On the physical processes of rock cleavage

Abstract

Nowadays, energy efficiency has become an important issue. We cannot give up on the extraction of rocks and mining, we must continue to look for ways to minimize energy consumption. The optimal design of the used cutting tools must be promoted by optimizing energy costs and the costs of wear and tear [3]. In this work, I want to describe the physical process taking place during rock splitting in a simple case using a quasi-static physical model. The dynamic description of the phenomenon [1] is not our goal now, so neither is the description of the stochastic property of the cutting force [2].
The determination of the cutting force and the knowledge of the energetic characteristics are of central importance, based on this it is possible to improve the tools used for cutting rocks [3]. As in my previous article [4], I set out to provide a complete physical description of the splitting task [5] discussed by Evans: from the penetration of the tool, through the occurrence of the fracture, to the splitting of the stone chips.