A drill site is much more than a location. It is a highly organized work place that must be equipped with all of the necessary equipment and tooling to make the drilling as efficient as possible. Many such drill sites go completely unnoticed by passers-by because they are concealed inside or behind existing infrastructure. Access to these sites is often quite limited and can involve many unique challenges. On many projects, large rigs cannot physically access the drill site or raise their drill masts. Compact drilling equipment is absolutely essential to operate in these restricted-access and low-headroom drill sites. Let’s look at various applications of limited access drilling and explore some of the different equipment options that are available.
Limited-access micropile applications include underpinning existing structures, supporting new loads in dense urban areas, preventing structural settlement and excavation support in confined spaces. Angle drilling capabilities are often required for the installation of soil nails and tie-back anchors, as they are commonly installed on an angle to stabilize and reinforce the face of a slope or a wall. At times, the drilling must be carried out inside of the building or in narrow alleyways, enabling structural improvements with minimal disruption to existing infrastructure. Micropiles can often be reasonably shallow, but they often require large-diameter boreholes through difficult overburden. Standard continuous flight or hollow stem auger drilling is commonly employed and requires sufficient rotary torque. Some limited-access drills can be equipped with more than 10,000 foot-pounds of rotary torque — power equivalent to many large truck rigs.