Torque reduction during the excavation of dense cohesionless soils

In this paper, water jet has been used to achieve a reduction in the magnitude of the excavation torque, also known as the torsional resistance, imparted on the cutting wing of an excavation machine during rotational excavation of cohesionless soils. This was accomplished by injecting a controlled water jet along the front plane of the cutting wing during the excavation of a model sandy ground. Experimental excavation was performed on compacted completely saturated sand samples using a prototype excavation machine and the torque required for excavation was measured. Within the experimental limitations, the results showed that water jet could successfully be used to reduce torque during excavation of dense sandy soils.