The respirable dust generated during bolt-hole drilling can present serious health problems to the miners involved in roof drilling operations. A proactive dust control approach, different from the conventional passive approaches, is proposed. Laboratory experiments have been conducted to validate the dust reduction effects of the approach. A mechanical model has been developed to simulate the rotary drag bits drilling process under different cutter conditions. The functions of the area of the total friction, drilling power, and specific energy are all presented in the model. According to this model, drilling bite depth and bit wear condition were identified as key factors influencing the respirable dust generation and energy consumption. The relationships among drilling specific energy, airborne dust concentrations of respirable and larger (1-100 μm) particles, and drilling bite depth were established. It was found that by achieving a low specific energy with a proper drilling bite depth and by avoiding worn bit use, a significant reduction of quartz-rich respirable dust from its generation source could be achieved. Once validated, the mechanical model can be used for roof bolter drilling optimization and automation control.
Keywords: Bit wear; bolt-hole drilling; drilling bite depth; mechanical model; respirable dust; specific energy.