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What is a Boring Machine?

Troy Holmes
Troy Holmes

There are many types of drilling machines for which the primary purpose is boring holes into objects. A boring machine is a special drill designed to bore large holes or tunnels into the earth. These machines can drill both horizontally and vertically. This makes them a good tool for building tunnels into mountains or other hard rock material.

Mining companies dig tunnels deep into the core of the earth looking for raw materials. These companies require a large boring machine to dig these tunnels. Once the tunnel is completed, railroad tracks can be laid, which allows for the removal of these raw materials. The boring auger machine saves the mining company thousands of hours because it quickly removes large amounts of dirt from the earth surface.

Augers -- which are helical drill bits -- may be used for boring into the ground.
Augers -- which are helical drill bits -- may be used for boring into the ground.

Large boring tools have been used for centuries to clear roads and develop mine shafts. The boring machine is a super-sized drill bit that pulls material out of the drilled area and creates a large hole. Some boring devices can be several stories high. They are used to create holes large enough to accommodate trains and other heavy equipment.

The boring machine has been in use since the mid 1800s. It was first developed to build tunnels and later expanded for railroads and mining equipment. A boring tool is made with large, sharp blades that turn as the tool is pushed by large equipment into an object. This causes the blades to shed earth and rock material and create a hole the size of the bore blade. Once the hole is dug, it can be finished and reinforced with foundation tools and equipment.

Underwater tunnels also require the use of special auger machines. The Bering Strait tunnel project is a good example of a construction project that required this special tool. It was a project that connected Russia and Alaska with an underwater tunnel. This required a large boring machine to assist the miners in digging a 60-mile (96.56-km) tunnel. Without this machine, this type of tunnel project would be difficult if not impossible because the water temperature and material is too hard to move by hand.

There are also smaller boring machines that can be used to dig small holes or tunnels into walls or rock. Theses are hand-held units and typically dig holes a few feet in diameter. Most hand-held units are powered by either electric or gasoline. They are used to drill holes for pipes or electric lines.

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    • Augers -- which are helical drill bits -- may be used for boring into the ground.
      By: Doin Oakenhelm
      Augers -- which are helical drill bits -- may be used for boring into the ground.