Sandvik Coromant rock drilling tools

Care and maintenance

 Your Sandvik Coromant rock drilling tools have been specially developed to
withstand the high stresses to which they will be subjected during drilling.
The steel components are made of special alloys, with high resistance to
fatigue and good rigidiry. Subsequent heat treatment ofthe steel gives high
resistance to wear. The cemented carbide used in drill bits has been spec'ially
developedfor"rock dt"illing. It can be said that all the ingredients needed Jbr
good drilling results are "built-in" to your Sandvik Coromant products
during the manufacturing process. But remember - if you want to make the
most of this quality, it is important that you use the rock tools in the correct
way.This booklet contains afew practical tips on how you can erploit the
full capabilities of Coromant rock drilling tools, and so produce your drill
holes in the most fficient and reliable way.
Setting-up the drill rig
The feed beam (or mast) must be
braced firmly against the rock, so
that it does not move during drill-
ing. If the feed moves during
drilling, the drillsteel will bend,
which could result in fracture. In
bench drilling, a stable set-up is
obtained (on modern drill rigs)
with the aid of hydraulic jacks. A
firmly braced feed beam will en-
able you to exploit the feed force
(or thrust) fully, so that you get the
optimum penetration rate (or drill-
ing speed).
Collaring (starting suddenly switched on - this could
cause the cemented carbide in the
the drill hole) drill bit to crack. There would also
be a danger of getting stuck, and/or
Switch-on the flushing and run the blocking the flushingholes in the
drill bit up against the rock face drill bit.
with the percussion (hammer)
switched OFF. If you engage per-
cussion too early, you will loosen
the threads in the drill string, and
possibly damage the drill bit.

With the drill bit pressed lightly

against the rock face, engage re-
duced feed force, reduced percuss-
ion and normal rotation. Make sure
that flushing is effective. Collaring
the hole without flushing would
cause the temperature of the drill
bit to rise. Rapid cooling would
then occur when the flushing was

4
Increase the percussion energy
once the drill bit is bedded in the
rock. In drifting, it is sometimes
necessary to realign the feed
beam after the first few centime-
tres of drilling, so that the feed and
drill steel are exactly parallel. This
corrects any bending in the drill
steel and minimises deviation of
the drill hole. In bench drilling, no
further adjustment of the feed is
necessary after collaring, provided
that the drill rig was given a stable
set-up to begin with.
In bench drilling, the drill-steel
support (or centralizer) must be
closed during collaring. In drifting,
do not allow the play between the
drill steel and the bushing in the
centraltzer to become too great.
Check the centralizer bushings re-
gularly, and change them as soon
as they become wom.
If you were to continue drilling
with bending stresses in the drill
steel, the risk of fracture would
increase considerably.
Drilling
Always adjust the percussion ener-
gy to suit the type of rock in which
you are drilling. If the rock is soft
or cracked, reduce the pressure to
the percussion mechanism.
Modern drill rigs are equipped
with a variety of devices for
adjusting the pressure.
Feed
By applying the correct feed press-
ure, you will obtain the best drill-
ing economy. If the feed force is
too low, the rate of penetration will
also be low, and the threads in the
drill string will loosen. Drilling
with loose threads interferes with
the transmission of energy through
the drill string. This causes high
stresses which can lead to prema-
ture fatigue in the drilling equip-
ment. It can also cause fatigue da-
mage to the cemented carbide in
the drill bit.
and couplings to wear-out very
quickly.
The feed force can also be too
high, which causes the rotation
speed of the drill bit to drop. This
increases the risk of jamming and,
at the same time, reduces the rate
of penetration. You will also notice
an increase in bending stresses in
the drill steel.

