A sonic drill works by sending high frequency vibrations down the drill string to the drill bit face. The rig operator controls the frequencies, generally between 50 and 150 hertz to suit the specific conditions of the soil/rock geology.
Formational resonance magnifies the vibration force at the drill bit, which liquefies soil particles allowing fast and easy penetration through most geological formations. An internal spring system isolates these vibration forces from the rest of the drill rig.
Applications: Sonic is excellent for continuous soil sampling, accurate and tight step downs, multi-port installations, deep in-situ injections. Sonic is effective to depths in excess of 200’ depending on the formation and installs up to 6” diameter wells. There is an 80% reduction in investigation derived waste production over auger. Effective in sediments, gravels and weakly consolidated rock.
Rig Type | Length | Width | Height* | Weight |
Geoprobe 8140LC Sonic | 16′ | 7′ | Tower up: 16′ | 20,000 No tooling |
* specifications are nominal and depths will vary depending on sub-surface conditions