Ultrasonically assisted coring of rocks

Drilling in extreme environments such as extraterrestrial objects allow us to study the original geological and biological signature, and to understand the history hidden beneath. This will require reductions in weight-on-bit, torque and energy usage, without compromising the penetration rate-of-progress. This paper examines the use of ultrasonic vibration, directly superimposed onto an augering coring bit, to achieve this goal in aircrete and limestone. Experimental results show that compared to traditional rotary drilling processes using the same tool, the ultrasonically assisted drilling processes has demonstrated an improved rate-of-progress. A total energy consumption is founded at optimum vibration amplitude at the cutting teeth