An investigation of the abrasive wear of mineral-cutting tools

The paper describes an investigation of wear of tools in cutting abrasive rock and is relevant to the problems encountered in the coal mining industry. The emphasis of the paper is on tribological aspects rather than tool performance aspects and the treatment is at a macroscopic level. A range of tool geometries and materials were included in the investigation and the effects of length of cut and depth bf cut studied.It is concluded that the wear of a cutting tool differs from the wear observed in conventional sliding contact situations with respect to the relationship between wear and applied load. This is attributed to the displacement control, rather than load control, of the cutting process and the consequent degradation of the abrasive under high contact pressures. The rate of removal of material by wear at the cutting edge of the tool, within the range of variables examined, (a) is independent of the rake and clearance angles of the tool and the width of the wear flat, (b) is proportional to the distance cut (excluding an initial high rate) and the width of the tool, and (c) decreases with increasing depth of cut and tip hardness.