The company, Avko Mining, is quietly adding a new and potentially very significant string to its bow.
Widely recognised in Australia for its innovative approach and performance in the mining industry, Avko is diversifying strongly into the civil construction and quarrying markets. And it is doing so with the aid of advanced drilling technology from Atlas Copco.

Working with the Leighton Contractors/Baulderstone Hornibrook Bilfinger Berger Joint Venture on the $A2 billion Brisbane North-South Bypass Tunnel (NSBT) project, Avko is using the first Atlas Copco ROC D9C Smart Rig, with silenced mast, to start work in Australia.  The unique “silenced drill” enables Avko to work longer during the day in a built-up urban area than it would be able to with a conventional drill rig.

It is using the to drill-out rounds for explosive charging in a vertical shaft development, and subsequently for ground stabilisation drilling. Avko is working closely with Orica to ensure that not only drilling, but also rock blasting is carried out with maximum accuracy and speed, and minimal disturbance – particularly noise and vibration disturbance – on the Brisbane tunnel project.

The two companies have already collaborated to produce excellent results during completion of the tunnel portal works near Shaftston Avenue, Kangaroo Point, where electronic detonators and low-energy explosives were used to achieve a range of production, safety and environmental benefits.
The NSBT project includes a 4.8km tunnel and associated road connections within about 6.8km of overall development. It is scheduled to open in the second half of 2010.

Avko Mining project manager Dougal Guthrie said the company saw technology, coupled with the company’s preparedness to adopt innovative practices, as a means to develop a competitive edge in niche areas within the growing Australian civil engineering market. In Brisbane alone, more than 20km of underground tunnels are planned over the next decade as the city refocuses urban transport network planning with a view to using more “underground space”.

The Atlas Copco Silenced Smart Rig can work up to 1km closer to population centres than other similar rigs.
“Avko bought the silenced rig with the aim of getting ourselves more into the inner city construction and quarrying market where noise is obviously a consideration,” Guthrie said.
“I think it will definitely give us an edge on anything in a built-up or residential area.
“You haven’t been able to use these types of drills in the middle of residential areas. In civil construction you normally saw the ground or you rock hammer it. Drill and blast has become a poor cousin I suppose because of the amount of noise generated by drilling and because people are obviously a bit wary about explosives as well. But there are a lot of situations where it’s a better option and having this up our sleeve, a drill that’s a lot quieter, is going to make it a lot easier to break into those markets as well.”
Guthrie said it was “remarkable how much less noise comes from the Atlas Copco unit”.
“All you can now hear really is the noise of the compressor and the motor, which in itself is not that loud.
“Another positive we’re seeing is that people working in close proximity to the drill are able to communicate more effectively. The boys from Orica have certainly been impressed by the fact that they can work, not necessarily without earplugs, but they can hear each other now without having to use hand signals as they were before. So there’s a significant safety aspect.
“We’ve been using this drill for ground support holes too. There is a lot of call for that, and the same benefits are generated there – when you drill the hole you’re making half as much noise.
“It’s also a lot better for dust collection, because it’s a fully enclosed steel unit. There are some good dust collectors on the market, but the design of the silenced rig does improve on that as well.”

Atlas Copco delivered Avko Mining’s ROC D9C Smart Rig in November last year. It is due to finish work on the current tunnel campaign in the middle of February.
Atlas Copco Construction and Mining Australia Queensland regional manager Craig Marsh said as well as reducing noise by 10dB(A) or more compared with conventional drills, the ROC silenced Smart Rig used substantially less energy (up to 30% fuel saving) and featured a Hole Navigation System that allowed automated hole drilling after initial set-up.
“The Smart Rig’s Measure While Drilling (MWD) feature allows a number of key parameters to be logged at nominated intervals while drilling, providing data that can be analysed in ROC Manager drill planning and control software,” Marsh said.
“The Automatic Feed Alignment and Automatic Rod Adding System features set the feed to pre-defined angles and drill automatically to a given depth, increasing rig productivity. A laser receiver can be used for depth control.”

The Smart Rig also has 30% fewer hoses, and hose length, 10% less cable and 60% fewer conductors than the predecessor Atlas Copco unit, significantly reducing downtime potential.