Date/Time
Date(s) - 12/08/2021
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Categories
Zoom Link:https://ufl.zoom.us/j/97288367341
Meeting ID: 972 8836 7341
Toward the hole story of rock drilling clams
Sheng Dai
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technolgy
Abstract:
Drilling and excavation in rock often play an important role in infrastructures,
resource development, resource recovery, and the protection of human health and
the environment. Advanced technologies for hard rock drilling and excavation that
emerged in the last 100 years have helped the construction of tunnels, sewage,
and water supply systems, underground utilities, and excavation. With the need of
drilling to greater depths, modern drilling technologies are challenged by the wear
of drill bits, low penetration rates, and low levels of autonomy that increase costs
with decreased safety. This presentation will share our preliminary investigations
of the mechanisms by which angelwing clams (cyrtopleura costata) bore into rocks
intending to develop innovative solutions for efficient drilling in rocks. Angelwing
clams have thin and brittle shells, yet can burrow into hard rocks through unique
body shape and surface denticle patterns to effectively break the rock and remove
the cuttings. This research combines tomographic characterization, surface
indentation, and numerical shear-mode cutting simulation to unravel the
morphological advantages of rock drilling clams in boring. This research aims to
develop bio-inspired technologies for drilling at greater depths, in harder media,
and under extreme environments.