• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.185-192
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• 2005

The press cutter is productive equipment that practically manufactures mechanical components and polymer-based materials such as fabrics, papers, films, leathers, and rubbers into the desired shapes using a press cutting tool. The plate cutting process is one of the primary energy absorbing mechanisms in a grounding or collision event between a press cutter and a material on a die. The cutting mechanism is complicated and involves plastic flows of a plate in the vicinity of the tip, friction between the wedge and the plate, deformation of the plate. In this paper, we studied the effect of friction between cutter and plastic sheet far producing precise and superior products. In this paper, the press cutter is analyzed numerically using MARC finite element program for a optimization design of a press cutter. The FEM computed results show that the maximum von Mises stress is concentrated on the tip of a press cutter, which may lead to the edge wear or impact wear of the sharp cutter. Based on the FEM result and Taguchi's experimental design method, the optimized design model 9 for a press cutter is recommended as a best one.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.245-248
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• 2004

The press cutter is productive equipment that practically manufactures materials such as fabrics, papers, films, leathers, rubbers etc. into the desired shapes using cutting method. Plate cutting process is one of the primary energy absorbing mechanisms in a grounding or collision event. The cutting mechanism is complicated and involves plastic flow of plate in the vicinity of the tip, friction between wedge and plate, deformation of plate. In this paper, we studied the effect of friction between cutter and plastic sheet for producing precise and superior products. The press cutter is analyzed numerically using MARC finite element program according to the variation of friction coefficients. The FEM results showed that normal stress, equivalent cauchy stress, normal total strain, equivalent total strain are good when friction coefficient is 0.0 and shear stress, shear total strain are good when friction coefficient is 0.8.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2002.02a
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• pp.19-25
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• 2002

Profile machining using cutter diameter compensation is widely used in die and mould manufacturing. Especially automotive die makers try to use 3D-profile machining for trimming or flange dies. But the technological requirements and implementation issues haven't been defined. In this paper we summarized the requirements and issues of 3D-profile machining. Approximation of input profiles into sequences of line and helical arc is the first major issue. The second major issue is removing cutter interference from the approximated curves holding z-values when the maximum cutter diameter is given. Keeping constant machining width, local machining, path linking problems and several detail technological requirements are also discussed.

• Korean Journal of Computational Design and Engineering
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.141-147
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• 2002

Profile machining using cutter diameter compensation is widely used in die and mould manufacturing. Especially automotive die makers try to use 3D-profile machining for trimming or flange dies. But the technological requirements and implementation issues haven't been defined. In this paper we summarized the requirements and issues of 3D-profile machining. Approximation of input profiles into sequences of line and helical arc is the first major issue. The second major issue is removing cutter inter- ference from the approximated curves holding z-values when the maximum cutter diameter is given. Keeping constant machining width, local machining, path linking problems and several detail technological requirements are also discussed.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.103-113
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• 2023

This study focused on understanding the relationship between the design of a tunnel boring machine disc cutter ring and its rock-breaking efficiency, as well as the applicable conditions of different cutter ring types. The discrete element method was used to establish a numerical model of the rock-breaking process using disc cutters with different ring types to reveal the development of rock damage cracks and variation in cutter penetration load. The calculation results indicate that a sharp-edged (V-shaped) disc cutter penetrates a rock mass to a given depth with the lowest load, resulting in more intermediate cracks and few lateral cracks, which leads to difficulty in crack combination. Furthermore, the poor wear resistance of a conventional V-shaped cutter can lead to an exponential increase in the penetration load after cutter ring wear. In contrast, constant-cross-section (CCS) disc cutters have the highest quantity of crack extensions after penetrating rock, but also require the highest penetration loads. An arch-edged (U-shaped) disc cutter is more moderate than the aforementioned types with sufficient intermediate and lateral crack propagation after cutting into rock under a suitable penetration load. Additionally, we found that the cutter ring wedge angle and edge width heavily influence cutter rock-breaking efficiency and that a disc cutter with a 16 to 22 mm edge width and 20° to 30° wedge angle exhibits high performance. Compared to V-shaped and U-shaped cutters, the CCS cutter is more suitable for soft or medium-strength rocks, where the penetration load is relatively small. Additionally, two typical case studies were selected to verify that replacing a CCS cutter with a U-shaped or optimized V-shaped disc cutter can increase cutting efficiency when encountering hard rocks.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.249-263
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• 2022

