Autonomous and ultrasonically assisted drilling in a range of rocks and ice
Autonomous and ultrasonically assisted drilling in a range of rocks and ice
Drilling in extreme environments may require reductions in weight-on-bit, applied torque, or energy use, without compromising rate-of-progress. This paper examines the use of ultrasonic vibration, directly superimposed onto an augering coring bit, to achieve this goal in aircrete, limestone, marble, tuff, and ice.
Compared to traditional rotary drilling processes using the same tool, the ultrasonically assisted drilling processes demonstrated improved rate-of-progress (∼400%) in all materials studied. In aircrete and limestone, there were also modest but consistent reductions in torque power demand and, at optimum vibration amplitudes, total energy consumption (∼25%). The other materials gave more mixed results: ultrasonically assisted drill cycles in marble were energy intensive, those in tuff were unpredictable due to the inconsistencies in that material, and those in ice led to the failure of the tooth bonding.
Li, Xuan
ed01c0d5-68e0-4abe-8642-5b9ebf153314
Harkness, Patrick
f9a62f8c-1950-427e-82ee-ebfc3576feb3
September 2022
Li, Xuan
ed01c0d5-68e0-4abe-8642-5b9ebf153314
Harkness, Patrick
f9a62f8c-1950-427e-82ee-ebfc3576feb3
Li, Xuan and Harkness, Patrick
(2022)
Autonomous and ultrasonically assisted drilling in a range of rocks and ice.
Ultrasonics, 125, [106803].
(doi:10.1016/j.ultras.2022.106803).
Abstract
Drilling in extreme environments may require reductions in weight-on-bit, applied torque, or energy use, without compromising rate-of-progress. This paper examines the use of ultrasonic vibration, directly superimposed onto an augering coring bit, to achieve this goal in aircrete, limestone, marble, tuff, and ice.
Compared to traditional rotary drilling processes using the same tool, the ultrasonically assisted drilling processes demonstrated improved rate-of-progress (∼400%) in all materials studied. In aircrete and limestone, there were also modest but consistent reductions in torque power demand and, at optimum vibration amplitudes, total energy consumption (∼25%). The other materials gave more mixed results: ultrasonically assisted drill cycles in marble were energy intensive, those in tuff were unpredictable due to the inconsistencies in that material, and those in ice led to the failure of the tooth bonding.
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Accepted/In Press date: 5 July 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 14 July 2022
Published date: September 2022
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Local EPrints ID: 497969
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/497969
ISSN: 0041-624X
PURE UUID: ce50cd1c-0712-4fb6-a7fd-9b99bb613900
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Date deposited: 05 Feb 2025 17:47
Last modified: 22 Aug 2025 02:46
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Author:
Xuan Li
Author:
Patrick Harkness
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