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This paper gives a brief review of research in rock fracture mechanics as conducted at the Fracture and Photo-Mechanics Laboratory (FPML) at Vienna University of Technology. The mechanisms pertaining to percussion drilling and blasting are investigated, with specific reference to the application of fracture mechanics. In order to gain an improved understanding of the mechanisms controlling rock fragmentation, a multidisciplinary approach is followed which includes laboratory experiments conducted in plexiglass and rock, in-situ field experiments and analytical/numerical modelling techniques.Field experiments revealed that percussively drilled holes exhibit a very shallow region of damaged rock. An analytical model to simulate damage accumulation and crack initiation due to elastic waves generated by impacting drill bits was developed. This model, based on damage and fracture mechanics, was incorporated into a numerical finite difference code. Fracture and damage mechanics parameters are related to the moment tensor which is determined experimentally by means of acoustic emission. Small scale model blasts were used to investigate the blast-induced fractures in the near-borehole zone as well as in the far field. Analytical and numerical investigations give insight into stress wave and gas driven fracturing. The applicability of the dynamic finite difference program SWIFD to the interaction between stress waves and cracks is illustrated.

This article presents a fast numerical calculation method of realistic power losses for high-frequency litz wires. Explicitly, the imperfect structure of litz wires is considered when calculating losses due to an excitation current (skin losses) and external magnetic fields (proximity losses). Calculations of litz wires with more than 1000 strands were performed on a personal computer and have been validated by measurements up to 10 MHz. In the calculation, the impact of the bundle structure on skin and proximity losses is examined. The method allows to select a suitable litz wire for a specific application or to design a litz wire considering realistic twisting structures.

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