Characteristic of size distribution of rock chip produced by rock cutting with a pick cutter

Chip size distribution can be used to evaluate the cutting efficiency and to characterize the cutting behavior of rock during cutting and fragmentation process. In this study, a series of linear cutting tests was performed to investigate the effect of cutting conditions (specifically cut spacing and penetration depth) on the production and size distribution of rock chips. Linyi sandstone from China was used in the linear cutting tests. After each run of linear cutting machine test, the rock chips were collected and their size distribution was analyzed using a sieving test and image processing. Image processing can rapidly and cost-effectively provide useful information of size distribution. Rosin-Rammer distribution pamameters, the coarseness index and the coefficients of uniformity and curvature were determined by image processing for different cutting conditions. The size of the rock chips was greatest at the optimum cut spacing, and the size distribution parameters were highly correlated with cutter forces and specific energy.