What is Diamond Core Drilling?

What is Diamond Core Drilling?

Diamond core drilling is a faster, more accurate and efficient method of drilling concrete, masonry, steel and asphalt structures. The technique is entirely safe and noise-free, making it an environment-friendly alternative for construction contractors. The diamond drilling technique doesn’t cause any damage or vibration to the surroundings.

The core drilling method abolishes the chances of fractures and reduces spalling. With the right diamond core drill bits, be rest assured of sharp, accurate and precise openings that don’t need patches or any other repair. Instead, you can immediately start with the following installation, insertion, or operation required. Diamond core drilling machines can smoothly cut through reinforced concrete and rebar, enabling you to get holes of the diameters needed at the desired place. With the helo core drill, you can make holes up to 60 inches in diameter for various purposes. For example, you can make HVAC installation openings and electrical and plumbing work.

Types of Diamond Drilling

There are primarily two types of diamond drilling – one is rotary drilling and the other is wireline drilling. Rotary drilling drills borehole drilling, whereas wireline drilling, is used for solid core sampling.

Below are the five standard tube sizes for wireline drilling.

1. AQ (hole diameter – 48 mm)
2. BQ (60 mm)
3. NQ (75.5 mm)
4. HQ (96 mm)
5. PQ (75.5 mm)

The selection of drill size in wireline drilling depends on the desired diameter and the depth of drilling.

Design Specification of Diamond Core Drills

A diamond core drill is quite similar to a hole saw. It has a diamond-studded steel tube mounted on a rotating shaft. The core bit’s temperature is controlled with water during the drilling process and helps get rid of dust while drilling through a structure.

Diamond core drilling equipment can cut in horizontal as well as vertical directions. They are suitable over other drilling equipment when circular and more accurate cuts are required. The contractor uses core drills to create openings of different sizes. Core drilling is commonly used to create space for routing cables, installing load-carrying devices or performing concrete sample analysis.

Application

The primary use of diamond drilling is in the mining sector. It is usually used in one of the last exploration stages delineated in three dimensions. Long sections of the diamond drill rig can be extracted from deep in the ground and analysed by the geologist. It will determine whether the prospect is economically viable.

A wide range of petrologic, structural, and mineralogical techniques determine if the potential mining site is economically capable. The geologist washed the extracted core and logged macroscopic features. Later, the core is cut, and representatives send samples for chemical analysis.

Critical features of Diamond Core Drills

• Faster and more efficient, it required much fewer labour hours, resulting in significantly lower operating costs.
• Effectively creates precise holes and cuts with minimal damage to the surrounding areas, reducing the amount of debris and eliminating dust.
• Maintains structural integrity and does not transfer vibrations to the nearby structures.
• It drills through the most rigid material and produces less noise.
• Diamond drills are versatile and suitable for many cutting applications; they can cut anywhere from 10 to 1000 millimeters, allowing any required depth.
• It is user-friendly as it is lightweight and compact in design.
• Equally useful for dry as well as wet drilling.
• It can run on multiple power sources, including electric motors and hydraulic.

Basic Core Drilling Methods

There are two primary core drilling techniques commonly used by diamond drilling Kent. Extensive Diameter Core Drilling, also known as precision core drilling, this technique creates holes from standard 10mm – 700mm diameters. The contractor uses this technique to create clean and precise holes for ducting and larger pipe installation.

Stitch Drilling

This technique is used when you need to make a non-standard size or shape of the hole. This is obtained by sequentially creating an array of holes using a core drilling machine. In stitch drilling, multiple holes are formed in the link to create an opening through a wall or a slab. This method is preferred when the depth of the structure is more than the limit of traditional saws. This process allows one to create any size or shape needed, including the standard circular and square. Stitch drilling is commonly used for making holes for crane base removals, openings for lift shaft, and many other industrial applications where conventional saw cutting doesn’t seem to work.

Health and Safety

Diamond drilling rigs are no exception when it comes to safety. Operators must wear protective equipment at all times; it includes steel toe cap boots, hearing protectors, gloves and goggles.

When the drill rig is on, one must be careful to have the drillers’ attention before stepping into the work site. Please do not surprise the operator as it can cause injury to the operator.

Moreover, diamond drilling is an exploration technique, and it is often carried out in harsh environments; it requires due diligence.

Summing Up

If you want to learn more about diamond drilling, its application, and its benefits, visit us online or contact our specialists at CA Drillers.