Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 08:55

Mr. Martin,

What does a drill bit look like? How often do they need to be changed because of dulling?

Do the vehicles always start? Do you have to leave them running?

How much do the cores you retieived 4-15 weuigh? (solid rock)

Charles Pagels Tyro middle School Lexington, NC

Tim Martin

Charles,
I am home now and I am sorry my reply did not show up when I posted it over a week ago.  
So for a quick answer... the bits we used were replaced when we drilled through different type of material, different bits were used for hard clay, soft clay, sand/gravel, and rock.   
In addition to the bits there are many different coring tools.  some "shoot" down into the sediments, some push down, and  others drill down.  Which tool also depends on the type of material we are coring. 
Most of the vehicles on site were left running 24 hours a day.  When the temperatures are cold, it can be difficult or impossible to get them started if they are turned off.
The core weight is usually around 6 to 7 kilos per meter.  
T-Mart