ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part provides the improvement of the prediction of the tool consumption of cutter suction dredgers. It discusses the influence of the properties of the rocks on the cutting process. The part focuses on the abrasive wear which is the result of the difference in hardness between the tool and the rock. The wear mode theory emphasizes that in rocks with abrasive minerals, such as sandstones, most of the wear takes place during the initial penetration of the tool into the rock. The part shows that the laboratory abrasion tests make clear that wear is a function of both rock strength properties and the mineral composition of the rock. It presents the few correlation equations that exist to date which give information on abrasiveness of rock.
