

250

9000 0026 00 3)

9000 0026 00 3)

3176 8294 00 3)

9000 0159 00

9000 0159 00

3176 8295 00

G11/2A

9000 0031 00G2A

9000 0332 00G2A

3176 8296 00G3A

3215 7766 00

G11/2

9000 0036 00G2

9000 0037 009000 0374 00

9000 0373 00

376 9001 0025 80

376

Guide, Mantex flat hoses

1) 2 hose clamps per nipple needed 2) 4 hose clamps per nipple needed3) All claw couplings and hose nipples supplied with packings

150150

complem. equipm..indd 4 2004-03-04, 11:36:45

LUBRICANTSLUBRICANTS

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

COP OIL

Main featuresThe development of lubricating oil for pneumatic and hydraulic tools has been driven by the high de mands on en vi ron ment and reliability. COP OIL is made of care ful ly selected components that give the highest tech ni cal performance. COP OIL has a broad tem per a ture range that gives you optimum operation in the most variable air temperatures. It withstands heavy loads and protects against wear and corrosion. More and more users are recognising the advantages of using environmentally adapted lubricants. In ap pli ca tions where lubricant is contaminating the sur round ings, the use of environmentally adapted lu bri cants will therefore be a strong future demand. COP OIL is based on re ne-w a ble raw ma te ri als that are read i ly bi o de grad a ble. COP OIL is specially developed for Atlas Copco pneumaticand hydraulic rock drills and down-the-hole hammers.

COP OIL• Excellent lubricating properties.• Reduces the risk of scoring and abrasion.• Protects against corrosion and oxidation.• Insensitive to air temperature variations. Works equally well throughout the temperature range - 35°C to + 45°C (-31oF to +113oF).• Adhesion and larger drop formation contribute to the very good lubricating properties.• Based on > 90% renewable raw materials.• Readily biodegradable according to OECD301

Additives in the oil are:• Approved in accordance with the German authorities ”Blue Angel”• ”Approved” in accordance with the Swedish authorities ”Ren Smörja”

COP OILMineral oil

Readily biodegradable

10 days

28 days

60%

100%

Biodegradibility according to OECD 301Technical data

COP OIL

Density, 15°C: 927 kg/m³Viscosity at 40°C: 65 cStViscosity at 100°C: 13.4 cStIndex of viscosity: 215Flame point 250ºC (482ºF)Lowest fl ow temperature: - 39ºC (-38ºF)Part number

3115 3125 00 Can 10 litres 3115 3126 00 Can pallet 48 x 10 litres 3115 3127 00 Drum 208 litres

A new oil for Atlas Copco pneumatic and hy drau lic rock drills and DTH hammers that unites tech nol o gy and the en vi ron ment

Using Atlas Copco COP OIL ensures that you are doing your best for both the environment and your equipment!

151151

COP OIL.indd 1 2004-03-05, 10:11:31

COMPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENTCOMPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENT

FACE DRILLINGFACE DRILLING

Mobile Service and Hose WorkshopsFor easy and convenient service of drill rigs and hydraulic hoses

Visit www.facedrilling.com for more information

152152

When you invest in an Atlas Copco drill rig you receive a quality product. Quality gives reliability, availability and high productivity, which is essential to make profi t. But the quality of any machine has to be maintained in order to give continuous high performance and good operating economy.And that can only be obtained through regular preventive maintenance and the use of Genuine Parts from Atlas Copco.A service workshop located on site or close by is the key solution to rapid maintenance and repair routines. This is why Atlas Copco have designed and equipped mobile workshops to serve different servicing requirements.

Convenient serviceThe latest enhanced versions of the well regarded Atlas Copco Mobile Workshop and Mobile Hose Workshop contain all of the equipment needed for maintenance and increased availability of rockdrills and drillrigs. They are housed in 20 ft ISO standard steel containers, internally insulated and fi tted with non-slip aluminium fl oor plating. Each workshop container is equipped with heating and has acomplete electric and compressed air line system for immediate connection to external electrical and pneumatic power sources.

Basic Mobile WorkshopThe container can be delivered standard equip as a Basic Mobile Workshop without any tools or machinery for those who wish to equip the container themselves. In this version it has aworkbench, 2.5 m-long with vice and lockable

pedestal; shelves; tool-board with tool hooks;14 m-long hose rollup for air pressure; 17 m-long,230 V electric cable rollup; writing desk with lockable pedestal; powder fi re extinguisher; fi rst aid panel; ventilation system; and heating fan.

Mobile WorkshopThe fully equipped version of the Mobile Workshop comes complete with standard tool kit, comprising all hand tools needed for carrying out service and repair work; 30 t hydraulic press, with mandrel set; 500 kg extensible hoist beam with manual tackle; and a smalI-part cleaning booth,with exhaust. The Mobile Workshop can then be completed with a number of well thought-out options of special tools, instruments and machinery to optimise effi ciency. Mobile Workshops are suitable for installation of drill bit grinding equipment, and the Secoroc Grind Matic Manual B air-powered, handheld portable grinding machine can be supplied.

Mobile Hose WorkshopA new approach to hose maintenance is the Mobile Hose Workshop with the hose assembly centre, a complete hose mounting workbench, designed to fulfi l all your needs for a safe and professional assembly of hydraulic hoses with up to four reinforcement layers. The centre is delivered with ahose reel, cutting machine, peeling machine, marking machine, hose cleaning equipment and hose press. The centre is delivered with all the necessary accessories.

2600

2500 6000

Each container has two main doors at the front that open completely, and on one side they have a window with steel shutter.

View inside fully equipped Mobile Workshop

View inside fully equipped Mobile Hose Workshop

General informationThe containers have a base socket provided for forklift transportation. The external dimensions of the containers are 6.0 x 2.5 x 2.6 m, and they weigh around 3 t, depending on equipment. The mobile workshops can be delivered for 230V/50 Hz and 380V/50 Hz, or other voltages on request.

After market.indd 2 2004-03-04, 13:27:13

SECOROC Magnum SR family: Drifting equipment you can bank on

Magnum SR is a revolution for your bottom line.Armed with this novel concept, you’ll be blasting,rock bolting and advancing your tunnel quickerand more cost-efficiently than ever before. How can we be so sure? Because we’ve designed (and rigorously tested) an ingenious new thread system. Thanks to more material where it’s really needed, the result is a stronger, more durabledrill string.

The family now consists of SR28, SR32 and SR35, covering hole sizes from 33 mm up to 64 mm. The addition of the new Dome bits to our already extensive range of reaming equipment further reinforces Magnum SR as the best possiblechoice for drifting and bolting applications.

For more information on safe investments, don’t call your accountant. Talk to your local Secoroc representative. Or head straight to www.atlascopco.com.

Atlas Copco Secoroc AB SE-737 25 Fagersta, SwedenPhone: +46 223 461 00 Fax: +46 223 461 01www.atlascopco.com

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MagnumSR range uppd.indd 1 2004-03-19, 14:58:57

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Atlas Copco supplies a wide range of cost-effi cient tunnelling and construction solutions, including Boomer drill rigs, Secoroc rock drilling tools, Swellex rockbolts, MAI self-drilling anchors and fully-mechanized Boltec rock bolting rigs.

Each and every product has been designed to help maximize your tunnel advance and minimize costs per drilled metre.

Because we’re a global organization, we have the resources to be truly local.

Find out more at www.atlascopco.com and select “Country”. Or give us a call. We’d be happy to listen to your requirements, and even happier to meet them.

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