Fractal Characteristic of Rock Cutting Load Time Series

A test-bed was developed to perform the rock cutting experiments under different cutting conditions. The fractal theory was adopted to investigate the fractal characteristic of cutting load time series and fragment size distribution in rock cutting. The box-counting dimension for the cutting load time series was consistent with the fractal dimension of the corresponding fragment size distribution, which indicated that there were inherent relations between the rock fragmentation and the cutting load. Furthermore, the box-counting dimension was used to describe the fractal characteristic of cutting load time series under different conditions. The results show that the rock compressive strength, cutting depth, cutting angle, and assisted water-jet types all have no significant effect on the fractal characteristic of cutting load. The box-counting dimension can be an evaluation index to assess the extent of rock crushing or cutting. Rock fracture mechanism would not be changed due to water-jet in front of or behind the cutter, but it would be changed when the water-jet was in cutter.