Rock-breaking characteristics and impact resistance mechanism of ridged PDC cutters

In recent years, the high impact resistance of ridged PDC cutters has made them widely used in hard heterogeneous formations. However, theoretical studies on the impact resistance of ridged PDC cutters are still lacking. In this paper, we conduct linear cutting tests and found that the cutting surface of ridged PDC cutter can prevent the accumulation and compaction of rock debris, which significantly reduces the cutting force and mechanical specific energy (MSE), thereby increasing cutting efficiency. Then, when we analysed the vibration amplitude, frequency and rate of change of the load in the simulation, we found that the rate of change of the cutting load approximate Weibull distribution. Moreover, the load vibration amplitude and load rate of change of the ridged PDC cutter are smaller than those of the planar PDC cutter, which weakens the impact effect during the cutting process. The research results of this article can help us evaluate the impact degree of PDC cutters with different shapes when cutting rocks under different conditions. To provide assistance in optimising the shape and working parameters of PDC cutters in the future, in order to reduce impact and extend the cutting life of PDC cutters. [Received: September 8, 2022; Accepted: June 4, 2023]