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NUMERICAL MODELING OF ROCK CUTTING AND ITS ASSOCIATED FRAGMENTATION PROCESS USING THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

Jaime, Maria Carolina (2012) NUMERICAL MODELING OF ROCK CUTTING AND ITS ASSOCIATED FRAGMENTATION PROCESS USING THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

As the need for reaching fuel reserves at greater depths increases, over the past 30 years scientists have been exploring and developing the technology required to efficiently drill rock at highly pressured environments; yet, there are still gaps in the understanding of the physical phenomena involved. One of the basic problems has to do with the cutter-to-rock interaction during the cutting process.

This study employs the Finite Element Method (FEM) to investigate the mechanics of rock cutting because of its flexibility in handling material heterogeneity, nonlinearity and boundary conditions. Using the FEM to model fracturing of a brittle material like rock –and consequently treating its discontinuous chips– is a challenging undertaking that requires the tackling of a sequence of complex problems: As the cutter advances and touches the rock material, a contact problem first arises. This is followed by nonlinear deformation and the determination as to when and whether the rock would fail. Subsequently, the question of how to initiate the fragmentation process has to be resolved if the rock fails. The cycle repeats starting with a new contact problem after new surfaces are generated due to fracture.

At present, few researchers have focused on crack initiation and subsequent crack propagation, but even fewer have accounted for actual chip formation, and none has considered the dynamic interaction amongst chips, newly formed surfaces, and the cutter. One important goal of this study is to advance the modeling such that it is possible to follow the cutter in a complete cutting process in a credible manner.

A framework of three-dimensional FEM modeling was developed so that the fragmentation process observed in laboratory rock scratching tests could be properly simulated. A thorough calibration of the rock material model was carried out, together with extensive sensitivity analyses of contact models, damage based failure and its associated fracture modeling using the commercial software LS-DYNA.

This study was able to obtain ductile failure mode for shallow cuts, and brittle failure for deep cuts as observed in the laboratory, all without a priori setting on the failure modes. Also, cutting force magnitudes and tendencies obtained from the study correlated well with published results of the physical experiments. Moreover, in a limited scope, this study also investigated the effects of applying external hydrostatic pressure on rock cutting. Preliminary numerical results indicate a good comparison with few published data. Lastly, theoretical models for obtaining cutting forces were assessed, providing a better understanding of their limitations and usability.


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Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Jaime, Maria Carolinamacarojaime@hotmail.com
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairLin, Jeen-Shangjslin@pitt.eduJSLIN
Committee MemberGamwo, Isaac K.Isaac.Gamwo@NETL.DOE.GOV
Committee MemberIannacchione, Anthonyati2@pitt.eduATI2
Committee MemberVandenbossche, Julie M.jmv7@pitt.eduJMV7
Committee MemberTo, Albertalbertto@pitt.eduALBERTTO
Date: 2 February 2012
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 22 November 2011
Approval Date: 2 February 2012
Submission Date: 16 November 2011
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 260
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Swanson School of Engineering > Civil and Environmental Engineering
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Rock cutting modeling, Finite element method, Crack propagation, Rock fragmentation, Constitutive law, Contact formulation, Groove cutting, Rock cutting under pressure, LS-DYNA.
Date Deposited: 02 Feb 2012 16:10
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2016 13:55
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/10611

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