Core Drilling: What Is It and How Does It Work?

Core drilling is a clean, accurate, and fast way to drill holes in concrete. It involves drilling near-perfect rounded holes in concrete walls, ceilings, floors, and other structures.

According to Concrete Helper, an estimated 70% of the world's population lives within a structure partially made of concrete. In fact, concrete is currently the second most consumed substance worldwide after water.

How Does Core Drilling Work?

Several steps and processes are involved in the process of core drilling. These include GPR scanning, which is a concrete scanning method that is non-destructive. In this step, the idea is to gauge the structural integrity of the surface before drilling to ensure safety.

Once safety is established, the drilling starts. A core drill is used to extract a column of concrete or other material from the designated area. For soft coring, a punch core system is used.

This option involves the use of two barrels with one nested inside the other. This inner barrel is what is pushed out in front to capture the core sample. The outer barrel is extended to provide a casing that prevents a collapse of the hole drilled.

The extracted column, otherwise referred to as slug, is used for geotechnical analysis. It helps give insights into the properties of the materials and their composition for validation purposes.

Why Core Drilling?

This process allows for the analysis of the composition of the concrete. The core drill helps retrieve an undisturbed sample that represents the composition of the material. This sample helps with the observation and cataloging of the properties present.

Further, core drilling can be used to create space to pass materials through in a construction project.

There are also specialized concrete core drilling techniques that are used in more complex projects. These include horizontal directional drilling (HDD), often used in the gas and oil industries. HDD comes in handy when creating spaces for house pipes and plumbing. It is very accurate and doesn't damage the existing structure.

Hire an Expert

To establish the quality, strength, and capacity of material used in your construction project, or if you want to remodel a concrete building to improve the plumbing, HVAC systems, cable lines, and sprinkler systems, hire a reputed core drilling expert.