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Evaluating the Anisotropy of Drilling Mechanical Characteristics of Rock in the Process of Digital Drilling

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Abstract

The engineering behaviour of rock is strongly associated with the anisotropy, which exists at different scales for construction safety and evaluation of rock properties. It is also well known that the anisotropy of the drilling mechanical characteristics in the rock cutting process has an essential effect on the drilling efficiency and cost. For this purpose, an effort was made to characterize the anisotropy of the drilling mechanical characteristics of rocks in the rock drilling process. The drilling strength and specific energy at the cutting point are considered to characterize the drilling process in three different directions according to the drilling response model. A drilling characteristic-based index is proposed to evaluate the anisotropy of rock. Drilling tests were conducted in three directions for six types of rock to study the anisotropy variation along the borehole depth. The anisotropy evolution result along the borehole suggested that this critical point is identified as the cutting point, dividing the drilling process into two stages of cutting and frictional contact. The cutting point also shows anisotropic features. The anisotropic ranking of tested rocks was obtained. Based on how the drilling parameters depend on the unconfined compressive strength, the reliability of the proposed anisotropy index is examined by comparison with the strength anisotropy index. The comparative result demonstrates that the proposed method can provide a reliable determination for rock anisotropy by using the drilling strength. The work performed in this paper provides a very useful approach for evaluating the anisotropy of rock and provides a good understanding of the drilling mechanical characteristics in rock drilling.

Highlights

  • The anisotropy of the drilling mechanical characteristics of rocks is characterized in the rock drilling process.

  • The drilling strength and specific energy at the cutting point are considered to characterize the drilling process in three different directions.

  • A drilling characteristic-based index is proposed to evaluate the anisotropy of rock.

  • Drilling tests are conducted in three directions for six types of rock to study the anisotropy variation along the borehole depth.

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Data availability

The data that support the finding of this study are available form the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

R :

The radius of the drill bit

ρ :

The ratio of the inner and outer radii of the drill bit

F n :

Thrust force

F t :

Tangential torque force

W :

Scaled contact stress

t :

Tangential stress

h :

The depth per rotation

W f :

The friction components of W

W c :

The cutting components of W

t f :

The friction components of t

t c :

The cutting components of t

σ0 :

Normal stress at the crushed zone

τ0 :

Shear stress at the crushed zone

φ ’ :

Friction angle at the crushed zone

E :

Specific energy

S :

Drilling strength

α :

Rake angle

θ :

Contact angle between the rock and bit

\({\overline{{K}}}\) :

The average value of the drilling strength

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Acknowledgements

This study is sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 42177158, 11902249 and 11872301), Key Research and Development project of Shaanxi Province (No. 2022SF-412), Education Bureau of Shaanxi Province in China (Grant No. 20JS093). Opening fund of State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection (Chengdu University of Technology) (Grants No. SKLGP2022K005). Open subject of Urban Geology and Underground Space Engineering Technology Research Center of Shaanxi Province (2022KT-01). The financial support provided by this sponsor is greatly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Mingming He, Haoteng Wang, Zhiqiang Zhang & Ning Li

  2. State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China

    Mingming He & Chunchi Ma

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  1. Mingming He
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Correspondence to Mingming He.

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He, M., Wang, H., Ma, C. et al. Evaluating the Anisotropy of Drilling Mechanical Characteristics of Rock in the Process of Digital Drilling. Rock Mech Rock Eng 56, 3659–3677 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-023-03242-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-023-03242-1

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