Design and Development of A Supporting Tool Integrated into Sandvik Drilling Machines for Road And Mining Tunneling in Vietnam

Vietnam is among the fastest-growing economies in the world. A significant amount of capital has been allocated by the Vietnamese government for infrastructure projects, including the construction of road tunnels. Mining companies also excavate tens of thousands of meters of tunnels annually to sustain production. Most transportation and mining tunnels are supported with concrete, reinforced concrete, or steel arch support. Although tunnel excavation is largely mechanized using equipment such as AM-50Z, AM-45 drills, and Sandvik drilling machines, the installation of steel arch supports remains predominantly manual with limited mechanical assistance. This study proposes a supporting tool that can be integrated with Sandvik drilling machines, designed to lift and assist in the installation of steel arch support systems during tunnel construction. The design process was carried out using SolidWorks software, a lifting and clamping mechanism was modeled and optimized to handle heavy steel arches. Field evaluation indicates that the mechanism reduces reliance on manual labor while improving accuracy, efficiency, and safety.