Mechanics of drilling

Abstract

In this overview the process of drilling is regarded from a continuum mechanical point of view. Starting with drilling into a material that is free of stresses, with drilling only as a process of cutting, the case of drilling into a pre-stressed material is investigated more precisely. The drilled material has either a metallic or a granular behavior. In particular, materials with a strain-softening behavior at the point of failure is considered. A complete analytical solution is presented for conditions of rotational symmetry, while for biaxial symmetry semi-analytical and numerical solutions are developed. The theoretical analysis is in good agreement with the experimental results.