Rock Drillability Assessment and Lithology Classification Based on the Operating Parameters of a Drifter: Case Study in a Coal Mine in China

Excerpt

Groundwater inrush and gas outburst pose serious threats in the coal industry of China (Bai et al. 2013). Among the many measures taken to prevent such risks, borehole drilling is the most widely used preventive measure. Many cases have shown that the accidents frequently occur near the zones of the geological conditions undergoing great change, such as faults and lithological interfaces. In practice, there are currently two methods used to determine these geological conditions. The first method is by using a drilling core, and the other is by an estimation according to the stone dust produced during the drilling of the boreholes. Since the first method has been found to be inefficient, the second method is the most widely used. However, the results of the second can be heavily influenced by the method operators. …