Experimental investigation on rock-cutting behavior of oscillating disc cutters: Effects of kinematic parameters and energy consumption characteristics

Oscillating disc cutter (ODC) represents a promising technique for hard rock excavation by combining the low thrust force requirement of chisel picks and the high wear resistance of conventional rolling disc cutters. To reveal the rock-breaking mechanism and quantify the effects of key kinematic parameters on cutting performance, a full-scale linear rock-cutting test rig with an oscillating module was developed. A series of cutting tests was performed on red sandstone under varied speed ratios ( R v) and cutting depths ( d ). Cutting responses, including thrust force, torque, specific energy (SE), particle size distribution, and effective crushing energy ratio, were systematically analyzed. With increasing R v, mean thrust force, mean torque, and SE increase monotonically, while crushing SE ( W ) decreases exponentially and tends to stabilize above a critical R v of approximately 0.5. The effective crushing energy ratio r E decreases linearly with rising R v owing to the enhanced friction loss and elevated cutting load. As cutting depth increases, both mean thrust force and mean torque increase linearly; meanwhile, SE and W decrease linearly due to the transition toward dominant brittle fracture and the increased proportion of large-size rock chips. These findings clarify the coupled effects of kinematic parameters on rock-cutting behavior and provide practical guidance for parameter optimization of ODC in hard rock tunneling and deep mining engineering.