DRILLSENSE

01.- NAME OF THE PROJECT

DRILLSENSE (DEVELOPMENT OF SENSORIZATION KIT FOR EFFICIENT, SUSTAINABLE AND SAFE DRILLING IN MINING AND SUBWAY WORKS)

National CPF projects

General Data: Call: Challenges Collaboration 2017. Funded by: Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities- State Research Agency/ DRILLSENSE (RTC-2017-6085-3).

Presentation and objectives:

Tunnel construction is currently one of the most active fields in civil engineering and construction. The growing need for infrastructures and the need for these infrastructures to be compatible with the orderly use of spaces or the non-interference with normal surface activity means that the number of tunnels excavated, their dimensions and depths are gradually increasing.

However, the construction of tunnels is a highly costly activity, which together with the increase in their technical complexity, makes the study of tunneling processes and their cost control a constant activity. Throughout the last decades, in parallel to the increase of the tunnelling activity, technical solutions aimed at improving the manufacturing processes and costs have been investigated and produced.

One of the most common tunnel construction techniques is the “New Austrian Tunneling Method” (NATM). In this method, the excavation is usually carried out by controlled blasting based on augers inserted in previously drilled holes. The number, orientation and depth of these holes, as well as the explosive charge, determine the volume of rock blasted and the dimensions of the cavity obtained with each blast. These dimensions must be as close as possible to the theoretical volume required.

A lower volume of overburden than necessary will require a manual pitting operation, which is costly, both technically and economically, and will also cause a delay in the progress of the work.

On the other hand, a larger overhang than necessary will increase the volume of the support structure, since this structure is designed with a fixed internal tunnel dimension, filling with concrete the existing gap between it and the original material. Thus, a larger gap will imply a greater need for concrete backfill, in addition to generating a greater volume of blasting waste to be removed, again involving an increase in costs both economically and temporarily.

This problem makes it necessary to monitor the drills performed in order to know their trajectory. This allows the blasting plan (amount of explosive required) to be adjusted according to the actual versus theoretical geometry. However, the measurement is made after the drilling, which means a delay in the work and no corrective actions can be taken while drilling.

The objectives to be achieved in the project are:

• O1: Design a measurement system capable of reconstructing the trajectory followed by the drill bit during drilling for automatic or semi-automatic deviation detection.
• O2: Manufacture and commission the prototype system to demonstrate its operation on a real drilling machine (“Jumbo”). Use the information to rethink the firing plan and optimize the blasting phase.

TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET: 1,021,432 EUROS

TOTAL BUDGET ITAINNOVA: 255460€.

TOTAL PROJECT FINANCING: 294794.45 Grant 305034.56 Loan 70451.45 reimbursable advance ERDF

TOTAL FINANCING ITANNOVA: 224298€.

Challenges Collaboration 2017. Funded by: Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities- State Research Agency/ DRILLSENSE (RTC-2017-6085-3).