• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.395-409
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• 2022

To overcome the limitation of conventional rock excavation methods, the excavation with abrasive waterjet has been actively developed. The abrasive waterjet excavation method has the effect of reducing blasting vibration and enhancing the excavation efficiency by forming a continuous free surface on the rock. However, the waterjet cutting performance varies with rock fracturing characteristics. Thus, it is necessary to analyze the cutting performance for various rocks in order to effectively utilize the waterjet excavation. In this study, cutting experiments with the high pressure waterjet system were performed for basalt and granite specimens. Water pressure, standoff distance, and traverse speed were determined as effective parameters for the abrasive waterjet cutting. The cutting depth and width of basalt specimens were analyzed to compare with granite results. The averaged cutting depth of basalt was shown in 41% deeper than granite; in addition, the averaged cutting width of basalt was formed by 18.5% narrower than granite. The results of this study are expected to be useful basic data for applying rock excavation site with low strength and high porosity such as basalt.