What is the difference between auger and rotary drilling?

What is an Auger?

An excavator auger is a drilling tool mounted on an excavator and is mainly used for drilling soil and rock. It mainly consists of auger drill rods, drill bits and connectors, using the excavator's hydraulic system to provide power and torque to complete drilling tasks quickly and efficiently.

When working, the excavator's hydraulic system provides high-pressure fluid, which is passed to the auger rod through the connector. The power of the hydraulic system drives the auger rod to rotate and simultaneously provides the required torque. The spiral shape of an auger bit cuts through soil or rock and removes or pushes it into a hole. The mobility and maneuverability of the excavator allow drilling to be carried out in different locations and angles.

This kind of equipment is not only suitable for construction foundation engineering and road construction, but also can be used in geological exploration, mineral mining and other fields. In addition, it also has many applications in municipal construction, such as drilling of urban telephone poles, drilling of high-voltage power towers, drilling of wind power stations, etc.

What is totary drilling?

Rotary drilling is a construction technology suitable for hole forming operations in construction foundation projects. It is widely used in foundation construction projects such as municipal construction, highway bridges, and high-rise buildings. It cooperates with different drilling tools and is suitable for dry , wet and rock formation hole forming operations.

The working principle of the rotary drilling rig is: the engine system provides operating power, and the power is transmitted to the power head through the hydraulic system. The power head rotates to drive the drill pipe and drill bit to rotate. At the same time, the pressure provided by the pressurizing device is also transmitted to the drill bit through the drill pipe, enabling the drill bit to achieve cutting and crushing of rock and soil. After the drill bit is in place, the drill bit is lifted out of the hole through the lifting device and the telescopic kelly bar to unload the soil, and the cycle is repeated until the design depth is drilled.

Rotary drilling rigs have the characteristics of large installed power, large output torque, large axial pressure, maneuverability, high construction efficiency and multi-function. It can adapt to the soil geological conditions in most areas and is widely used in bridge construction, high-rise building foundations and other projects. The core auger bit is suitable for gravel soil, medium hard rock and weathered rock formations, while the core rotary bucket is suitable for weathered rock formations and cracked rocks.

In addition, rotary drilling rigs have different applications in different construction fields. For example, small rotary drilling rigs are generally used in the construction of highway pile foundations, medium-sized rotary drilling rigs are more used in the construction of railway and bridge pile foundations. Small rotary drilling rigs are available for civil construction construction, rural private housing construction, resettlement housing, industrial buildings, etc. Small and medium-sized rotary drilling rigs are also widely used in the construction of foundation piles and power piles of the State Grid, because they meet specific depth and soil quality requirements. Large-scale rotary drilling rigs are often selected in water construction.

Then what’s the difference between auger and rotary drilling?

1. Structural

The structure of the spiral drilling rig is simple, and only the drill pipe assembly is connected to the power head, while the rotary drilling rig consists of more components than the spiral drilling rig, and the kelly bar uses a multi-layer telescopic kelly bar.

2. Power

Spiral drilling rigs rely on hydraulic output power; while rotary drilling rigs rely on diesel engine output power.

3. Application

Auger drills are mainly used in landscaping, pole drilling, street sign installation, photovoltaic ground nails, detection and research, etc.

Rotary drilling rigs are mainly used in various urban construction foundation constructions such as diaphragm walls and deep foundation reinforcement.

4. Price

Spiral drilling rigs have low production costs and strong drilling power. Relying on hydraulic output power and the operating cost is low.

The rotary drilling rig is a comprehensive drilling rig. Relying on the power output of the diesel engine and the operating cost is higher than the auger drill.

Drillmaster has nearly 15 years experience in supplying kelly bar, drilling tools, drill teeth and casing etc. products for rotary drilling. We also expand HDD machine and used construction machine business in recent years and have been the biggest exporter on used construction machines in Hunan, China in 2023. Experienced team provide all in one solution. Welcome to contact us if any needs.