Ian Jackman reports that the diamond drilling industry can be traced back to the invention of the original core drill in France and Switzerland. From around the time of the first patent registration in 1862, said to have been made possible through intellectual insight, mechanical genius and commercial perception - a tale of remarkable innovation of the time. This new invention facilitated the exploration of rocks, and gained the increasing interest of geologists on tunneling and bridge projects and then in the mining world.
According to the industry records, use of diamond drilling to extract cores was popularly promoted and widely utilized in USA, England and Germany. Even then, the published cost of the drills and equipment clearly demonstrated the investments being attributed to their use. By 1880 they were commonplace tools in most parts of the USA as attention turned towards improving the diamond drilling function and best use of the technique. At around that time, Edmund J. Longyear established a diamond drilling company. Longyear was a mining engineer with an ambition to serve the iron ore industry in the USA more effectively.
Today Longyear's name is, of course, well recognized and associated with that of Boart International (originally an Anglo American Corporation company) as leaders in the development of diamond drilling machinery, equipment, drill bits and services. Now, with more than 150 years of development, exploration geologists and mining engineers have come to recognize that diamond drilling is the most effective means of obtaining a rock sample from depth (especially in hard rocks). In essence, diamond core drills have become the "proving machines" of mineral exploration projects - to prove (rather than find) mineral deposits hidden deep below the earth's surface.
The early history is well researched and interestingly described by Roger Burt (Past President of the Mining History Association, 2014 Mining History Journal). Curiously, it was reported in this publication that a prominent mining company chairman has recently criticized (rather harshly) the mining industry's use of the current diamond drilling technology as "old, stupid and slow"; bemoaning the lack of dramatic development to overcome and move forward the current state of the art of mineral deposit exploration and investigation.
Putting that sentiment aside for the moment, it is useful to note some of the amazing advances that have been made in the diamond drilling industry - made possible through great engineering, insight and keen commercially minded industry specialists. For instance:
Introduction of mechanically set diamond crowns (1936)
Establishing international distribution of diamond products for core drilling across the world
Introduction of wireline drilling technology
Development of the revolutionary impregnated diamond bit and advanced powder metallurgy
Original URL: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/diamond-drilling-handbook-enduring-legacy-part-2-ian-jackman/
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