Methods and Test Benches for Cutting Tools Testing—A Review

• Published in: Energies (Basel) Vol. 16; no. 1; p. 445
• Main Authors: Boloz, Lukasz, Bialy, Witold
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2023
• Subjects: abrasive rocks; Abrasive wear; Abrasiveness; Compression; Compressive strength; Construction industry; Copper ores; Crack propagation; Cutting resistance; cutting resistance tests; Cutting tools; Cutting wear; Diamond machining; Diamond tools; Diamonds; Ditches; durability tests; Equipment and supplies; hard rocks; Laboratories; Mechanical engineering; Mechanical properties; Methods; Minerals; Mines and mineral resources; Mining; Mining machinery; Ores; Platinum; Potassium; R&D; Research & development; Rocks; test benches; Testing; Tool wear; Tungsten; Tunnel construction; Tunneling; Tunnels; Underground mines; Wear rate; wear rate tests; Wear resistance; Poland
• ISSN: 1996-1073; 1996-1073
• DOI: 10.3390/en16010445

Mechanical mining is a widely used method of separating materials from the face to obtain a useful mineral (e.g., coal, metal ores, salts, and diamonds), to make underground workings (e.g., mine galleries, tunnels, and underground garages), level roads, shape slopes, or to dig ditches. Mechanical mining is applied in the mining branch, tunnelling, road, and construction industries. Depending on the mechanical properties of the rocks, most frequently described by uniaxial compression strength, various machines and tools are used. The methods of mining high-strength abrasive rocks that have been used and developed in recent years are particularly applicable to the mining of copper, gold, tungsten, platinum ores, diamond deposits, and tunnelling. In addition to rock strength, the effectiveness of the mining process is affected by abrasiveness, which influences the rate of abrasive tool wear. Therefore, in various research and development centres, but also in production companies, tools are tested on unique stands. Tests are carried out to determine the cutting resistance and assess the wear rate. This article reviews methods and benches for testing mining tools, conical picks, and discs. Various solutions for testing single tools and cutting heads have been presented. The analysis conducted has revealed that despite the large number and great diversity of different test benches, there are no appropriate methods and stands for testing the wear rate of materials intended for mining tools.