PIANC-USA / COPRI-ASCE / Dredging12

The Application of the Cerchar Abrasivity Indexs to Dredging Hard Rock

by Luis A. Prieto-Portar PhD, PE, SE

Some machines have replaceable teeth.

Table 1: Classification of Drill Tooth Wear Rate.

Classification Tooth lifetime m 3 exc. / bit Lifetime

very low low moderate high very high extremely high

> 2,000 1,500 to 2,000 1,000 to 1,500 500 to 1,000 200 to 500 < 200

very high high moderate low very low extremely low

The mining and tunneling industry define the rate of wear as the velocity of metal removal from the tool, or drill tooth lifetime expressed in excavated cubic meters per tooth (m3 excavated per bit). The table shows the rate of wear used calculate the tool consumption.

Excessive wear on the cutterhead of a slurry TBM 11.7 m

The Unconfined Compressive Strength Test (UCS) on rock core specimens is performed following ASTM D 2983 or AASHTO T 226. The test yields the unconfined compressive strength of an intact piece of rock core sample, which may be used to estimate allowable bearing capacity values for bedrock. A rock specimen must be intact, and at least measure 2f by 4 long.

Piedroba Sketch Marine of Construction a Cerchar machine.

Photo of a typical Cerchar machine set-up.

Ten Cerchar tests on two samples.

The Cerchar index is obtained from a sharpened steel needles sharp point (shown at left). The test produces a conic blunt surface (shown at right) where its new diameter is measured in integers of 0.1 mm with a scale going from 0 for minimum wear to 6 for maximum wear.

Table 2: CAI versus Schimazek F-value.

Classification CAI Type of rock Schimazek F-value (N/mm)

Not abrasive Very slightly abrasive Slightly abrasive Medium abrasive Moderately abrasive Abrasive Highly abrasive Extremely abrasive

< 0.5 < 1.2 1.2 to 2.5 2.5 to 3.5 3.5 to 4.0 4.0 to 4.2 4.2 to 4.5 > 4.5

young limestone limestone young sandstone weathered granite/dolerite sandstone granite/schist/pyroxenite amphibolite quartzite/gneiss/pegmatite

< 0.5 < 0.5 0.5 to 2 2 to 4 4 to 5 5 to 8 8 to 11 > 11

Table 2 provides a classification of the Cerchar, and compares it with a newly proposed abrasivity index: the Schimazek F-value.

Mohs Hardness Scale Softest 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hardest 10

Mineral Talc Gypsum Calcite Fluorite Apatite Orthoclase Quartz Topaz Corundum Diamond

Common testing tool

2.5 = most fingernails 3.0 = copper penny

5.5 = pen knife 6.0 = plate glass

Ooids from beach sand in the Bahamas.

Oolitic limestone of the Miami Formation

Freshwater limestone of the Fort Thompson in Miami, may have strength that exceeds 5,000 psi. Notice the lack of joints and large voids that would permit easy excavation using a toothed bucket.

Table 3: Generalized Geotechnical Profile at Watson Island for the Port of Miami Tunnel
FIU Geotechnical Laboratory tests performed on 36 of PSI's rock samples - August 2006 - L.A. Prieto

Formation

Geological Description

Depth

g solids

Porosity n

CAI

UCS

Tensile

Poisson

Pamlico

Loose quartz fine aolian SAND

+ 5 ft + 3 ft
Water Table

165 pcf 167 pcf

55% 37%

1.2

198 ksf

27 ksf

505 Msf

Miami

Tan to white porous to very porous soft to medium oolitic LIMESTONE Large voids / vugs > 3 feet Light grey loose to medium fine quartz SAND Tan, fossiliferous medium to hard sandy LIMESTONE Brown, hard to very hard fine-grained freshwater LIMESTONE Tan medium to hard shelly SANDSTONE Tan loose to medium quartz SAND Grey medium hard porous quartz shelly SANDSTONE Sandy coquina Coralline limestone Not found in this area Silty, highly fossiliferous limestone -20 ft

166 pcf 167 pcf 168 pcf 164 pcf - 35 ft 159 pcf - 40 ft 158 pcf 168 pcf 170 pcf 144 pcf 158 pcf 165 pcf - 80 ft 159 pcf 161 pcf - 95 ft -130 ft - 160 ft - 300 ft
NA NA NA NA

43% 45% 55 - 200% 46% 46% 40% 22% 17% 25% 12% 42% 25% 18%
NA NA NA NA

1.3 1.3 1.5

242 ksf 152 ksf 25 ksf

32 ksf 26 ksf 3 ksf

0.23

521 Msf 468 Msf NA

1.9 2.1 2.2 2.3 3.1 3.3

156 ksf 189 ksf 808 ksf

27 ksf 32 ksf 126 ksf

0.24

842 Msf 755 Msf 1,120 Msf 1,250 Msf 655 Msf 842 Msf

0.28

Fort Thompson

- 45 ft

1,785 ksf 260 ksf 565 ksf 97 ksf 720 ksf 118 ksf

0.14

- 50 ft

3.4 3.7
NA NA NA NA

625 ksf 855 ksf

NA NA NA NA

108 ksf 140 ksf

NA NA NA NA

0.13

705 Msf 856 Msf

Anastasia Key Largo Caloosahatchee Tamiami

NA NA NA NA

NA NA NA NA

Conclusions: 1. The abrasivity of soils and rocks must be part of the geotechnical study of any dredging project. 2. The CAI is a cheap and reliable predictor of abrasivity. Questions?