Punches of silent ‘rock' solve the problems of noises of some Portuguese quarries of limestone

Editorial Interempresas27/06/2013

With his escarpadas hills and his highlands of crop, divided by very ancient walls of stone, the Natural Park of the Saws of Air and Candeeiros is an important tourist attraction of Portugal. Here it finds also the centre of operations of big quarries of limestone. Previously, the use of the punches of pneumatics rock BBD 94 DSI of Atlas Copco was very widespread. But now, to be able to fulfil with the local rule on levels of noise, Atlas Copco is supplying to the quarries the models BBC 34 DSI. These punches offer the same level of high performance but with some levels of inferior noise in 5 dB(To).

In the past, in the quarries of limestone of this zone, worked with hand-held punches. Satisfied happened the time and increased the demand, what required some levels of greater mechanisation, began to use columns of perforación that drove to an use generalised of the punch of pneumatics rock BBD 94 DSI of Atlas Copco.

Strong environingingmental pressesure

Some of the quarries situated in the space of the Natural Park find near of urban cores and the owners of these feared that the continuous complaints of the residents, generated by the levels of noises, will finish with the withdrawal of his permissions of exploration. The environingingmental pressesure in the zone is very strong and, of the 120 permissions of exploration conceded originally, already only remain some 40 quarries in operation.

The big diameter of the pistón allows to keep some high levels of efficiency even in conditions of low pressesure of air.

Atlas Copco, always prepared to answer with rapidity to the problems of the customers, set up a society with a local distributor, Drcp-Ferramentas and Equipamentos Lda., that commissioned to realise proofs of field with punches BBC 34 DSI like alternative to the BBD 94 DSI.

Levels of noises reduced to the half

“The proofs of field showed that the BBC 34 DSI offers the same high speed of penetration that the BBD 94 DSI, but with a level of noises 5 dB(To) inferior, something that the human being perceives like a reduction in 50% of the levels of noises”, explains Torres Mark, director of line of business of Atlas Copco Portugal.

The punch of pneumatics rock BBC 34 DSI offers a diameter of pistón of 80 mm, a long career of 70 mm and a powerful mechanism of rotation of bar rifle, in addition to an power of impact very high in each hit that confirms his efficiency with rock of half hardness to hard. The big diameter of the pistón allows to keep some high levels of efficiency even in conditions of low pressesure of air and the frequency of maintenance is inferior to the one of the model BBD 94 DSI.

A problem of noises resolved

“Now are recommending the BBC 34 DSI in the quarries of limestone and already have some 20 units working in this zone”, affirms Mark. “Our customers no longer have to concern more by levels of noises that can disturb the tranquility of the local residents”.