The specially-shaped Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) cutter is widely used in drill bit design due to its advantages of high rock cutting efficiency, strong impact resistance and long service life in hard and abrasive formation drilling. A detailed understanding of rock cutting behavior of worn specially-shaped PDC cutter is essential to improve the drilling efficiency and decrease the drilling costs. In this paper, the theoretical models of two new principles (loading performance (LP) and cutting performance (CP)) are derived for evaluating the cutting process of worn specially-shaped cutter, the theoretical models consider the factors, such as cutter geometry, aggressiveness, stress state, working life, and rock cutting efficiency. Besides, the numerical model of heterogeneous granite is developed using finite element method combined with Voronoi tessellation, the LP and CP of 12 kinds of worn specially-shaped PDC (SPDC) cutters are analyzed. The results found that the mechanical specific energy (MSE) of worn cutters first increase and then decrease with increasing the cutting depth, and the MSE increase with the increase of back rake angle except for Conical cutter and Wedge-shaped cutter. From the perspective of CP, the worn PDC cutters are more suitable for the smaller cutting depths, and the back rake angle has little effect on the CP of the specially-shaped worn PDC cutters. Conical cutter, Saddle-shaped cutter and Ellipse-shaped cutter have the highest CP value, while Rhombus-shaped cutter, Convex cutter and Wedge-shaped cutter have the lowest value in selecting cutters. This research leads to an enhanced understanding of rock-breaking mechanisms of worn SPDC cutters, and provides the basis to select of specially-shaped PDC cutters for the specific target formation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.633-645
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• 2024

Disc cutters, used as excavation tools for rocks in a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), naturally undergo wear during the tunneling process, involving crushing and cutting through the ground, leading to various wear types. When disc cutters reach their wear limits, they must be replaced at the appropriate time to ensure efficient excavation. General disc cutter life prediction models are typically used during the design phase to predict the total required quantity and replacement locations for construction. However, disc cutters are replaced more frequently during tunneling than initially planned. Unpredictable disc cutter replacements can easily diminish tunneling efficiency, and abnormal wear is a common cause during tunneling in complex ground conditions. This study aims to overcome the limitations of existing disc cutter life prediction models by utilizing machine data generated during tunneling to predict disc cutter wear patterns and determine the need for replacements in real-time. Artificial intelligence classification algorithms, including K-nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), and Stacking, are employed to assess the need for disc cutter replacement. Binary classification models are developed to predict which disc cutters require replacement, while multi-class classification models are fine-tuned to identify three categories: no replacement required, replacement due to normal wear, and replacement due to abnormal wear during tunneling. The performance of these models is thoroughly assessed, demonstrating that the proposed approach effectively manages disc cutter wear and replacements in shield TBM tunnel projects.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.179-189
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• 2024

This paper presents a geomechanical framework for designing and optimizing layout patterns of cutterheads for rock Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), aiming to enhance their engineering performance. By examining the forces and moments exerted by rock, the study addresses geometric constraints associated with cutter boxes in key regions of the cutterhead, including the center, face, and gage areas, as well as the three-dimensional effects of cutterhead curvature on the geometric constraints of the back of the cutter boxes in the gage area. Novel formulas are proposed for determining the center points of cutter boxes and calculating both the minimum angular spacing and distance spacing between consecutive cutter boxes along a spiral path. The paper outlines an optimized layout design process for four cutterhead configurations: random, random paired, radial, and double spiral designs. Examples are provided to illustrate the results of applying these designs. The findings underscore the efficacy of the proposed methods in achieving a uniform and symmetrical distribution of cutters and buckets on the cutterhead surface. This approach effectively eliminates boundary overlap and minimizes unbalanced forces and moments. From a geomechanical standpoint, this framework offers a robust strategy for enhancing the performance and reliability of TBM cutterheads in rock tunneling operations.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.73-84
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• 2024

Owing to the high strength and abrasive characteristics of cobble-boulders, cutters are easily worn and damaged during shield tunneling, making construction inefficient. In the present work, the stress on the ripper and scraper on the cutterhead was analyzed by the PFC3D-FLAC3D coupling model of shield tunneling to get insight into the performance of the cutterhead for cutting underground cobble and boulders. The numerical calculation results revealed that the increase in trajectory radius leads to a rising stress on the cutters, and the stress on the front cutting surface is greater than that on the back of the cutters. Moreover, the correlation between cutter wear and stress is revealed based on field measurement data. The distribution of the cutter stress is consistent with the cutter wear and breakage characteristics in actual construction, in which more extensive cutter stress is exhibited, extreme cutter wear appears, and more cutter breakage occurs. Finally, the relationship between the cutterhead opening area's layout and cutter wear distribution was investigated, indicating that the cutter wear extent is the most severe in the region where the radial opening ratio dropped sharply.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.249-258
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• 2022

A disc cutter is an excavation tool on a tunnel boring machine (TBM) cutterhead; it crushes and cuts rock mass while the machine excavates using the cutterhead's rotational movement. Disc cutter wear occurs naturally. Thus, along with the management of downtime and excavation efficiency, abrasioned disc cutters need to be replaced at the proper time; otherwise, the construction period could be delayed and the cost could increase. The most common prediction models for TBM performance and for the disc cutter lifetime have been proposed by the Colorado School of Mines and Norwegian University of Science and Technology. However, design parameters of existing models do not well correspond to the field values when a TBM encounters complex and difficult ground conditions in the field. Thus, this study proposes a series of machine learning models to predict the disc cutter lifetime of a shield TBM using the excavation (machine) data during operation which is response to the rock mass. This study utilizes five different machine learning techniques: four types of classification models (i.e., K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machine, Decision Tree, and Staking Ensemble Model) and one artificial neural network (ANN) model. The KNN model was found to be the best model among the four classification models, affording the highest recall of 81%. The ANN model also predicted the wear rate of disc cutters reasonably well.