Increasing demand for the application of mechanical excavation techniques in various civil and mining projects has increased the importance of ground abrasive properties and its mechanized excavatability. The accurate prognosis of cutting tools lifetime has crucial importance in the planning of mechanized tunneling projects. Moreover, the precise estimation of the required cutter number for excavating the determined length of a given section in a specific geotechnical condition is one of the

more »

... n tasks of the project consultants. The main objective of these estimations is to assess the needed time and cost of cutter replacements in the phase of feasibility studies and to plan a proper maintenance schedule. The LCPC testing procedure is one of the simplest and most common soil abrasivity assessment methods. The purpose of the presented study is to investigate the steel – soil interaction during the LCPC abrasion test. The consumed energy of LCPC tests on different abrasive samples was measured. Based on the recorded energy values, a new parameter of wear specific energy of the LCPC test (WSEL) was introduced. The obtained WSEL values showed meaningful correlations with the sample grains size and the sample average hardness. Moreover, the results revealed that the high LCPC abrasion coefficient (LAC) values are relevant to the high consumed energy levels recorded during the tests.