Tech Specs

Drill Rig Selection — Numbers, Not Marketing Slides

Rotary torque · kelly depth · compressor free air delivery · percussion energy · Tier 4 / Stage V logs — the measurable inputs equipment managers use to shortlist Atlas Copco platforms.

Duty-Cycle KPI Dashboard

Four headline metrics from recent factory and field validation campaigns. Each card links to a downloadable selection worksheet. Torque figures are measured on the instrumented rotary head; FAD is verified on the compressor test stand after cooler and filter conditioning so published numbers match what arrives on site.

Peak rotary torque

280 kN·m Heavy-class AC-RD 320 validated on granite socket piles · operating mass 32.5 t

Kelly drilling depth

80 m Interlocking kelly configurations with documented friction losses and pile penetration depth logs

Compressor FAD packages

14–35 m³/min Matched to bit diameter, hole depth and altitude derate · engine power 129–194 kW class

Percussion energy class

18–32 kW Surface rock-drill models for limestone and granite benches · hydraulic system pressure mapped at 320 bar class

Method notes: rotary drilling torque curves are generated under controlled crowd force; undercarriage ground pressure is calculated from track shoe width and operating weight for soft-pad reviews; ISO 8178 C1 cycle data accompanies every Tier 4 Final / Stage V power pack serial.

Technical Trade-offs: Rotary Kelly vs DTH for Socket Piles

Rotary kelly drilling

Preferred when pile penetration depth exceeds shallow sockets and spoil control matters on urban pads. Higher rotary drilling torque and interlocking kelly strings deliver diameter accuracy; cycle time is slower in competent rock than a well-tuned DTH string.

DTH with matched compressor FAD

Preferred for hard rock when flushing air and percussion energy dominate penetration. Requires honest free-air-delivery sizing after altitude derate; underpowered compressors waste bits and stall patterns. Less ideal where casing and spoil containment drive foundation specs.

Industry Dispute Snapshot: Crawler Carrier vs Wheeled Excavator Assist

When the same foundation pad alternates soft cut with paved access roads, buyers debate crawler drill carriers against wheeled excavator-assist packages. Atlas Copco applications notes present both sides without forcing a single SKU.

Side A — Crawler carrier

Lower ground pressure (typically 40–55 kPa class with wide track shoe width) suits soft pads and deep kelly crowd loads. Stability under high rotary drilling torque is stronger for 55–80 m pile programs; road moves still need a lowboy.

Side B — Wheeled excavator assist

Self-propelled road travel cuts float cost on urban multi-pad jobs. Better when excavation and drainage trench work dominate the week and drill hours are intermittent; not a substitute when continuous high-torque rotary crowd is the critical path.

Operating Limits & Application Boundaries

Published torque and FAD charts assume the envelopes below. Outside these boundaries, applications engineering must re-rate the package before quotation — we do not treat brochure peaks as site-ready guarantees.

Selection Guides & Engineering Downloads

Specification Release Timeline

  1. 2014

    EPA Tier 4 Final power packs line-wide on drill carriers

    All new rotary platforms shipped with documented DPF + SCR aftertreatment.

  2. 2016

    EU Stage V non-road packages for European foundation fleets

    Compressor and drill engines aligned to Stage V with serial-level NOx/PM logs.

  3. 2019

    Interlocking kelly depth charts expanded to 80 m class

    Friction and tooling tables published for deep bored-pile programs.

  4. 2021

    ISO 15143-3 AEMP telematics feed standardized

    Percussion hours and compressor temperature envelopes streamed to fleet offices.

  5. 2024

    Predictive rotary-head wear models released to contracted sites

    37-hour advance warning integrated into parts auto-dispatch.

  6. 2026

    Unified Tech Specs configurator for drill + compressor packages

    Single worksheet covers torque, depth, FAD and emissions compliance.

Download the latest drill-rig selection pack

Torque curves, FAD worksheets and emissions templates — request the PDF bundle and our applications engineer will annotate it for your geology.

Request Spec Pack