A systematic estimation of the amount of tool wear is nearly impossible because there is no universally accepted test for determining soil abrasiveness. Laboratory devices that have been developed in recent years have fewer limitations than older methods, but they are unique and are under development. A new device has been developed and used at the Ferdowsi University of Mash-had, Iran, to evaluate how geological factors affect soil abrasion behavior. Samples with known geological char-acteristics including hardness (mineralogy), grain size, and grain roundness were prepared and tested using the new abrasion test unit. The results indicate a direct linear rela-tionship between the relative mineral hardness (Mohs scale) and abrasion. Moreover, the results of the abrasion testing showed increasing abrasion with grain size and angularity. Furthermore, the impact of moisture content was also examined, and the amount of measured wear followed an approximately bell shaped curve relative to the water content, as has been reported in similar studies by other research groups. Additional testing of the samples for shear strength showed a good correlation between the shear strengths of the specimens and the abrasivity

Keywords