Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Wear Assessment of Conical Pick used in Coal Cutting Operation

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Conical pick is a widely used tool for cutting coal in mines. It has a cemented carbide tip inserted in a steel body. Cemented carbide has been in use for many years for coal/rock cutting because it has the optimum combination of hardness, toughness and resistance against abrasive wear. As coal/rock is a heterogeneous substance, the cutting tool has to undergo various obstructions at the time of excavation that cause the tool to wear out. The cracks and fractures developing in the cemented carbide limit the life of the tool. For a long time, different wear mechanisms have been studied to develop improved grades of cemented carbide with high wear resistance properties. The research is still continuing. Moreover, due to the highly unpredictable nature of coal/rock, it is not easy to understand the wear mechanisms. In the present work, an attempt has been made to understand the wear mechanisms in four conical picks, which were used in a continuous miner machine for underground mining of coal. The wearing pattern of the conical pick indicates damage in its cemented carbide tip as well as the steel body. The worn out parts of the tools have been critically examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) point analysis. Mainly four types of wear mechanisms, namely, coal/rock intermixing, plastic deformation, rock channel formation and crushing and cracking, have been detected. The presence of coal/rock material and their respective concentrations in the selected area of worn out surface were observed using the spectra generated by EDX analysis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Beste U, Jacobson S (2008) A new view of the deterioration and wear of WC/Co cemented carbide rock drill buttons. Wear 264:1129–1141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bilgin N, Demircin MA, Copur H, Balci C, Tuncdemir H, Akcin N (2006) Dominant rock properties affecting the performance of conical picks and the comparison of some experimental and theoretical results. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 43:139–156. doi:10.1016/j.ijrmms.2005.04.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bilgin N, Copur H, Balci C (2013) Mechanical excavation in mining and civil industries. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 103–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiaia B, Borri-Brunetto M, Carpinteri A (2013) Mathematical modelling of the mechanics of core drilling in geomaterials. Mach Sci Technol 17:1–25. doi:10.1080/10910344.2012.747881

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daoush WM, Lee KH, Park HS, Hong SH (2009) Effect of liquid phase composition on the microstructure and properties of (W, Ti) C Cemented carbide cutting tools. Int J Refract Met Hard Mater 27:83–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deng X et al (2001) Mechanical properties of a hybrid cemented carbide composite. Int J Refract Met Hard Mater 19:547–552

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dixon G, Wright RN, Lee M (1985) Processes involved in the wear of cemented carbide tools. Wear 104(2):157–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glowka DA, Stone CM (1986) Effects of thermal and mechanical loading on PDC bit life. Drill Eng 1(3):201–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurt KG, Evans I (1981) Point attack tools: an evaluation of function and use for rock cutting. Min Eng 140(234):673–675

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenny P, Johnson SN (1976) The effect of wear on the performance of mineral-cutting tools. Colliery Guard 224(6):246–251

    Google Scholar 

  • Khair AW (2001). Research and Innovations for Continuous Miner’s Cutting Head for Efficient Cutting process of rock/coal. Department of Mining Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, USA. 17* International Mining Congress and Exhibition of Turkey- IMCET2001

  • Maidl B, Schmid L, Ritz W, Herrenknecht M (2008) Hard rock tunnel boring machines. Ernst & Sohn, Berlin

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Miller MH, Sikarskie DL (1968) On the penetration of rock by three-dimensional indentors. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 5:375–398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milman YuV, Luyckx S, Northrop IT (1999) Influence of temperature, grain size and cobalt content on the hardness of WC–Co alloys. Int J Refract Met Hard Mater 17:39–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mishnaevsky LL (1995) Mathematical modeling of wear of cemented carbide tools in cutting brittle materials. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 35:717–724

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mukhopadhyay A, Basu B (2011) Recent developments on WC-based bulk composites. J Mater Sci 46:571–589

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olovsjo S, Johanson R, Falsafi F, Bexell U, Olsson M (2013) Surface failure and wear of cemented carbide rock drill buttons—the importance of sample preparation and optimized microscopy settings. Wear 302:1546–1554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pirso J, Letunovits S, Viljus M (2004) Friction and wear behaviour of cemented carbides. Wear 257:257–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plis MN, Wingquist CF, Roepke WW (1988) Preliminary evaluation of the relationship of bit wear to cutting distance, forces and dust using selected commercial and experimental coal and rock cutting tools. USBM, RI-9193

  • Rajput RK (2007) A text book of Manufacturing technology: (Manufacturing processes), Firewall Media, (page-407)

  • Stolarski TA (2000) Tribology in machine design. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Upadhyaya GS (2001) Materials science of cemented carbides—an overview. Mater Des 22:483–489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood GA (1970) Quality control in the hard metal industry. Powder Metall 13:338–368

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yardley ED (1987) Wear resistant materials. Colliery Guardian 235(1):8–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Yilmaz NG, Yurdakul M, Goktan RM (2007) Prediction of radial bit cutting force in high-strength rocks using multiple linear regression analysis. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 44:962–970. doi:10.1016/j.ijrmms.2007.02.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zum Gahr KH (1987) Microstructure and wear of materials. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, 826004, India

    Saurabh Dewangan & Somnath Chattopadhyaya

  2. Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies, Technical University of Košice with a seat in Prešov, Bayerova 1, 080 01, Presov, Slovak Republic

    Sergej Hloch

  3. Institute of Geonics AS CR, v. v. i., Studentska 1768, 708 00, Ostrava-Poruba, The Czech Republic

    Sergej Hloch

Authors
  1. Saurabh Dewangan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Somnath Chattopadhyaya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sergej Hloch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sergej Hloch.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dewangan, S., Chattopadhyaya, S. & Hloch, S. Wear Assessment of Conical Pick used in Coal Cutting Operation. Rock Mech Rock Eng 48, 2129–2139 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-014-0680-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-014-0680-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation