A numerical model is implemented on the basis of the smooth particle applied mechanics to study the dynamic fracture of rock in mechanical rock cutting. The dynamic fractures in rock indentation and cutting are modeled using the numerical model and compared with the author's static modeling. It is concluded that smooth particle applied mechanics is a versatile method for the study of dynamic fracture of rock due to its ability in handling large deformations, element inversion and material separation.
Mechanical rock cutting is a major technique used in tunneling by tunnel boring machine and rock drilling in mining, petroleum and geothermal engineering. Considering the extent and economic importance of tunneling and drilling, research is highly required for improving the cutting action. Until now, the physical mechanisms of rock fragmentation in mechanical rock cutting have been extensively studied by both analytical and experimental methods. Recently, with the rapid development of computer power, interactive computer graphics, and topological data structure, numerical tools have also become an important means to gain some insights into the rock-tool fragmentation mechanisms (Alehossein and Hood, 1996; Tan et al.; 1997; Huang et al., 1998; Liu et al., 2002; Gong et al., 2006; Liu et al., 2008). Due to the extremely complicated nature of the problem, most of numerical models only consider the progressive penetration into rock in mechanical rock cutting but not as a dynamic interaction between the tool and rock (Chiang and Elias, 2008). The stress wave travels through the bit until it reaches the end in contact with rock. This study is trying to develop a numerical model based on the finite element method, contact mechanics, and smooth particle applied mechanics (SPAM) method to simulate the impact phenomenon and resultant rock fragmentation in mechanical rock cutting.
