Brittleness and micro-scale rock cutting efficiency

Abstract

Considering the attempts of some previous researchers to relate rock brittleness to the selection, design and operating efficiency of cutting machines, a study is presented to contribute to the understanding of the fundamental relationships between brittleness and the cutting efficiency of chisel picks.

Although there is not a universally accepted definition of and measurement principle for rock brittleness, in this study a more common formulation of brittleness—from compressive and tensile strength—has been adopted. Brittleness and specific energy values derived from the experimental works of various researchers were used to examine the correlations between these two parameters. The analysis of the available experimental findings indicated that the brittleness concept adopted in this work might not be a representative measure of rock cutting specific energy consumption.