Experimental and numerical investigations on rock-breaking mechanism of rotary percussion drilling with a single PDC cutter

Abstract To achieve high-efficiency drilling in hard formations, the rotary percussive drilling tool was designed to improve rock-breaking efficiency. Currently, few studies are conducted to analyze the relationship between the percussion parameters and rock breaking efficiency, considering the dynamic characteristics of rock during rock breaking. According to this situation, to quantify the influence of different percussion parameters on the rock-breaking efficiency, a series of dynamic experiments on hard rock and numerical simulations were carried out. Orthogonal experiments of split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) device were conducted to analyze 13 parameters of the Riedel Hiermaier Thoma (RHT) material model. A polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter was selected as the research object, and a corresponding numerical model was established, considering the actual size of the drilling teeth and the load transmitted to the formation. Subsequently, the numerical simulation results of the SHPB test and cutting experiment were verified using the physical model. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to analyze the effect of different factors, including dynamic amplitude, frequency, and waveform, on the penetration depth and eroded volume fraction of formation. The results proved that rotary percussion drilling increased the penetration depth and eroded volume fraction of hard rock. The rock-breaking efficiency of the square wave was more obvious than that of the triangular and sine waves. Increasing the dynamic to static load ratio was beneficial for increasing the penetration depth and eroded volume fraction of formation. When the frequency increased, the cutting section became smoother, and the cuttings were finer, which was beneficial in cleaning the borehole.