As the world watched the miraculous rescue of 33 Chilean miners—trapped 2,000 feet underground for two months— few knew that a redesigned drill from Center Rock Inc., made the rescue possible. Center Rock is a leading manufacturer of drilling supply equipment. The company’s pneumatic bits utilize wear-resistant carbide and diamond tips on a series of rotating hammers. Unlike the bits in conventional rotary drills, Center Rock’s percussive hammer bits can tunnel through even the hardest, most abrasive rock, as was the case at the San José Mine in Chile.
Developing its industry-leading technology demands 3D design and simulation tools, according to Rudy Lyon, Center Rock’s senior engineer and product development manager. “Designing an effective percussion rock bit is challenging,” Lyon explains. “You have to visualize how the hammers will function underground, analyze the structural stresses involved, and even understand the impact of air ow on cuttings removal. We usually perform these simulations concurrent with the design process, but, at critical times, we need to conduct simulations and redesign bits during an actual deployment. That was the scenario during the Chilean mine rescue.”
Center Rock also relies on 3D technology to meet its product expansion goals. “Not every bit satis es every situation,” Lyon adds. “There are different sizes of drill holes, several types of drilling rigs, and rock of varying density, hardness, and thickness. To meet the full range of customer demands, we need to design and manufacture an extended line of products.”
To meet its product development objectives, Center Rock acquired SOLIDWORKS 3D design and simulation solutions, including SOLIDWORKS Professional and SOLIDWORKS Premium design software, and the SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium and SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation applications for nonlinear structural and computational uid dynamics (CFD) analysis. Center Rock chose SOLIDWORKS software because it is easy to use for multidisciplinary engineering and provides an integrated suite of design visualization and simulation solutions.
A RACE AGAINST TIME
During the Chilean mine rescue, expanding the 5 1⁄2-inch probe hole— rst to 12 inches and then to 28 inches—using a Center Rock CR120 hammer and hole opener and then a 28-inch Low Pro le multi-hammer, was one of three simultaneous rescue attempts and was known as plan B. Most estimates projected that the rescue would take at least four months. Using Center Rock drill bits and drilling rigs from Schramm, Inc., “We believed we could drill the hole faster than that,” Lyon says.
Center Rock’s assertion proved to be accurate when the rescue team pulled the 33 miners to safety inside a 28-inch- wide escape capsule on October 9, 2010. Many watched the miraculous event unfold on television. However, only the Center Rock team knew about the important contribution of SOLIDWORKS Simulation in the redesign of the bit that enabled the miners to return to the surface two months ahead of schedule.
