Study on the rock-breaking behavior and fracture characteristics of PDC cutters in penetration-shearing hybrid rock-breaking

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2096-1693.2026.02.017

Abstract

Abstract:

The rock-breaking efficiency and durability of PDC cutters are critical to improving the rate of penetration and drilling efficiency. Previous studies on PDC cutter rock breaking have mainly been conducted at a constant depth of cut, and the penetration-shearing hybrid rock-breaking behavior and associated shear fracture characteristics during cutter penetration into the formation remain insufficiently investigated. In this work, a penetration-shearing hybrid rock-breaking experiment was developed on a vertical turret lathe to investigate the effects of lithology, depth of cut, back rake angle, and cutter geometry on the rock-breaking performance of PDC cutters. Pearson correlation analysis was further introduced to quantitatively characterize the correlations between the influencing factors and rock-breaking efficiency, and shearing fracture tests were also conducted at back rake angles of 30° and 35°. During penetration-shearing hybrid rock-breaking, lithology was the primary factor controlling the rock-breaking efficiency of PDC cutters, with both the cutting forces and mechanical specific energy during granite cutting being significantly higher than those during sandstone cutting. Depth of cut was another key variable affecting rock-breaking efficiency. As the depth of cut increased, the mechanical specific energy decreased rapidly and gradually approached a stable value, whereas aggressiveness increased monotonically and remained independent of lithology. Shaped cutters required less energy for rock breaking, exhibited higher rock-breaking efficiency, and showed stronger resistance to shear fracture. However, the correlations of cutter geometry and back rake angle with rock-breaking efficiency were weaker than those of lithology and depth of cut. At back rake angles of 30° or higher, the rock-breaking mode gradually shifted from shearing to crushing. Meanwhile, cuttings became more difficult to remove, the cutting forces increased, and periodic dynamic impacts intensified, which readily induced shear-fracture failure of the PDC cutter. And rational selection of the back rake angle and proper control of the depth of cut were effective measures for preventing premature failure of PDC cutters. These findings provided theoretical guidance for the design optimization and field application of PDC cutters.

Key words: penetration-shearing hybrid rock-breaking, PDC cutter, cutter shape, mechanical specific energy, deep/ultra-deep drilling

摘要：

PDC齿的破岩效率与耐用性是影响钻井提速提效的关键因素。现有PDC齿破岩研究主要在恒定吃入深度下开展，对PDC齿吃入地层时吃入—剪切复合破岩规律及其剪切断裂特性认识不足。本文基于立式转塔车床，设计了PDC齿吃入—剪切复合破岩实验，探究了岩性、吃入深度、后倾角与齿形特征等因素对PDC齿破岩效果的影响规律，并引入皮尔逊相关系数方法，对各影响因素与破岩效率之间的相关性进行了定量表征，此外在30°和35°大后倾角下开展了PDC齿抗剪切断裂测试。结果表明，在吃入—剪切复合破岩模式下，岩性是影响PDC齿破岩效率的首要因素，切削花岗岩时切削力与机械比能均显著高于砂岩；吃入深度是影响破岩效率的关键变量，随着吃入深度增加，机械比能快速下降并逐渐趋于稳定，而攻击性则单调增大且与岩性无关；异形齿破岩所需能量较低、破岩效率较高，具有更强的抗剪切断裂能力，但齿形特征及后倾角与破岩效率的相关性弱于岩性和吃入深度。在大后倾角(≥30°)下，PDC齿的破岩方式逐渐由剪切转向压碎破岩，同时岩屑难以排出、切削力增大且周期性动态冲击增强，易导致PDC齿剪切断裂失效，合理选择后倾角和控制吃入深度是防止PDC齿过早失效的有效措施。研究成果可为PDC齿设计优化和现场应用提供参考。

关键词: 吃入—剪切复合破岩, PDC齿, 齿形结构, 机械比能, 深层/超深层钻井

CLC Number:

TE21
TE921

FENG Chaochao, LIU Wei, GAO Deli, ZHANG Yu. Study on the rock-breaking behavior and fracture characteristics of PDC cutters in penetration-shearing hybrid rock-breaking[J]. Petroleum Science Bulletin, 2026, 11(2): 487-503.

