Numerical models are established based on the coupled ALE-FEM algorithm to investigate the fragmentation process of coal impacted by water jets and abrasive jets. By comparing the evolution rates of the punching holes, the distributions of the damage fields, the flow fields of the jets, and the stress states of the test elements, the paper reveals the fragmentation mechanisms of coal impacted by two kinds of jets. The results show that the erosion energy of the water jet is more discrete than that of the abrasive jet, causing a wider distribution range of the effective stress and the damage field in the coal. Moreover, the paper finds that the expansion of the punching holes induced by both water jets and abrasive jets is based on the cycles of formation and destruction of the fragmentation cores, and the cycles are completed more efficiently in the coal impacted by abrasive jets. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.