One of the more accessible and least expensive forms of drilling a hole is aircore drilling. It is familiar to anyone in the sampling and construction industry and is also a friend of perennial fruit farmers. The basic principle is that a pipe-like shaft is inserted into the ground, driven by rotary blades that excavate dirt so the pipe can slide into the soil. The soil sample can usually be ejected with air pressure to form a near-perfect sample.
Air core drilling is perfect for making relatively shallow bores and for taking measurements of the soil. The usage of a hollow shaft means that most of the dirt can be excavated smoothly at once rather than continuously removed from the process either by solid movement or fluid movement. The rig is simpler and lighter, does not require a water source, and is capable of delivering a soil sample that reflects the natural strata.
The main disadvantages are that such holes tend to be fairly shallow, with small machines digging a few dozen feet and larger machines not exceeding 50 or 60 feet. The limiting factor is the pressures needed to life large samples and the eventual need of attaching additional shaft sections. Rigs that can dig for deep samples are usually specialized machines with stronger teeth and unique lifting equipment.
The most common competing bores use a continuous flow of water along with added lubricants to promote digging through bedrock. The water exits the system later on with bits of sand produced by the boring. This type of rig is able to dig deep for natural gas extraction but has a harder time extracting solid samples and is seldom used for this purpose. Mostly it produces a deep shaft with the soil sample lifted along with wastewater.
The person ordering the drilling should consider their needs. Aircore bores are able to make shallow holes easily and are only practical for deeper holes if uncontaminated samples are needed. This application is most important for someone wanting to build a warehouse or someone wanting to see what type of nutrients that deep-rooted plants will experience.
Geologists frequently use this type of machinery, and their recorded data is often used by commercial interests in the future. The good news is that anyone who needs a soil sample for scientific or commercial purposes will find them available all year round. Contact this company or visit this website for more information.
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