A sign of poor feed force is hot

and rattling coupling sleeves. The
high temperature causes the
threads ofthe shank adapter, rods
 B:9-1O mm
Rotation
The speed of rotation must be set
to suit the diameter of the drill bit
and the frequency of the percuss-
ion mechanism (the number of
blows per minute). The inserts (or
buttons) in the drill bit must be
tumed a suitable distance between
each blow from the hammer, so
that they always break fresh rock.
The larger the diameter of the drill
bit, the slower the permissible rota-
tion speed. Ifthe rotation speed is
too high, the cemented carbide in-
serts will wear rapidly, particularly
at the periphery (outer edges) of
the drill bit. For drill bit diameters
between 51 and 102 mm, the nor-
mal speed of rotation is 160-80
rev/min (faster rotation for smaller
bit diameters). This would corre-
spond to turning a peripheral butt-
on through 9-10 mm between each
blow from the hammer. For lar-eer
drill bit diameters, the rotation
speed can be even slower than 80
rev/min, especially in abrasive
rock. In the case of bit diameters
greater than 51 mm, the rotation
speed for a button bit should be
lower than that for a corresponding
cross- or X-bit.
(Example: Using T38 drill steel
equipment and a m l6 mm drill bit
in granite with a compressive
strength of 150-220 MPa: feed
pressure 65 bar; percussion press-
ure 180 bar; rotation speed for but-
ton bit, 100 rev/min; rotation speed
for cross- or X-bit, 130 revlmin).
Flushing in a rock drill of this type, the
shank adapter must be clean, and
The bottom of the hole must be free of excessive anti-rust wax.
kept free of drill cuttings. Good
flushing gives quick removal of
the drill cuttings, and keeps the
drill hole open. Insufficient flush-
ing reduces the rate of penetration
and increases the risk of jamming.
If you have pneumatic drilling
equipment that is designed for
central flushing, using water as the
flushing medium, the water press-
ure must be kept lower (approx. 1
bar) than the air pressure. If this is
not done, there is a danger that
water will leak into the rock drill.
If you think you need a higher
flushing-water pressure, use equip-
ment designed for separate flush-
ing. To avoid damaging the seals
Change damaged shank packings
at once. Otherwise the film of
lubricating oil on the shank adapter
will be washed away very quickly.
This would result in speedy dama-
ge to both the rock drill and the
shank adapter. (Drilling back and
forth while attempting to free a
jammed drill string causes heavy
wear to the shank packing.) Use
suitable tongs that do not have
sharp edges when changing a
shank packing. Excessive flushing
pressure can cause abnormally
high steel wear, and reduce the ser-
vice life of the equipment.
 ll llll
Rod circulation
If you couple a new thread to an
old thread, the new thread will
wear abnormally fast. In order to
obtain an even rate of wear among
all drill rods in the drill string, it is
therefore important to establish a
system of rod circulation. This will
ensure that all rods do the same
amount of drilling, and that all
threads are subjected to the same
amount of wear. Ideally, the rods
should be circulated so that, when
you change the drill bit, the lead-
ing rod is removed and placed last
in the drill string. Also, it is a good
idea to include a few spare rods in
the circulation system. The rate of
thread wear can be different at
either end of a drill rod. The easi-
10
lt ll ll
est way to avoid this is to make
sure that all the rods involved in
the circulation system are turned
"upside-down" regularly, e.g. once
a shift.
Rod circulation is easier to admin-
ister if each rod is marked with a
different colour (gloss paint will
do), and if some kind of rod rack is
used. Problems can arise on
modern drill rigs that are equipped
with mechanrzed rod handling.
Howevef, even on these, you
should switch the order of the rods
according to some kind of routine,
e.g. once a shift or once a day.
 :Hg.IE

ffi[*

Thread grease or with the aid of some kind of

straightening press. But remember
In order to obtain maximum serv- that you cannot expect to obtain a
ice life from the threads, it is im- full service life from a drill steel
portant to keep them clean. Thread that has been bent and then straigh-
grease reduces wear and makes it tened.
easier to uncouple the rods. How-
ever, the grease must be kept free
of drilling dust, otherwise it will
simply work as an abrasive rather
than a lubricant. Make sure there-
fore that the lid is kept on the grea-
se tin when it is not being used.

Bent and blocked

drill steels
It is not always necessary to scrap
bent drill steels. They can often be
straightened, either in the drill hole

11
Drill steels can become blocked Loosening threads
due to poor flushing. If you can
clear the blockage, the component The easiest way to loosen a drill
can be put back into service. A bit is to use the percussion mecha-
copper tube and water flushing can nism of the rock drill. Press the
be used to clear blockages. Copper drill bit against the rock face, e.g.
tubing is recommended, since at the bottom of the drill hole, and
there is always a danger the mater- engage the percussion for a few
ial blocking the drill steel might seconds, without rotation, and
contain explosive. The process of using very little feed.
clearing the blockage can damage
the anti-rust treatment on the in-
side of the flushing hole. For this
reason, drill steels that have been
unblocked should be put straight
back into circulation rather than
being put back into the stores.

