Drifter drill

Last updated October 23, 2024

A drifter drill, sometimes called a rock drill, is a tool used in mining and civil engineering to drill into rock. Rock drills are used for making holes for placing dynamite or other explosives in rock blasting, and holes for plug and feather quarrying.^[1]

History and types

The simplest form of rock drill consists of a long chisel or drill steel that was struck with a sledgehammer.^[4] Mark Twain, who worked unsuccessfully as a silver miner in the early 1860s before taking up journalism, described the process: "One of us held the iron drill in its place and another would strike with an eight-pound sledge--it was like driving nails on a large scale. In the course of an hour or two the drill would reach a depth of two or three feet, making a hole a couple of inches in diameter."^[5] This hole was then filled with the blasting powder. In "jump-driving", a team of 2-4 men worked a single hole, each taking turns pounding. Around 1900, the average jump-driver could produce 50 feet (15 m) of hole a day.^[6]

Powered rock drills eventually replaced the manual use of a chisel to bore holes by the turn of the 20th century. The dramatic differences between the hand steel and power drills was the basis for the legend of American folk hero John Henry, who according to folklore undertook a competition pitting his hand steel against a steam power drill, only to collapse dead when victorious.^[7]

The first steam drill was developed in 1813 by Richard Trevithick.^[8] Steam drills found greater use in surface quarries than in underground mines, as there they could be much closer to the requisite boilers.^[9]

All rock drills produce dust which is hazardous to inhale, causing widespread silicosis among ancient miners. Modern rock drills flood the borehole with water to capture the dust and improve the air quality in the mine. This has the additional benefits of lubricating and cooling the drill bit. In 1867, French civil engineer M. Leschott introduced the diamond drill bit.^[10]

Configurations

In reciprocating power drills, the drilling cylinder is mounted on a feed-screw, such that as the hole is drilled and the drilling point recedes from the rock face, the drill-bit continues to move into it, while the anchor point (on the tripod or column) remains in place.^[11] The drill bit has to be changed out for a longer one every 12 to 30 inches (30 to 76 cm), depending on the length of the feed screw.^[12]

Rock drills may be mounted for anchoring against the rockface in several different ways. For downward vertical drilling, particularly in quarrying, rock drills may be mounted on tripods with attached weights so as to provide sufficient pressure against the surface.^[9]^[12] For horizontal drilling, jack mounts or columns may be used, which lock into the ceiling and floor for the drill to push against.

A quarry bar consists of a rock drill mounted to a long rod, such that the rock drill may be moved along it. This tool is used in quarrying to produce a straight row of holes, such as for use with the plug and feather to split the stone along the given line.^[1]

Drill bits

Rock is hard and would quickly wear out a plain steel drill bit.^[13] Typically the drill is tipped with an insert of a much harder material that can be replaced as it wears away, such as tungsten carbide. The differential wear between different bits used to make a single hole could result in an uneven hole in which a blasting charge might not properly fit.^[14] This was a potentially dangerous situation with relatively unstable explosives, such as dynamite, if they were forced.^[14] To prevent this, a tool was used for measuring the individual bits and the hole.^[14]

Rotary rock drills often use bits coated in diamond (in the form of bort).^[15] The diamonds are set into metal or ceramic such that the harder diamond protrudes as the softer material wears, shielding the bulk from further wear until the diamond slowly wears away.^[10] For drilling through ice or frozen soil, heated drill bits may be used^[16]

Early rock drills

In 1849, J. J. Couch, an American inventor from Philadelphia, received the first patent for a rock drill.^[17] It featured a drill rod which passed through a hollow piston and was thrown against the rock.

In 1851, James Fowle received a patent for a rock drill powered by steam or compressed air.^[18]

Related Research Articles

Underground hard-rock mining refers to various underground mining techniques used to excavate "hard" minerals, usually those containing metals, such as ore containing gold, silver, iron, copper, zinc, nickel, tin, and lead. It also involves the same techniques used to excavate ores of gems, such as diamonds and rubies. Soft-rock mining refers to the excavation of softer minerals, such as salt, coal, and oil sands.

A crusher is a machine designed to reduce large rocks into smaller rocks, gravel, sand or rock dust.

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to manage their safety risks and reduce their environmental impact.

A drill is a tool used for making round holes or driving fasteners. It is fitted with a bit, either a drill or driver chuck. Hand-operated types are dramatically decreasing in popularity and cordless battery-powered ones proliferating due to increased efficiency and ease of use.

A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, or otherwise working and removing the rock. In a broader sense, a "miner" is anyone working within a mine, not just a worker at the rock face.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drill bit</span> Type of cutting tool

A drill bit is a cutting tool used in a drill to remove material to create holes, almost always of circular cross-section. Drill bits come in many sizes and shapes and can create different kinds of holes in many different materials. In order to create holes drill bits are usually attached to a drill, which powers them to cut through the workpiece, typically by rotation. The drill will grasp the upper end of a bit called the shank in the chuck.

Stone carving is an activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, stone work has survived which was created during our prehistory or past time.

A jackhammer is a pneumatic or electro-mechanical tool that combines a hammer directly with a chisel. It was invented by William McReavy, who then sold the patent to Charles Brady King. Hand-held jackhammers are generally powered by compressed air, but some are also powered by electric motors. Larger jackhammers, such as rig-mounted hammers used on construction machinery, are usually hydraulically powered. These tools are typically used to break up rock, pavement, and concrete.

A drilling rig is an integrated system that drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construction purposes, into the earth's subsurface. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person and such are called augers. Drilling rigs can sample subsurface mineral deposits, test rock, soil and groundwater physical properties, and also can be used to install sub-surface fabrications, such as underground utilities, instrumentation, tunnels or wells. Drilling rigs can be mobile equipment mounted on trucks, tracks or trailers, or more permanent land or marine-based structures. The term "rig" therefore generally refers to the complex equipment that is used to penetrate the surface of the Earth's crust.

