Drilling in Norway with 3D Rig Solution

Author: Arne Forsell

Rays of sunlight hit the wooded hillside from the west. The old road seems to lead upwards in an indefinite number of turns. The shadows are long. The water in the mountain lake is sparkling on the other side. The world’s highest ski jump slope with the steepest point of 200 metres peaks up from the woods, and snow-covered mountain tops can be seen on the horizon. We are in Vikersund, Norway, a few hours drive from Oslo, and the entire scene is glowing in autumn colours.

Fjellsprenger ASis drilling the bedrock for ground preparations to build a fenced construction site, where they together with another company, Norsk Fjellsprenger, can store equipment and explosives. The team carries out the drilling work with 3D machine control solution from Leica Geosystems.

Meeting the drill operator

A firm handshake from a weathered hand, an impressive moustache, and on top a hard hat with a miner headlamp – driller operator Odd Are Frydenlund is presenting himself.

Frydenlund是工作ing with drill rigs for eight years, beginning at the company E. Rolstad AS and now at Fjellsprenger AS. Before that, he worked as an excavator operator.

His machine is a Sandvik Ranger DX800 top hammer drilling rig. It weighs 15 tonnes and stands stable on its track, powered by a strong 225 HP motor from Caterpillar. Frydenlund can drill holes with a diameter of 76 to 127 millimetres with this machine. The drill rig is equipped with aLeica iRD3用于钻井应用的机器控制解决方案，可帮助Frydenlund快速准确地完成工作。

Frydenlund is a fan of Liverpool FC, he likes motorsport and in his garage stands one of his treasures: a seductive maroon Chevrolet Corvette from 1981.

Frydenlund changes job sites frequently with his drill rig. Fjellsprenger AS is contracted for many different construction projects, and Frydenlund, as well as many of the company’s other machines, is moved between construction sites.

Just a few weeks earlier, Frydenlund was balancing his rig on the edge of a 30 m tall cliff in a quarry in Maura, Norway. For safety reasons, it was very important to be able to operate the machine remotely from outside of the cabin and additionally anchor the machine into the supporting soils.

Working over the cliff with the remote support on the machine control solution.

Comparing with his previous job site, it is easier here on the plane field in Vikersund.

For some operators, who worked for a long time in the construction industry, inventions like GNSS-assisted machine control might be scary for the first time, but Frydenlund is on the contrary.

“I have experience with Leica Geosystems’ equipment already from my previous job,”说Frydenlund。“这使我的工作完全自由。如果我收到偏置高度，我可以在显示屏中构建钻头图案。这太容易了！然后，我可以准确地进行钻探。每个孔都钻出以正确的深度和角度的规格。我不需要测量师，一切都很快，后来易于从系统中导出的文档。”

Frydenlund quickly learnt how to operate the drill rig with the new 3D machine control system.

“I have not experienced difficulties with learning the system, and if I had, I would have preferred to call them challenges instead,”reflecting Frydenlund on his learning experience. “You only need to be a little curious and interested, and then it is just like when you learned to ride a bike – once you have learned it, you don’t forget!”

Frydenlund reflects on the good relationship he has developed to Petter Heyerdahl, product manager for rig solutions at Leica Geosystems and his experience with Leica Geosystems’ personalised support team.

“我每周40个小时坐在这里的钻机中 - 这让您想到并获得新的想法！我已经与Petter讨论了我的想法和愿望。他听了我的话，我得到了我想要的大多数功能，”explains Frydenlund.

Meet the blast manager

Magnus Hansen, blast manager at Fjellsprenger

The blast manager at Fjellsprenger AS, Magnus Hansen, lives close to the construction site, where the drilling is taking place. Close enough for him to take one of the fragmented rocks from the blasting and throw it to his house, if only he had enough strength in his arm.

Hansen is the outdoor type. He is interested in hunting and fishing.

Hansen obtained the license for rock blasting – a license that must be renewed every five years. He worked in the industry for 14 years. The tasks that a blast manager is responsible include the overall responsibility for the work on the site and comprise:

• safety
• planning
• environmental concerns
• considerations for the surrounding areas
• 交通关闭。

“We have increased productivity and the quality since we have started the cooperation with Leica Geosystem and since the machine control solutions are available,”explains Hansen.“We do not need surveyors on-site to the same degree as before, and that saves us time and costs. Frydenlundcan handle everything himself with the drill rig and work totally independently.”

“Once you have tried the solution, you simply can’t go back to the old methods and manual calculations. The drilling today is far more accurate than what we could accomplish before,”引用汉森的机器控制解决方案的生产率。

那时，孔深度可能有30至40厘米的差异，这会影响爆炸结果。使用3D解决方案，一切都像房屋地板一样像平面一样。”

The talking is done now, and it is time for action. The first holes are drilled, controlled and approved. Hansen prepares every hole, handles detonators and wires in such a skilled manner that it looks almost nonchalant, but make no mistake ⁠— the blast manager knows what he is doing.

The shell for cushioning and absorbing lateral impact are placed on top of the area to be blasted, then the siren alarm rings.

爆炸听起来受到抑制和控制 - whooocm！

And the rays of autumn sunshine continue glittering across the blasted earth.