Rock drilling operations are very crucial in construction, mining, and infrastructure. However, the noise generated by rock drilling machinery not only affects the workers’ health and work efficiency but also hurts the surrounding environment. Therefore, the measures to reduce the noise of rock drilling machinery become very important.
Hazards of rock drilling machinery noise
Damage to human hearing
People hear sound because the sound pressure transmitted in the atmosphere acts on the eardrum of the human ear and from neural receptors to the brain. If exposed to noise for a long time, it can cause hearing loss and hearing retardation.
Induce a variety of diseases
①Noise acts on the human central nervous system, causing symptoms such as dizziness, brain swelling, insomnia, dreaminess, palpitation, and general fatigue.
② It affects human organs, causes changes in gastrointestinal function, causes indigestion, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting, and leads to an increased incidence of gastric ulcers.
③ It makes the sympathetic nervous, causes tachycardia, arrhythmia, abnormal electrocardiogram, increased blood pressure, and even causes more serious heart disease.
④ It affects the metabolism of human nutrition, resulting in the lack of many vitamins.
⑤ Long-term exposure to noise can reduce people’s immunity, impair physiological function, and accelerate the aging process.
It affects the work efficiency of operators
In a high-noise environment, the operator’s attention is not easy to concentrate, which leads to a decrease in work efficiency and operation error, especially prone to accidents.
Damage to buildings and structures
Noise is formed by acoustic vibration. High power noise transmission in the air can cause strong air vibration, which has a destructive effect on surrounding buildings, structures, and even mechanical structures. It may also affect the operation of automatic control, remote control systems, or equipment.
The noise of rock drilling machinery has multiple hazards to human health and the environment, including but not limited to hearing loss, sleep disturbance, communication difficulties, reduced quality of life, and disturbance to wildlife. Therefore, reducing noise pollution not only helps to protect the workers’ health but also improves the ecological environment.
Methods of preventing noise from rock drilling machinery
Basic control method of rock drilling noise
①Starting from the sound source, try to reduce the noise intensity.
Improve or change construction technology to replace high-noise equipment with low-noise equipment. Improve the mechanical design and reduce the original noise. Improve product processing accuracy and assembly quality. Take comprehensive measures to reduce mechanical vibration, etc.
② Take measures on the noise transmission, and try to cut off the connection between the noise source and the noise victim. For example, install mufflers in place for intake and exhaust noise.
③ Take protective measures for people exposed to noise to prevent them from noise hazards. Scientifically take individual protective measures, such as wearing anti-noise earmuffs and reducing the exposure time of operators to noise, etc.
Take measures according to different types of rock drilling machinery
①Noise control of pneumatic rock drill
Among the pneumatic rock drill noise sources, exhaust noise accounts for 87.4%, and other noise accounts for 12.6%. Aerodynamic noise control is the key to noise control of pneumatic rock drills.
②Noise control of hydraulic rock drill
The exhaust noise of the hydraulic rock drill is not as loud as that of the pneumatic rock drill, but it is still seriously harmful to human hearing. The noise of the hydraulic rock drill includes: “injection noise” caused by the airflow of the impact piston hitting the shank adapter, “pressure impulse noise” caused by the instantaneous deformation of the impact piston hitting the shank adapter collision piece, and “structure impact vibration noise” produced by body vibration caused by the impact system. For noise control of hydraulic rock drills, we should pay attention to the impact performance parameters of hydraulic rock drills. Try to make the shank adapter structure conducive to reducing injection noise. To explore the new material of impact piston and shank adapter, Improve the vibration resistance performance to reduce pressure impersonation noise. Focus on reducing structure impact vibration noise.
③ Noise control of hydraulic drilling rig
The noise sources of hydraulic drilling rigs include hydraulic rock drill noise and pump station noise.
Control the noise of the hydraulic drilling rig through 4 points:
A. Reasonably select the performance parameters of hydraulic rock drills.
B. Try to reduce the impact of hydraulic drill structure vibration noise.
C. Increase the rigidity and stability of the hydraulic drilling rig, and take shock absorption measures in many ways to avoid resonance of related components caused by impact vibration.
D. Rationally design supporting systems such as hydraulic pump stations, as far as possible to reduce the noise of hydraulic drilling machines in a non-working state.
④ Noise control of pneumatic rotary drilling rig
The noise of the pneumatic rotary drilling rig is mainly composed of the exhaust noise of the pneumatic motor, the friction noise of the mechanical transmission, and the friction noise of the drilling. Its control can consider two aspects: reasonable selection of pneumatic motor type and performance parameters.
Other prevention and control measures
①Regularly check and maintain rock drilling machinery and equipment to keep them in the best working condition and reduce noise.
②Set up soundproof walls, soundproof covers, or soundproof barriers around the rock drilling machinery to effectively reduce noise transmission to the surrounding environment.
③ Select rock drilling machinery with low design noise to reduce noise during operation.
④ Reasonably plan the operation time and frequency, and avoid rock drilling operations at night or during sensitive periods.
⑤ By rationally arranging the workplace, reduce the spread of noise in the space and reduce the impact on the surrounding environment.
⑥Train the staff to understand the hazards of noise and teach the correct use of mechanical equipment to reduce noise.
⑦ Use sound-absorbing materials inside the workplace to reduce noise reflection and resonance of noise and reduce noise levels.
⑧Regularly conduct noise monitoring to ensure that noise levels are within the legal limits and take control measures when necessary.
⑨Comply with local noise ordinances to ensure that prescribed limits are not overshot during rock drilling operations.
Reducing noise from rock drilling machinery cannot be ignored and has positive significance for workers’ health, social environment, and ecological balance. By maintaining equipment, taking sound insulation measures, and rationally planning operations, etc., the generation and spread of noise from rock drilling machinery can be effectively reduced to protect the health of workers, reduce the adverse impact on the surrounding environment, and create a more friendly working environment for sustainable development.
