Evaluation of Two Skid-Mounted Core Drills for Airfield Pavement Evaluation

Abstract : Two commercial skid-mounted core drills were evaluated for use by Air Force pavement evaluation teams. AFRL evaluated the drills for their ability to be mounted on a mobile platform (water requirements, power requirements, stability, etc.), and performed benchmark testing of the two drills on concrete pavements. No modifications to the commercial off-the-shelf rigs were made by the laboratory. Both drills were found to be functional with a cutting rate and depth potential compatible to other units of their size. Plumbing the drills was problematic. The drills tended to bind in the pavement during coring. Neither drill is recommended for use by the Air Force evaluation teams on small utility vehicles (including pickup trucks, panel vans, or other equivalent-sized vehicles) for contingency pavement evaluations.