Raise drilling is a non-blasting mechanical method of excavating full-face circular diameter raises though rock. It can be used for vertical and angled holes.
Raise drilling uses specially designed tungsten carbide cutters to penetrate and break the rock using low rotation and high thrust, which results in a smooth wall. It is often used for ventilation, escape ways and slots for stoping operations.
There are two main operations that use raise drilling:
Conventional raise drilling
Conventional raise drilling is a drilling method that requires a pilot hole to be drilled from level to level. A larger diameter reaming head, with a series of cutters with tungsten carbide buttons, is installed to the drill string and back-reamed to the top of the shaft. Conventional raise drilling can be used for rises as small as .66m in diameter up to 7.0m diameter shafts and over 1000m in total depth.
Boxhole
Boxhole boring is a method of drilling blind up-hole rises between levels normally seen in a single pass. These can be drilled at any angle from as low as 45° from vertical. Boxhole rises are usually between 0.66m diameter and can be up to 1.5m diameter.
Raising Australia is a specialist raise-drilling contractor within the Byrnecut Group. Formed in 2005, it has grown over the past 18 years to offer a diverse fleet of machines suitable for any project.
We have previously excavated shafts of up to:
0m
diameter0m
deepRaise drilling is the safest and most efficient approach to creating vertical and sub-vertical openings in mines and construction projects, and is truly cost-effective. It can be used to create ventilation shafts, escape ways, exhaust shafts and slot rises to assist in the extraction of ore.
With an emphasis on minimising the impact on the client’s operations, Raising Australia utilises dedicated integrated tool carriers to move all ancillary equipment, including rods, power packs and reamers, from the surface to each drill location. The IT is also used to hook reamer heads, allowing further self-sufficiency.
Through its self-reliance on site, range of drilling rigs, and extensive experience in the industry, Raising Australia offers clients a cost-effective and reliable raise drilling service throughout Australia.
Raising Australia utilises Byrnecut’s market-leading safety systems and training programs to achieve maximum levels of safety and deliver timely production targets.
The fleet
Raising Australia owns and operates six low-profile specialist raise bore drilling rigs. This diversity allows it to offer a broad range of raise drilling and box holing services, with the ability to develop raises from 0.75m to 6m in diameter.
1 x Robbins 123RHC Drill Rig
Robbins 123RHC Drill Rig
The 123RHC is a high-capacity machine capable of drilling holes to a depth of 1000m and a diameter of 6.0m. Despite this capacity, it is a very compact unit and is underground-friendly compared to other machines of the same capacity.
The height of the machine at full stroke is only 5.7m, which removes the requirement for extended back heights or chambers, often required by other drill rigs. Another advantage is that the machine is transported around the mine site on a dedicated diesel-powered crawler, which makes the set-up of the machine quicker and easier, and removes reliance on clients’ people and machinery.
2 x Robbins 61R Drill Rig
Robbins 61R Drill Rig
Our low-profile Robbins 61Rs have the capacity to drill holes to a diameter of 2.4m and to a length of 180m, and have been used to drill 3.0m diameter raises up to 100m in soft ground conditions. The machine has been modified from its original design to adapt to changing mine designs and methods. It has been shortened to make it more functional and allow it to be utilised in the smaller ore drives for slot rising and small escape way rises. The 61R can now operate in a 4.5m x 4.5m drive.
2 x Robbins 56RL Drill Rig
Robbins 56RL Drill Rig
The 56RL is a low-profile machine capable of drilling holes up to 1.8m in diameter to a length of 150m. This machine operates on 1000V and is a low-profile design that can be utilised in smaller ore drives of 4.5m x 4.5m. The 56RL is a hydraulic drive machine with two motors driving directly onto a main bill gear that transfers the drive torque to the drill string. The design of the machine has been modified to allow it to drill to angles as low as 20° on a specially designed base.
1 x Robbins 73RM DC
Robbins 73RM DC
The 73RM DC is capable of drilling holes to a depth of 300m and to a finished diameter of 3.5m and up to 4.0m for shorter-length holes in varying ground conditions. The 73R has a small footprint and is able to operate in drives with a back height of 6m and a drive width of 6.5m.
The machine is electrically driven via a 300HP DC drive motor which supplies the rotation torque to the drive box down through to the drill string and reamer head.
7 x Rhino 100HM Boxhole Drills
Rhino 100HM
Committed to using the best available technology, Raising Australia offers the world’s largest fleet of Rhino 100HM mobile boxhole machines. The Rhino 100HM has radically changed the process of boxhole boring, transforming a multi-person week-long operation into a one-person, two-shift job.
The Sandvik Rhino 100HM is the first boxhole machine designed to be totally self-sufficient, with everything required to drill a hole travelling on the drill unit, requiring no assistance from the client. The unique design of the Rhino 100HM makes the slot rising method a safer and more efficient option than other slot rising methods.
The Rhino 100HM offers the following benefits:
- Enclosed ROPS, FOPS operator cabin
- Mechanised rod handling to minimise operator exposure
- Self-contained unit for optimum mobility and set-up time
- High-speed boring
- Advanced operating system with logging capability
- Automation-ready for remote operation
- Designed for drilling up-hole slots to 0.75m diameter, up to 75m in length, and down to 60º across the drive
- Additional module available for 1.10 to 1.42m diameter conventional reaming
- Down reaming to 750mm diameter with the conventional module
This is the perfect machine for the efficient and safe construction of your blind slot raises.
1 x Robbins 92RH Drill Rig
92RHc
The 92RHc is the latest generation high-capacity raise drill capable of drilling holes to a depth of 1000m and a diameter of 6m with a next-generation RCS5 automation ready control package. It is a low profile machine designed for use on both surface and underground, has its own self-propelled crawler and has remote operation and diagnostic capability. Advanced drilling controls provide improved drilling and rod handling, along with RFID tagging for drill string management. This state of the art machine is the future of raise boring!
