Failure analysis of polycrystalline diamond compact cutters for breaking rock by bending waves theory

The breakage mechanism of the polycrystalline diamond compact(PDC) cutters was analyzed by the energy theory of bending waves. The cutting tests of granite block were conducted on a multifunctional testing device by using the cutter at three kinds of negative fore angles of 30°, 45° and 60°. The results show that, when the edge of the PDC layer is broken, the layer of tungsten cobalt is broken a little under the angle of 30°, while the layer of tungsten cobalt is broken continuously under the angle of 60°, their maximum depths are about 2 and 7 mm respectively in the two cases. The eccentric distance mainly depends on the negative fore angle of the cutter. When the cutter thrusts into the rock under an attack angle of 60°, the energy of bending waves reaches the maximum since the eccentric distance is the maximum. So the damage of cutter is the most serious. This test result is consistent with the conclusion of theoretical analysis well. The eccentric distance from the axial line of cutter to the point of action between the rock and cutter has great effect on the breakage of the cutter. Thus during the process of cutting, the eccentric distance should be reduced to improve the service life of PDC cutters.

A swirling jet from a nozzle with tangential inlets and its characteristics in breaking-up rocks

In order to apply a swirling jet to a PDC drill bit, the nozzle performance influenced by nozzle inlet geometric parameters and rock breaking tests under submerged conditions were studied. Numerical simulation was used to study the influence of the nozzle structure on the swirling intensity and nozzle discharge coefficient. Simulation results indicate that spreading angle of the swirling jet is greater than that of＂ the non-swirling jet, and the swirling intensity of the jet is strongly influenced by the length of the nozzle body but weakly by the number of tangential inlets. Rock breaking tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the swirling jet. It is found that the swirling jet shows a lower threshold pressure to break the rock samples and could break rock more efficiently compared with the non-swirling jet.

Simulation and Experimental Analysis of Arc Motion Characteristics in Air Circuit Breaker

In this paper, to simulate the arc motion in an air circuit breaker （ACB）, a three- dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic （MHD） model is developed, considering the influence of ther- mal radiation, the change of physical parameters of arc plasma and the nonlinear characteristic of ferromagnetic material. The distributions of pressure, temperature, gas flow and current density of arc plasma in the arc region are calculated. The simulation results show some phenomena which discourage arc interruption, such as back commutation and arc burning at the back of the splitter plate. To verify the simulation model, the arc motion is studied experimentally. The influences of the material and position of the innermost barrier plate are analyzed mainly. It proved that the model developed in this paper can efficiently simulate the arc motion. The results indicate that the insulation barrier plate close to the top of the splitter plate is conducive to the arc splitting, which leads to the significant increase of the arc voltage, so it is better for arc interruption. The research can provide methods and references to the optimization of ACB design.