Rock drilling machines are widely used in various fields such as mining, construction, water well, and transportation, mainly for rock drilling and rock breaking.

1. The Start of Mechanized Rock Drilling

During the long social development, hand hammer drilling was once the main method of rock drilling. As social production demands increased, people began seeking mechanical methods.

In 1813, the British R. Treuithick invented the first steam powered rock drill, opening the way for the development of rock drilling machines.

The earliest steam powered rock drill had a similar working principle to a steam engine. A piston moving in a straight line through the cylinder, changing the direction of the intake and exhaust through a sliding valve, thus the drill rod and the drill bit connected to the piston are driven to impact the rock. This basic principle is still widely used today.

However, the steam temperature is high, which makes it inconvenient to use, and the long pipeline has the problem of cooling, so compressed air soon replaced steam for rock drills and pneumatic rock drills appeared.

2. Birth and Development of Pneumatic Rock Drills

In 1844, the British Brunton invented the compressed air powered rock drill, but the design had many issues and was not practically applicable. By 1857, Italian engineers Bartlett and German-Samet improved on previous research and designed a practical rock drill powered by compressed air, first used in the tunnel through Senni Peak in the Alps, marking that year as the birth of the rock drill. 

Continuous improvements during that period included separating the piston from the drill rod, laying the foundation for modern rock drills, and transitioning to hollow drill rods that could be flushed with high-pressure air or water. Other enhancements to components like rotary mechanisms and air distribution valves significantly improved drilling efficiency.

As the power of rock drills continued to increase, air-leg rock drills can no longer meet production requirements. Meanwhile, in order to reduce the physical exertion of operators, column-supported rock drills appeared. In the 1950s, a variety of self-propelled pneumatic rock drills appeared. In Europe and North America, many companies have entered the field of pneumatic rock drills, among which Sweden's Atlas Copco and the United States' Ingersoll Rand are two of the leaders.

3. Development and Maturity of Hydraulic Rock Drills

Pneumatic rock drills have simple structures, are easy to manufacture and maintain, and are widely used. They play a huge role in the production process. However, as the hole depth continues to increase, people have found that the drill rod joint will lose a lot of impact energy. At the same time, there are fatal shortcomings such as high noise and large oil mist. In order to solve this problem, people have been exploring new energy transfer media. By the 1920s, a hydraulic rock drill was developed in Britain, but industrial and hydraulic technology limitations at the time hindered its production.

In 1960s, various hydraulic rock drill patents emerged and several companies began their development.

In 1970, the French company Montabert create the first generation producible hydraulic rock drill. Following this, the USA, Sweden, the UK, Germany, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, and Japan developed various models and launched them into the market, leading to rapid technological advancements due to more companies entering the hydraulic rock drill field. The benefits of hydraulic rock drills became increasingly clear: they not only significantly reduced energy consumption but also improved drilling speeds and working conditions. By the 1980s, after continuous improvements, hydraulic rock drills matured, became serialized, and started replacing pneumatic rock drills in many applications. In the 1990s, hydraulic rock drills developed towards greater power and higher drilling speeds, resulting in the development of corresponding fully hydraulic tunneling and mining drill rigs. Automation and remote control began being implemented, and entering the 21st century, further advancements in automation and intelligence have been made, with today’s high-end intelligent drill rigs integrating various advanced technologies and featuring high levels of automation capabilities.