This Project Profile focuses on philanthropic efforts in Romania.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) recently purchased a drill rig and donated it for use in a large technical cooperation project in Romania. The project involved geotechnical investigation and earthquake prevention engineering.

The project was conducted by the Technical University of Civil Engineering-Bucharest - the appointed authority to complete the in-situ analysis, perform the drilling operations and oversee each stage of the project.

The jobs performed in this program mainly involved seismic activity prevention and the relative soil investigation:

• 4-inch continuous coring drilling ranging from approximately 200 feet to 330 feet deep

• laying out piezometric wells with 4-inch casing pipes

• installation of earthquake risk prevention instruments, like ac-celerometers, throughout Romania

These last instruments are fitted with sophisticated computerized systems that register underground seismic data, which will be used to create more suitable building designs for critical earthquake-risk areas.

Acquiring the Rig

The engineers of the Technical University of Civil Engineering - Bucharest had established a close professional relationship with Fraste, developing a drilling unit to perform the last generation anti-seismic monitoring jobs that JICA approved and contracted through its Romanian office.

Fraste created a complete drilling station that includes a Multidrill XL truck-mounted drill rig and a complete set of drilling equipment - a single package solution for direct mud circulation drilling, dry drilling with augers, continuous coring operations and SPT percussion investigations. This Fraste Multidrill XL drilling unit uses a stress-resistant four-speed rotary head that provides a maximum torque of 700 kgm and 270 rpm, and its 13-foot stroke on the mast allows drilling with nearly 10-foot-long drill pipes. The drill pipe's storage holds 30 drill pipes and is outfitted with a hydraulic raising device.

Beside the drilling unit, Fraste provided a complete on-site training course for the personnel of the Technical University of Civil Engineering - Bucharest during which some undisturbed samples were drilled with a T6 core barrel.
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