Trajectory identification of a reciprocating drill for geological inspections

This work analyses the feasibility of a new kind of instrument for geological exploration based on the reciprocating drilling technology. The instrument design is particularly challenging, given the harsh environmental conditions typical of this field. After the analysis of the state of the art in the field of reciprocating drilling we focused on the measurement system for the computation of the drill trajectory. The Monte Carlo method is first used to compare the robustness of three different algorithms for the identification of the trajectory. On the basis of this simulation the measurement system has been designed and its principal components, underwent a metrological calibration procedure in order to evaluate the basic performances at high temperatures.