L2
If this
does not work, bit and rod
spanners will have to be used.
Never use a sledge hammer!

Note that percussion must not be

engaged when a spanner is attach-
ed to the spanner-flat of a rod, sin-
ce it would damage the rod. Diffi-
culty in loosening threads is often
caused by excessive thread wear.

t3
Wear
It is important that thread wear be Note that when changing to new
checked regularly, so that compo- drill rods, it is often more econo-
nents can be discarded when it is mical to replace the coupling sleev-
economical to do so. To continue es as well, even if they are not
drilling with wom threads is to completely worn. Mixing old and
invite expensive breakdowns. Use new threads causes the new
Coromant thread gauges to threads to wear out more quickly.
measure wear. Male threads should
be discarded when the thread
gauge can be passed over the tops
of the threads without catching.
Always check the most badly worn
part of the thread, since the end of
the thread could be less wom, e.g.
if it has worked in the clearance
behind the drill bit. Female threads
should be discarded when it is
possible to slide the thread gauge
all the way into the thread.

l4
There is a special gauge for check-
ing wear in the chuck bushing of
the rock drill. Drilling with a wom
bushing will cause deformation of
the shank or shank adapter. In the
case of a shank adapter, the splines
will be subjected to heavy wear.
Excessive play between the drill
bushing and the shank adapter can
also cause the piston to strike the
shank obliquely. This will result in
heavy wear and upsetting on both
the shank and the piston. Damage
to the shank often results in break-
age.

15

Transportation and
storage
A side-blow to the surface of a de components in such a way that
steel component can become the
starting point for eventual fracture,
since the steel is subjected to very
high stresses by the shock waves
from the piston of the rock drill.
Drillsteels, rods, coupling sleeves
and drill bits should therefore be
handled with care, as theY often
have a hard but brittle outer
surface that is sensitive to lateral
impact.
(the original damage), at the centre
of a so-called "fatigue rose".
Pack drill bits and cemented carbi-
the cemented carbide is not dam-
aged during transpofiation. Even
though cemented carbide is highlY
resistant to impact from anY other
material, it is easily damaged bY
impact from another cemented car-
bide product.

Spanners that are used to loosen

threads must be in good condition,
without burrs. It is often easy to
find the starting point of a fracture

I6

Wear to cemented
carbide
Cemented carbide in inserts and
buttons becomes worn during drill-
ing. Most of the wear is caused by
abrasion against the bottom of the
drill hole, and also by abrasion
against the hole wall, as the bit ro-
tates. If wear is allowed to become
too great, the penetration rate
drops and both the cemented carbi-
de and the other steel components
in the drill string are subjected to
abnormally high stresses. The
cemented carbide must therefore
be ground regularly, to restore its
original shape. Different types of
rock cause differing rates of wear,
and different wear patterns.
17
Frontal wear occurs when drilling
in hard rock, such as granite and
gneiss. The height of the cemented
carbide insert or button wears
down, and begins to show a wear-
flat. In the case of cross- or X-bits,
the wear-flat becomes wider to-
wards the edge of the drill bit,
owing to the greater distance cove-
red by the periphery during rota-
tion. In the case of a button bit, the
periphery buttons show more wear
than the frontal buttons, for the
same reason.
Peripheral wear occurs in abrasive
rock types, which usually have a
high quartz content. The cemented
carbide at the periphery of the drill
bit wears heavily, causing a so-
called "anti-taper" to develop. This
diminishes the clearance of the of fatigue damage. Under such cir-
drill bit. cumstances. the recommended
grinding interval for buttons is
Snakeskin is a wear pattern that 300 m, and for blade-type inserts,
develops when drilling in soft, l-50 m.
non-abrasive rock such as lime-
stone. After a while, the surface of
the cemented carbide begins to suff-
er from fatigue, with evidence of
micro-cracks that resemble snake-
skin, particularly at the comers of the
inserts. At the first sign of snake-
skin, the cemented carbide must be
ground, otherwise the micro-cracks
will penetrate more deeply into the
insert, eventually causing chunks
of cemented carbide to loosen and
drop out. In certain types of rock,
no visible wear occurs at all. Even
so. the cemented carbide must be
ground to prevent the occurrence

