What are the differences between rotary drilling rigs and long auger drilling rigs
Rotary Drilling Rigs and long auger drilling rigs are two common types of drilling machines. They're widely used in construction foundation projects and other areas. There are lots of differences between them in terms of how they work, what kind of ground they're good for, how the holes they make are like, their structures, and how efficient they are in construction. Let me tell you all about it in detail:
1. How They Work
Rotary Drilling Rigs: It's got a bucket type drill bit with a door at the bottom. The bit spins around to break up the rocks and soil. Then it just scoops them right into the bit. After that, the rig's lifting thing and the telescopic drill pipe pull the bit out of the hole to dump the dirt. It keeps doing this over and over again until it drills down to the planned depth.
Long Auger Drilling Rigs: The power head makes the auger drill pipe spin. While it's spinning, the spiral blades on the drill bit cut through the soil. The cut up soil then goes up along the spiral blades and gets pushed out of the hole through the soil discharged. That's how it makes a pile hole.
2. The ground conditions they fit
Rotary Drilling Rigs: These rigs can work on many kinds of ground. That includes sticky soil, silty soil, sandy soil, muddy soil, man made backfill soil, and even ground with some pebbles and crushed stones. And if it's a harder ground like weathered rock, as long as you put on the right drill bit, it can still drill through.
Long Auger Drilling Rigs: They're better for soft ground like sticky soil, silty soil, and sandy soil. But when they hit a pebble layer or really hard rock, it's tough for them to drill. And it can easily wear out the drill bit or damage the machine.
3. What the holes are like when they're made
Rotary Drilling Rigs: They make holes with high accuracy and the hole walls are pretty stable. Since it takes out the soil one bucket at a time, it doesn't mess up the hole walls too much. You can also adjust the drilling settings of the bit to control how straight and how wide the hole is. And after it makes a hole, there's not much sediment at the bottom, which is great for making the pile foundation stronger.
Long Auger Drilling Rigs: They can make holes really fast, but the hole walls are a bit rough. While it's drilling, the spiral blades push on the hole walls a bit. For some loose ground, it might make the hole walls collapse in parts or get narrower. Also, after making a hole, there'll be some loose soil at the bottom that you gotta clean up.
4. What the equipment is made up of
Rotary Drilling Rigs: Their structures are kind of complicated. They're mainly made up of a chassis, a mast, a power head, a drill pipe, a drill bit, and also a hydraulic system and an electrical system. The chassis is usually either on tracks or wheels, so it's stable and easy to move around. The mast holds up the drill pipe and the power head and can change the drilling angle. The power head gives the spinning power, and the drill pipe passes that power to the drill bit.
Long Auger Drilling Rigs: Their structures are simpler. They mainly have a main machine, a power head, an auger drill pipe, a drill bit, a winch, and an electrical control system. The main machine is usually on tracks or has a walking type design. The power head is on the main machine and uses a reducer to make the auger drill pipe spin. The winch is for lifting and lowering the drill pipe.
5. Construction Efficiency
Rotary Drilling Rigs: In normal ground, the rotary drilling rig drills a bit slowly. But it's highly automated, so the extra work like pulling out the drill and dumping the soil is quick. So overall, it's still pretty efficient. And it's really good at deep hole drilling and working on complex ground.
Long Auger Drilling Rigs: They can make holes super fast, especially for shallow holes in soft ground. But when they face harder ground or need to drill deep holes, their drilling speed drops a lot. And because of the way they get rid of the soil, they might have to pull out the drill a few times to clean the soil inside the pipe, which slows down the whole construction process.
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