A method to optimize the diamond wire cutting process

Stone are usually cut by diamond wire, that is frequently used to square stone blocks in marble companies and to pull blocks out of quarries. The diamond wire machines used for carrying out the former task are afflicted with a lot of technological troubles, such as poor surface finishing, low efficiency (in comparison with diamond wire machines used in quarries), process dangerousness and high cost of the cutting operation, due to the numerous breaking of the wire, that is expensive. This paper deals with the analysis of cutting process of natural stones by means of diamond wire. In particular, the attention is focused on the analysis of cutting forces and on the optimization of diamond bead wear, that is influenced by pre-twisting and tensioning of the wire. This study is essential for a better design of cutting system and for a better use of existing machineries. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.