On the slabbing of stones throughdiamond wire cutting

Abstract

Diamond wires are usually used in the cutting operations aimed to obtain slabs of stones. This tool consists of a steel cable on which are mounted annular metal–diamond pearls. The use of this technology expanded all over the world because of its advantages on other slabbing techniques as both technical and economical aspects are considered. It should be observed that with this technology wear phenomena must be properly monitored in order to obtain the best process conditions. Inthis article, thediamondwire cutting operation is investigated, highlighting the process mechanics and the wear phenomena occurring in the used tools. Furthermore, a modified version of the tool itself is proposed with the aim to increase its life maintaining the quality of the produced stones.