Numerical studies on rock breaking of single axe-shaped PDC cutter

Abstract For a drill bit, the cutter is the most important part to break the rock. In oilwell drilling, polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bit is widely used to shear the rock formation. In this paper, a finite element model with including the axe-shaped PDC cutter and rock formation is developed to study the rock breaking behaviours. Results show that the effect of axe-shaped PDC cutter on rock breaking is better than that of the planar PDC cutter. The front rake angle and face angel play significant role on the axial force but have little influence on the tangential force. In addition, both the tangential force and axial force increase rapidly with increasing the depth of cut.