The churn drill is a large drilling machine that bores large diameter holes in the ground. In mining, they were used to drill into the soft carbonate rocks of lead and zinc hosted regions to extract bulk samples of the ore. Churn drills are also called percussion drills, as they function by lifting and dropping a heavy chisel-like bit which breaks the rock as it falls. Churn drills are most effective in soft- to medium-density rock of relative shallow depth.

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Stoping is the process of extracting the desired ore or other mineral from an underground mine, leaving behind an open space known as a stope. Stoping is used when the country rock is sufficiently strong not to collapse into the stope, although in most cases artificial support is also provided.

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References

1 2 Sullivan Machinery Company (1903). The Excavation of Rock by Machinery. New York: Chasmar-Winchell Press. pp. 39, 41.
↑ Davies, E. Henry (1902). Machinery for Metalliferous Mines. London: Crosby Lockwood. pp. 151–152.
↑ Raymond, R.W. (1881). "rock-drill". Glossary of Mining and Metallurgical Terms. Easton, Pa.: American Institute of Mining Engineers.
↑ Raymond, R.W. (1881). "drill". Glossary of Mining and Metallurgical Terms. Easton, Pa.: American Institute of Mining Engineers.
↑ Twain, Mark (1891). Roughing It . Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company. p. 212.
↑ Marsh Jr., Robert (1920). Steam Shovel Mining. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 136.
↑ Grimes, William. "Taking Swings at a Myth, With John Henry the Man", New York Times , Books section, October 18, 2006.
↑ Weston, Eustace M. (1910). Rock Drills: Design, Construction, and Use. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. p. 1.
1 2 Davies, E. Henry (1902). Machinery for Metalliferous Mines. London: Crosby Lockwood. p. 156.
1 2 Le Ruey, Edward (1877). Hints on Mining Affairs. London, Ont.: Advertiser Steam Presses. pp. 7–8.
↑ Kirk, Arthur (1891). The Quarryman and Contractor's Guide. Pittsburgh, PA.: W. J. Golder & Co. pp. 84–85.
1 2 Cosgrove, John Joseph (1913). Rock Excavating and Blasting. Pittsburgh: National Fire Proofing Company. pp. 35–44.
↑ André, George Guillaume (1878). Rock Blasting: A Practical Treatise on the Means Employed in Blasting Rocks for Industrial Purposes. London: E. & F. N. Spon.
1 2 3 Maurice, William (c. 1910). The Shot-Firer's Guide. London: "The Electrician" Printing and Publishing Company Ltd. pp. 79–80.
↑ Raymond, R.W. (1881). "diamond-drill". Glossary of Mining and Metallurgical Terms. Easton, Pa.: American Institute of Mining Engineers.
↑ Marsh Jr., Robert (1920). Steam Shovel Mining. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 135.
↑ "From gunpowder to Pit Viper" (PDF). Atlas Copco. Retrieved July 18, 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
↑ "Drills". Cornish Mining World Heritage. Retrieved July 18, 2012.

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[Sullivan_quarrybar-1] 1 2 Sullivan Machinery Company (1903). The Excavation of Rock by Machinery. New York: Chasmar-Winchell Press. pp. 39, 41.

[Davies151-2] Davies, E. Henry (1902). Machinery for Metalliferous Mines. London: Crosby Lockwood. pp. 151–152.

[3] Raymond, R.W. (1881). "rock-drill". Glossary of Mining and Metallurgical Terms. Easton, Pa.: American Institute of Mining Engineers.

[4] Raymond, R.W. (1881). "drill". Glossary of Mining and Metallurgical Terms. Easton, Pa.: American Institute of Mining Engineers.

[Twain-5] Twain, Mark (1891). Roughing It . Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company. p. 212.

[6] Marsh Jr., Robert (1920). Steam Shovel Mining. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 136.

[Grimes-7] Grimes, William. "Taking Swings at a Myth, With John Henry the Man", New York Times , Books section, October 18, 2006.

[Weston_1-8] Weston, Eustace M. (1910). Rock Drills: Design, Construction, and Use. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. p. 1.

[Davies156-9] 1 2 Davies, E. Henry (1902). Machinery for Metalliferous Mines. London: Crosby Lockwood. p. 156.

[Le_Ruey-10] 1 2 Le Ruey, Edward (1877). Hints on Mining Affairs. London, Ont.: Advertiser Steam Presses. pp. 7–8.

[Kirk-11] Kirk, Arthur (1891). The Quarryman and Contractor's Guide. Pittsburgh, PA.: W. J. Golder & Co. pp. 84–85.

[Cosgrove_IV-12] 1 2 Cosgrove, John Joseph (1913). Rock Excavating and Blasting. Pittsburgh: National Fire Proofing Company. pp. 35–44.

[Andre_1878-13] André, George Guillaume (1878). Rock Blasting: A Practical Treatise on the Means Employed in Blasting Rocks for Industrial Purposes. London: E. & F. N. Spon.

[Maurice-14] 1 2 3 Maurice, William (c. 1910). The Shot-Firer's Guide. London: "The Electrician" Printing and Publishing Company Ltd. pp. 79–80.

[15] Raymond, R.W. (1881). "diamond-drill". Glossary of Mining and Metallurgical Terms. Easton, Pa.: American Institute of Mining Engineers.

[16] Marsh Jr., Robert (1920). Steam Shovel Mining. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 135.

[17] "From gunpowder to Pit Viper" (PDF). Atlas Copco. Retrieved July 18, 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

[18] "Drills". Cornish Mining World Heritage. Retrieved July 18, 2012.

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