Applicability of Texture Coefficient Concept for the Prediction of Pick Performance in Rock Cutting

Prediction of the performance of the rock cutting tools (picks) is very important in selecting mechanical excavators. In literature, studies related to the prediction of pick cutting performance referring to textural and compositional rock properties are very few. This paper is aimed to describe the studies on applicability of texture coefficient concept that was previously developed during rock drillability studies, for the estimation of specific cutting energy in rock cutting. In these studies, comprehensive mineralogical and petrographic analyses, rock mechanics and rock cutting experiments were carried out on some selected sandstone samples. A new method concerning the details of mineral grains included in rock pieces in thin sections were employed through the calculations of individual texture coefficient values. Results of statistical analysis carried out on data obtained from these experiments revealed that, there were statistically strong relationships between the texture coefficient, packing density and specific cutting energy. The significance of the texture coefficient concept in rock cutting was put forward for the first time in literature within this study.