Views: 100 Author: EHI Technical Team Publish Time: 2026-07-03 Origin: Site
Raise boring machine construction technology is widely applied in various engineering sectors including transportation, water conservancy and hydropower, mining, and military industry. It is commonly used for vertical shaft excavation in civil engineering and mining projects, typically to drill through two parallel passages or connect underground roadways to the ground surface.
| Application area | Phased Temporary Works | Temporary Works | Permanent Works |
| Coal system | Various waste rock pass boreholes (coal bunkers, blind shafts, main shafts, auxiliary shafts, ventilation shafts) | Mining area air raises, coal passes, waste rock passes, gas drainage boreholes, safety rescue boreholes | Ventilation shafts, material hoist shafts |
| Hydroelectric system | Various pilot shafts (penstocks, outlet shafts, surge shafts, elevator shafts) | Ventilation raises during construction (long & large tunnels, underground surge chambers), reinforcement boreholes | Ventilation raises and monitoring boreholes for permanent underground structures |
| Other mines | Various pass raises (shafts, ore bunkers) | Mining area air raises, ore passes, muck passes, material & personnel raises | Ventilation boreholes, etc. |
| Underground constructions | Various pilot shafts | Ventilation boreholes during construction | Ventilation shafts, access shafts |
The working principle of a raise boring machine is as follows: an electric motor drives a hydraulic motor, which powers the water swivel. Hydraulic force transmits torque to the drill string assembly to rotate the drill rods and drill bits. Under drilling pressure, the roller cutters mounted on the pilot bit or reamer roll purely or slide slightly along the rock face at the bottom of the borehole. Meanwhile, the axial tensile and compressive forces generated by the main machine’s cylinders act on the pilot bit or reamer via the power head and drill rods. This causes the roller cutters of the pilot bit to roll under drilling pressure and generate impact loads. The cutter teeth thereby exert impact, compression and shear forces on the rock to break it apart.
The general construction procedure of a raise boring machine is as follows: Construction Preparation → Borehole Center Point Location → Positioning and Straightening of Raise Boring Machine → Pilot Hole Drilling → Installation of Reaming Bit → Raise Reaming Construction → Site Clearing upon Completion
Compared with other construction methods, raise boring machine construction eliminates the need for workers to enter the working face to perform drilling, charging, temporary support and other operations. All operators work at the upper level with better environmental and safety conditions. Workers are protected from falling rocks, water seepage and harmful gas hazards, which effectively prevents safety accidents.
Raise boring machine construction adopts continuous mechanized operation with fast advance rate. Its working efficiency is 5 to 10 times higher than that of other construction methods. It creates favorable conditions for subsequent construction and delivers remarkable comprehensive benefits.
The raise boring machine breaks rock mechanically with roller cutters, causing minor disturbance to surrounding rock. The smooth shaft wall facilitates muck passing, ventilation and drainage during subsequent enlarging excavation.
The raise boring machine is controlled by hydraulic transmission, featuring simple operation and greatly reduced labor intensity for workers.
It has been more than 60 years since Robbins of the United States developed the first raise boring machine (Model 31R) in 1962. At present, the technical level of raise boring machines can meet the requirements of projects with shaft diameters ranging from 1.0 m to 8.0 m. The maximum one-time shaft sinking depth reaches 1,600 m, with manufacturers claiming a maximum depth of 2,000 m. The commonly used excavation inclination ranges from 45° to 90°, and the deflection rate during raise boring construction can be controlled within 0.5%. A South African enterprise has developed raise boring technology capable of horizontal shaft excavation.
Germany's Wirth once set a world record using its HG380 raise boring machine, completing an excavation with a reaming diameter of 7.1 m and a depth of 1,260 m. South Africa’s Master Drilling constructed two ventilation shafts at Palabola, each with a diameter of 6.1 m and a depth exceeding 1,200 m.
| Brand | Model | Max Diameter (m) | Max Depth (m) | Working Height (m) | Max Torque (kN·m) | Pilot Hole Diameter (mm) |
| RedPath (Canada) | REDBORE | 8 | 1000 | 7.52 | 813.5 | 444.5 |
| Master (South Africa) | RD8 | 8.5 | 1500 | / | / | / |
| Herrenknecht (Germany) | RBR900 | 8 | 8.85 | 8.85 | 1125 | 457.2 |
| Robbins (USA) | 92R | 6 | 1100 | 5.7 | 700 | 381 |
| TUMI (Peru) | 800XP | 7.2 | 1600 | 6.1 | 470 | / |
| China Coal (China) | BMC | 5 | 600 | 6 | 450 | 350 |
| China Railway (China) | No.1361 | 8 | 1300 | / | 1254 | / |
| Hunan Chuangyuan (China) | AT-7000L | 8 | 1000 | 7.9 | 971 | 431 |
| Hunan Jinhe (China) | JH-AT6000 | 6 | 600 | 6.3 | 560 | 35 |
Raise boring machines rank among the three major full-face shaft sinking equipment, representing blast-free mechanical shaft forming technology. They are widely applied in vertical shaft and roadway connection projects for mining, water conservancy, transportation and other industries. Driven by hydraulic power, the roller cutters break rock through impact and extrusion, making the machines suitable for constructing various hard rock, deep and inclined shafts. Compared with traditional construction methods, they boast outstanding advantages including high safety, high efficiency, superior shaft wall quality and easy operation. This technology has a development history of more than 60 years, with mature technologies mastered by leading international enterprises. At present, the equipment can realize construction of large-diameter and ultra-deep shafts with high shaft forming accuracy, and horizontal shaft forming technology has also been derived from it.
