InterPore2026

Cutting of Clay: Experimental Results and Validation of a Herschel-Bulkley Model

19 May 2026, 15:05

1h 30m

Poster Presentation (MS03) Flow, transport and mechanics in fractured porous media Poster

Speaker

Mark Winkelman (PhD Candidate, Offshore and Dredging Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology)

Description

Clay is a challenging material in dredging due to its complex soil properties, high plasticity, and stickiness. It sticks to the equipment (Winkelman, 2025b) and forms clay balls in the pipeline (Boor,2004). Which leads to unpredictable production rates and increased downtime (PIANC,2016). With the growing demand for construction materials in infrastructure, clay can be an alternative for liners, fillers, and base layers in civil engineering (Koster,2009). However, to make beneficial use of clay, the operational challenges in handling must be mitigated (Hoff,2012).
. Additionally, predicting the required forces and power for cutting clay is difficult, making equipment selection a high-risk decision (CEDA/IADC,2018). The aim of this research is to improve equipment performance in clay and enable contractors to work efficiently with clay. (Winkelman, 2024). Our experiments validated existing clay cutting models, showing that the cutting process can transition between continuous and discontinuous modes depending on dimensionless parameter combinations for soil conditions (e.g. adhesion and cohesion) and operational settings (e.g. blade length and cutting depth). This transition significantly influences the magnitude of power required. Furthermore, changes in the direction of cutting forces perpendicular to the movement can cause cuttings to become trapped between the blades, resulting in cutter head clogging.
To investigate the transition in cutting behaviour as a result of blade angle, blade length, cutting velocity, and cutting depth, a soil bin test was conducted using a series of linear experiments with a single blade (Winkelman,2025a). The blade dimensions match those of a real cutter tooth, eliminating the need for scaling. The soil bin was designed with the same width as the blade to ensure a two-dimensional flow pattern (Hatamura,1975). For our experiments, a homogeneous, well-defined artisan clay was used, characterized by a cohesion between 34 and 73.5kPa and a plasticity-index of 17.33%. Adhesion and external friction were modified using different tool materials. Reaction forces were recorded in horizontal, vertical, and rotational directions and transformed into cutting forces at the blade tip. Cameras captured both top and side views. A grid pattern was printed on the specimen’s side to visualize deformations and deformation rates, which were analysed using PIVlab®. These observations were compared to CFD simulations employing a Herschel–Bulkley model.
Our research demonstrates that internal and external friction play a significant role in cutting behaviour and cannot be neglected, as current cutting models do (Miedema,2014). Incorporating these forces into predictive models will significantly improve production estimations. While the Herschel–Bulkley CFD model shows promising predictive capability, discrepancies remain between required input conditions for the simulation and actual test conditions. Adhesion, in particular, is challenging to model but can be accounted for through improved approaches. Once these refinements are integrated into production estimation models and used to improve the design of the cutter. Reduction of cutter head clogging, dredging projects involving clay can become a viable and cost-effective alternative to traditional sand-based constructions.