Vibration Reduction of Pneumatic Rock Drill for Rock Face Stabilisation Sector

Abstract

Workers in the rock face stabilisation sector are exposed to high levels of vibration from pneumatic rock drills, which can lead to vibration injuries. The work situation is also ergonomically challenging since the work often is performed on steep cliffs with heavy equipment and a substantial degree of dust exposure. To reduce exposure to vibrations, the equipment has been redesigned, including the machine’s handle, feeding hoist and the implementation of a reciprocating mass generating a counter force to reduce the vibrations. As a side project, a dust removal device was also developed. It was shown that vibration and dust exposure can be substantially reduced.

Keywords

• rock drill
• vibration reduction
• HAVS
• ATVA
• vibration injury