Virtually all construction projects will eventually require at least one crew to core drill concrete with rebar, for one reason or another. Core drilling is the very best way to drill holes in concrete because of its speed and accuracy, as well as its clean approach to drilling. For that reason, core drilling concrete is generally considered to be one of the most basic services in the construction business, according to experts in the field of concrete cutting.
What’s involved in concrete core drilling?
Core drilling through concrete always involves drilling very precise rounded holes through floors, ceilings, walls, and other structures typically found at a construction site. This enhances the concrete structure so that is capable of accommodating such services as phone lines, HVAC ducts, sprinkler systems, and plumbing.
When core drilling in concrete, the most commonly used types of drills are those which have diamond-tipped bits or those which have carbide core drill bits, since these are both very effective at drilling through concrete. The coring drill is generally mounted on the rotating shaft of a drilling machine, and that machine would be secured to the floor or the wall being addressed. Once the drilling operation has been completed, a slender concrete core or slug, would be removed from the hole.
Special kinds of core drilling
When it’s necessary to remove a large section of concrete, the best way to accomplish the task is to drill a succession of holes in rows which intersect each other. This type of concrete core drilling is often used when other concrete cutting procedures would be difficult to implement. This kind of line coring or line drilling is generally made use of when it’s necessary to take out a square piece of concrete or a rectangular-shaped piece.
Most often, the drilling rig will consist of a steel pipe which contains either a diamond-tipped drill bit or a carbide core drill bit, and the entire rig will often be connected to the wall or floor which is being drilled. This kind of line coring is often used to create holes for routing cables or to place anchor bolts, and sometimes to install dowel bars as well.
Depending on the size of the holes and the number of the holes to be drilled, the work can either be done in a hand-held fashion or by mounting the drill rig to the surface which has to be drilled. It’s also not always concrete that has to be drilled in core drilling applications, because sometimes it will also become necessary to drill through asphalt, cinder block, brick, or stone, and these will all require different types of drill bits which have been specially configured just for such applications.
Core drilling with rebar
The core drilling process gets a little more complicated when rebar is present in the concrete floors or walls being drilled. If you were to hit the rebar unexpectedly when drilling through a concrete wall or floor, it would more than likely damage your drill bit. Since all drill bits are relatively expensive, this is something you really want to avoid if at all possible. There are several approaches you can use to avoid this unpleasant scenario, especially if you’re unsure of whether or not rebar is present in the concrete structure.
One approach you could use is to make sure you have a diamond-tipped bit mounted on your drilling rig, so that it won’t be harmed when it reaches rebar embedded in the concrete. Another way you can handle it is to cut through the concrete with a carbide core drill bit, and then stop when you detect the presence of rebar. The rebar would then have to be cut using a standard rebar cutter, and once you got through the rebar, you could then go back to using your carbide core drill bit to penetrate concrete again.
The introduction of concrete scanning equipment to detect rebar is very common. There are companies dedicated to offering this service. Depending on the sophistication of the equipment, rebar can be located in concrete depths up to 18”.
Contact MJC Sales & Marketing
When you require any of the drill bits or other drilling accessories necessary to carry out core drilling concrete with rebar or other materials, we hope you’ll contact us at MJC Sales & Marketing. When you order your drilling products from us, you can count on receiving them in the fastest possible time, so that your project won’t be held up by parts being shipped. Contact us today with any inquiries you might have about our product lines, or about how we can help you with some of our other specialized products.
