Characterization of the Interactions between Cutting Tools and Rocks during Mechanized Tunneling from a Metallurgical and Rock Mechanical Point of View

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a collection of contributions to the topic entitled ‘Characterization of the Interactions between Cutting Tools and Rocks during Mechanized Tunneling from a Metallurgical and Rock Mechanical Point of View’. The interaction between cutting tools and rocks leading to rock breakage is a basic process underlying many engineering practices, such as in drilling, mechanized tunneling and mining. An accurate characterization of such an interaction is pivotal and beneficial to promote the cutting efficiency and to reduce accidents such as extreme tool wear and jamming of the machine, through the optimized design of cutting tools in terms of shape, material and distribution according to different geological conditions. A large number of studies have been conducted in order to understand the failure process of rocks during mechanized tunneling. Yet, most of them are under simplified conditions without considering the complex geological conditions normally encountered in practice, such as elevated confining pressure, faults, moisture content, etc. Therefore, for the selection of operational parameters and the optimization of cutting tools appropriate to realistic geological conditions in mechanized tunneling, an improved understanding of the interaction between cutting tools and rocks shall be achieved. To this end, this Special Issue welcomes contributions to this specific topic, including but not limited to, the following areas:

• Fundamentals of rock behaviors, including brittle fracturing and deformation;
• Theoretical analysis of the interactions between cutting tools and rocks;
• Novel experimental methods to model the interaction between cutting tools and rocks;
• Advanced experimental techniques to monitor the failure process;
• Numerical investigations using methods such as the discrete element method, finite element method, etc.

Dr. Hong-Wei Yang
Prof. Dr. Shaofeng Wang
Dr. Yu Chen
Dr. Yilin Gui
Dr. Yinlin Ji
Guest Editors

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