Mechanical Drill for Deep Coring in Temperate Ice

A rotary drill for deep coring in temperate ice has been constructed and tested. The total length of the drill is 6 m and its weight is 100 kg. A steel armoured cable carries power to the 2 h.p, electric motor of the drill. The diameter of the core is 90 mm and the maximum length of core is 2 m. An antifreeze mixture at the bottom of the hole was necessary to prevent refreezing of ice chips on the cutting bits.

A 415 m deep hole was drilled during the summer of 1972 into the temperate accumulation area of Vatnajökull. Core recovery was 99%. Because of a fault in the cable the bottom was not reached.