18
 a
-3

-+ a

Grinding intervals
A button bit need only be reground Cross- and X-bits must be re-
if the penetration rate drops, or if ground when the wear-flat across
damage begins to occur in the ce- the insert reaches a width of 3 mm,
mented carbide. Small button bits, measured 5 mm from the periphery
especially if they are used with hy- of the drill bit. This is best checked
draulic rock drills, do not generally with a grinding template.
need to be reground at all. Larger
button bits can however benefit
from re-grinding. The penetration
rate normally begins to drop when
the width of the wear-flat becomes
equivalent to half the diameter of
the button. However, in order to
obtain good grinding economy and
make grinding quicker and easier,
it is advisable to re-grind the butt-
ons when they are worn to about
U3 of their diameter.

t9
 J
m

The height of anti-taper, i.e. the

distance between the highest point
of the drill bit and the point at
which the clearance begins, must
not be allowed to exceed 8 mm on
an integral steel, and 6 mm on a
cross-bit or X-bit. A button bit has
an anti-taper when the clearance of
the buttons has disappeared. This
is best checked using an ordinary
ruler.

20
Fixed grinding
routines
It is often impractical to measure
the wear-flats on each and every
drillsteel or drill bit at the work-
site. On larger worksites, it is
therefore essential to establish fix-
ed grinding routines, in which all
drill bits are reground after a pre-
determined number of holes, or,
e.g. at the end of every shift. Since
less cemented carbide needs to be
removed at each regrind, this will
not have a negative effect on drill
bit economy.
21
Grinding
Detailed instructions on grinding
drill bits can be found in separate
Sandvik publications. Grinding
templates are useful for checking
the grinding result. The easiest
way to regrind integral steels and
drill bits is to use grinding mach-
ines built specifically for this pur-
pose.
A correctly ground integral steel
should have a fresh cutting edge
along 315 of the cemented carbide
insert. All sharp edges must be
honed, using, e.g. a discarded
grinding wheel or a grinding stone.
The insert angle should be 110",
and the insert radius, 80 mm.
 1/10 D

On cross-bits or X-bits, a wear-flat

equivalent to 1/10 of the bit diame-
ter should be left at the outer edge
of each insert.

Worn cemented carbide buttons

must be ground to restore their ori-
ginal shape. The easiest way to do
this is to use a grinding cup im-
pregnated with synthetic diamonds.
If the body steel needs to be remo-
ved first (to expose more of the
button), special boron-nitride grind-
ing pins are available for this pur-
pose. Today it is also possible to
obtain grinding cups that remove
steel and cemented carbide at the
same time.

22
An anti-taper must be removed as After an integral steel has been
soon as possible, by means of fron- reground, the bit diameter must be
tal grinding. Frontal grinding at checked to see if it still fits into the
short intervals can prevent the de- drill steel series.
velopment of excessive anti-
taper. Peripheral grinding of cross-
or X-bits (to restore the clearance)
should be employed only when
frontal grinding alone is insuffi-
cient. In this way, premature re-
duction of the drill bit diameter is
avoided.

To remove the anti-taper on a butt-

on bit, it is usually necessary to
grind-down the diameter of the bit
at the same time as the buttons are
re-dressed.

23
 fl}*
trittttt'tnt'tttrt""

IitI itf i ii,!It,:t:i,'i;l,;i,'i',i

It is of great importance to drilling Naturally, you should use wheels

economy that the grinding wheels, intended for wet grinding when
grinding cups etc; used to re-dress water is used, and wheels intended
drill bits are suitable for grinding for dry grinding
cemented carbide. Grinding wheels
must be self-sharpening, cerami-
cally bonded, carborundum
wheels, of the correct hardness and
grain size. Manufacturers give all
grinding wheels an alpha-numeric
designation, which indicates the
properties of the product. It is espec-
ially important to avoid the use
of grinding wheels that are too
hard. While they may give good
grinding economy, they tend to de-
stroy the cemented carbide, which
results in poor total economy.

24
€
@
I
o
z4 SANDVIK
6
- L:J
:) AB SANDVTK BOCK TOOLS
E s-81 1 B1 SANDVIKEN SWEDEN Tel +46 26 26 20 00 Tetex 47000 sandvik s Telefax +46 26 27 59 05