Present situation and development of tunnel rock drilling equipment in China

by Simone S. sinorockco

In tunneling construction, the main construction methods are drilling and blasting method and tunnel boring machine method. Drilling and blasting method are still one of the most commonly used in tunneling in China due to the advantages of economy, high efficiency and strong adaptability to geology.

At present, drilling and blasting method is mainly equipped with multiple air leg rock drills on the multi-functional platform for drilling. Adopting pneumatic rock drill has the advantages of simple operation, low cost and easy maintenance. However, when the pneumatic rock drill is used for drilling, there are many operators on tunnel face, generally 13-20 people. Such a great potential safety hazard that it obviously cannot meet the needs of corresponding policy and social development. At the same time, the low energy utilization rate of pneumatic rock drill is inconsistent with the national policy of promoting energy conservation and emission reduction.

pneumatic rock dril

In addition to pneumatic rock drill, hydraulic drill can also be used in tunneling drilling. Compared with pneumatic rock drill, hydraulic rock drill has the advantages of high efficiency, fast drilling speed, low noise, small pollution and low power consumption. Hydraulic rock drill using rock drilling rig as carrier has been widely used in tunnel construction in Europe, America and Japan. Moreover, modern fully intelligent computer trolley is often used in tunnel boring construction, but it has not been fully promoted in China.

hydraulic drill

From the perspective of technology and economy, the use of hydraulic rock drilling equipment can reduce the number of working on tunnel face, reduce pollution to working environment, save energy and environmental protection, and conform to the national policy orientation. In tunnel drilling operations, there is no doubt that the use of hydraulic rock drilling equipment is an inevitable trend of future development.