冯超超, 刘维, 高德利, 章宇. 吃入—剪切复合破岩模式下PDC齿的破岩规律与损伤特性研究[J]. 石油科学通报, 2026, 11(2): 487-503.

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URL: https://sykxtb.cup.edu.cn/EN/10.3969/j.issn.2096-1693.2026.02.017

https://sykxtb.cup.edu.cn/EN/Y2026/V11/I2/487

Figures/Tables 20

Fig. 1 Vertical turret lathe testing system

Table 1 PDC cutters used in the rock-breaking efficiency tests

序号	齿形	直径/mm	高度/mm	倒角/mm	是否抛光
1	圆形齿	16	13	0.4	否
2	圆形齿	16	13	0.2	否
3	抛光圆形齿	16	13	0.4	是
4	165斧形齿	16	13	0.4	否
5	135斧形齿	16	13	0.4	否

Table 2 PDC cutters used in the durability tests

序号	齿形	直径/mm	高度/mm	金刚石层材质	金刚石层厚/mm	倒角/mm	是否抛光
1	圆形齿	16	13	#A/#B/#C	3	0.4	否
2	抛光圆形齿	16	13	#B	3	0.4	是
3	165斧形齿	16	13	#A/#B	3	0.4	否
4	3D齿	16	13	#A	3	0.4	否
5	150奔驰齿	16	13	#A	3	0.4	否
6	160奔驰齿	16	13	#A	3	0.4	否

Fig. 2 Various PDC cutters used in this work

Fig. 3 Penetration-shearing hybrid rock-breaking experiment

Fig. 4 (a) Comparison of cutting forces between cutting granite and sandstone at a target depth of cut of 4 mm; (b) Effects of target depth of cut and lithology on cuttings mass; (c) Effects of target depth of cut on rock-breaking energy and mechanical specific energy; (d) Comparison of mechanical specific energy at different penetration stages

Fig. 5 Effects of chamfer size on (a) tangential force and (b) axial force

Fig. 6 Effects of chamfer size on (a) cutter aggressiveness and (b) mechanical specific energy

Fig. 7 Effects of polishing on (a) tangential force and (b) axial force

Fig. 8 Effects of polishing on (a) cutter aggressiveness and (b) mechanical specific energy

Fig. 9 Effects of back rake angle on (a) tangential force and (b) axial force when cutting granite, and on (c) tangential force and (d) axial force when cutting sandstone

Fig. 10 Effects of back rake angle on cutter aggressiveness when cutting (a) granite and (b) sandstone

Fig. 11 Effects of cutter shape on (a, c) tangential force and (b, d) axial force under different back rake angles

Fig. 12 Effects of depth of cut and back rake angle on the aggressiveness of (a) the 135 axe-shaped cutter and (b) the 165 axe-shaped cutter

Fig. 13 Effects of lithology, cutter shape and back rake angle on mechanical specific energy

Fig. 14 Pearson correlation matrix between influencing factors and mechanical specific energy

Table 3 Fracture test results of PDC cutters

序号	齿形	材质	后倾角		备注
序号	齿形	材质	30°	35°	备注
1	圆形齿	#A	部分损伤	断裂	材质比较
2		#B	完好	断裂
3		#C	完好	完好
4	抛光圆形齿	#B	完好	完好	抛光比较
5	165斧形齿	#A	完好	断裂	齿形比较
6	165斧形齿	#B	完好	断裂
7	160奔驰齿	#A	完好	完好
8	150奔驰齿	#A	完好	完好
9	3D齿	#A	完好	完好

Fig. 15 Fracture morphology of PDC cutters

Fig. 16 Failure evolution of a PDC cutter from crack initiation to complete fracture

Fig. 17 Fractured PDC cutters on the bit after field application

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