Drilling Clair-Mel What are Cuttings in Geotechnical drilling?

Many people know how the process of drilling works at a basic level, but they do not know about all aspects of drilling. Clair-Mel residents for example might not be able to answer if geotechnical drilling has any byproducts or material created when drilling a boring hole. Drilling into the ground often creates little pieces of soil and sediment that geotechnical drilling professionals refer to as cuttings. These cuttings can get into the way while a drill bit is trying to burrow deeper and deeper into the ground, but the main problem is when the drill bit stops and the cuttings settle. Cuttings are not always an issue at geotechnical drilling sites, but it all depends on the soil and sediment composition or the geological properties of the site.

Does Anything Help Prevent Drilling Cuttings?

In preparation to stop cuttings from appearing in a boring hole during drilling, Clair-Mel geotechnical drilling professionals will use what is known as drilling fluid. This could be simply water or a combination of fluids that carried they drill cuttings up the boring hole to be removed from the drilling process. Often times the combination of fluid and cuttings is filtered through shakers or vibrating machines to separate one from another, in order for the drilling fluid to be reused during the drilling process. It is important to note that not all drilling jobs or equipment used in these jobs need drilling fluid in order to get the job done right or more efficiently.

What Kinds of Sediments are Present in Drilling Cuttings?

Most people often overlook sand as being something other than very tiny rocks, but these are often present in many cuttings while drilling. Clair-Mel professionals might see more limestone in and around the area because of the geological conditions of Florida. Many types of Shale can be present in drilling cuttings, and are often differentiated based off of their color such as red shale, brown, shale, and gray shale. Another common type of mineral that can be present in geotechnical drilling cuttings are different types of quartz. Like shale, quartz minerals can come in many types and colors.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*