Rock Cutting & Drilling Laboratory

Specialised facilities for researching rock mechanics

CSIRO offers testing and assessment services in rock mechanics problems associated with rock cutting, drilling and sawing.

• 22 February 2006 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Rock Mechanics Laboratory
• Rock Cutting & Drilling Laboratory
• Designing new technology

Rock Mechanics Laboratory

CSIRO's Rock Mechanics Laboratory can measure a range of mechanical and physical properties of rocks, including:

• elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio
• unconfined compressive strength
• Brazilian and direct tensile strength
• shear strength
• cohesion and friction angle measurements along joints and fault planes
• density
• moisture
• fracture toughness
• P and S-wave velocities.

Rock Cutting & Drilling Laboratory

Our unique Rock Cutting & Drilling Laboratory can test a wide range of tool types, including those based on:

• high-speed steels
• tungsten carbide (WC) tipped tools
• diamond composite
• cubic boron nitride.

We test the cutting performance of picks in linear and rotary cutting modes on a wide range of rock types.

The specific energy for cutting, drilling and sawing can be calculated from force measurements using sate-of-the-art dynamometers. Wear on the cutting element can be assessed quantitatively by either weight loss or length changes.

Designing new technology

CSIRO specialises in the design, manufacture and testing of rock cutting tools such as:

• point-attack picks for rock excavation
• drill bits for mineral exploration, mining and gas drainage operations
• saw blades for the quarrying and dimensional stone industries.

The SMART*CUT Technology process was developed by our Rock Cutting and Drillling Laboratory. SMART*CUT Technology is a patented bonding process for attaching diamond composite cutting elements to the body of cutting tools.

Learn more about SMART*CUT.