Reducing the Energy Consumption of Circular Saws in the Cutting Process of Plywood

Cutting, as the most widely used machining process, is applied in both primary and secondary wood processing. Optimum cutting conditions that result in the high quality of the machined surface and low energy consumption are crucial for wood processing. The effects of the feed speed, cutting speed and average chip thickness on the energy consumption and surface temperature of a circular saw blade during the cutting process of two types of plywood with a thickness of h = 14 mm is described in this paper. In experimental measurements, two circular saw blades with cutting tungsten carbide inserts for wood were used as tools. One circular saw blade was standard, and was not surface treated (CSB1), and second circular saw blade (CSB2) differed by the powder coating surface and the length of the cutting edge. In the experiment, the energy consumption and the surface temperature of the circular saw blade was measured in order to find the optimal cutting conditions for the most energy-efficient cutting process. The results show that the cutting power and the surface temperature of the circular saw blade increased when the feed speed increased. The investigated values of the surface-treated circular saw blade were lower compared to the values of the standard circular saw blade. When comparing the lightweight plywood with the classic plywood, experimentally obtained cutting power values of the circular saw were made 19% lower on average by using the circular saw blade CSB1. When using the CSB2 circular saw blade, these values of the cutting power of the circular saw were 22% lower on average. The surface temperature of the circular saw blade is the highest on the outer edge (tooth root area 31.7 °C) and decreases towards the center of the circular saw blade. There must be a reasonable compromise between machine productivity and energy consumption.

Experimental study of the characteristics of the circular saw cutting unit linear electric drive

Широкое применение круглопильных станков в лесопильной и деревообрабатывающей промышленности обусловлено их высокой производительностью, простотой, надежностью конструкции, низкой энергоемкостью. Для повышения полезного выхода пилопродукции применяют тонкие пилы. Существенным недостатком, ограничивающим использование таких пил, является их недостаточная жесткость и устойчивость во время работы. Для повышения изгибной жесткости круглой пилы применяются щелевые, роликовые, аэростатические и электромагнитные направляющие. Большинство направляющих создают сопротивление вращению диска пилы. К недостаткам круглопильных станков следует отнести механические потери при передаче крутящего момента от двигателя диску пилы. Колебания диска круглой пилы во время работы являются еще одним недостатком тонких круглых пил, которые снижают качество обработки древесины, приводят к поломкам пил и повышенному уровню шума. Для увеличения надежности узла резания, стабилизации диска пилы во время работы, уменьшения колебаний пильного диска предложено использовать линейный асинхронный дугостаторный двигатель (ЛАДД), ротором в котором является сама круглая пила. Для проверки разработанной математической модели ЛАДД с круглой пилой в качестве ротора была создана экспериментальная установка. Целью работы явилась экспериментальная оценка математической модели и анализ рабочих и механических характеристик ЛАДД, характеристики холостого хода и короткого замыкания двигателя, зависимости мощности и cos ϕ от скольжения. Экспериментально установлено влияние электропроводности диска пилы на эффективность ЛАДД. Для увеличения тягового усилия предложено нанести на боковые поверхности диска пилы материал с высокой электропроводностью (медь). Проведенный эксперимент показал существенное увеличение тягового усилия для диска пилы с покрытием медью. Установленная экспериментально величина магнитной индукции в воздушном зазоре ЛАДД показала корректное совпадение с результатами расчетов по разработанной математической модели. The circular saws are widespread in sawmill and woodworking industry due to their high productivity, simplicity, design reliability, and low energy consumption. Thin saws are used to increase the effective yield of sawn timber. The insufficient rigidity and stability during operation of such saws limit their use. Slotted, roller, aerostatic and electromagnetic guides are applied to increase the bending stiffness of a circular saw. Most such guides create resistance to the rotation of the saw blade. Mechanical losses during the torque transmission from the motor to the saw blade is one of the circular saws disadvantages. Another disadvantage of thin circular saws is vibration of the circular saw blade during operation, which reduce the quality of wood processing, lead to the saw crashes and increased noise levels. It is proposed to use a linear induction arc-stator motor (LIASM), implementing the circular saw is the rotor, to increase the reliability of the cutting unit, stabilize the saw blade during operation, and reduce the oscillations of the saw blade. The experimental setup was created to analyze the developed mathematical model of a LIASM with a circular saw as a rotor. The aim of the work is the experimental evaluation of the mathematical model and the analysis of operating and mechanical LIASM characteristics, idling and short-circuit characteristics of the motor, the dependence of power and cos ϕ on slip. The influence of the saw blade electrical conductivity on the efficiency of the LIASM has been experimentally established. It was proposed to apply a material with high electrical conductivity (copper) on the side surfaces of the saw blade to increase the tractive effort of the drive. The carried-out experiment showed a significant increase in the tractive effort for a copper-coated saw blade. The experimentally established values of the magnetic induction in the air gap of the LIASM showed good coincidence with the calculated results from the developed mathematical model.

SURFACE IRREGULARITIES OF OAK WOOD AFTER TRANSVERSAL CUTTING WITH A CIRCULAR SAW

This paper deals with the effect of saw blade type (24, 40 and 60 teeth) and sawn distance on the primary profile (Pz) of tranvesre surface of European oak (Quercus robur L.) after transversal cutting. Transversal cutting was provided at constant cutting speed vc = 62 m.s-1and with manual feeding using circular saw blade. An additional parameter was to determine the maximum sawn distance for each type of saw blade up to the point where the saw blade overheated, as well as the beginning of the blackening of the wood surface. The highest values of the primary profile (Pz) were achieved with a saw blade with 24 teeth, lower values were measured on wood cut with a 40 tooth blade and the lowest values after cutting with a 60 tooth blade. As the saw distance increased, there was no rapid and steep increase in the primary profile values, but these values gradually increased slightly, probably due to the gradual blunting of the tool.

Investigation of Cutting Performance of a Circular Saw Blade Based on ANSYS/LS-DYNA

The circular saw blade is widely applied in rock processing; its cutting performance significantly impacts rock processing. Therefore, the numerical simulation model of rock cutting with the flexible circular saw blade has been established to investigate the effects of cutting parameters on the stress and cutting force of circular saw blade, and the damage and stress of rock in the circular saw blade cutting into rock vertically at constant feed speed and rotation speed. The research results indicate that the stress of the saw blade and rock rises with the increase of feed speed and rotation speed of the saw blade. Furthermore, the rock damage and the cutting force of the circular saw blade increase with the increasing feed speed and decrease with increasing rotation speed. The circular saw blade cutting force, vertical force, and horizontal force increase with the rising distance between the double circular saw blade. However, the axial force decreases. The research results of cutting hard rock with the flexible circular saw blade can aid in the optimization of cutting parameters and improve cutting efficiency.

STEP-NC-Compliant Implementation to Support Mixed-Control Technologies Applied to Stone-Processing Machines Based on Industrial Automation Standards

STEP-NC (Standard for the Exchange of Product Model Data–Numerical Control) for metal milling and turning is not implemented by industrial computer numerical controllers. Solutions reported are prototypes based on post-processing in G-code. Moreover, minority machining processes, such as stone cutting, have not yet been contemplated in the STEP-NC standard. This article takes that sector as a use case. An extended STEP-NC model for circular saw stone-cutting operations is proposed, and a prototype automation implementation is developed to work with this extended model. This article shows how modern technological resources for coordinated axes control provided by many industrial controllers for the automation of general-purpose machines can speed up the processes of implementing STEP-NC numerical controllers. This article proposes a mixed and flexible approach for STEP-NC-based machine automation, where different strategies can coexist when it comes to executing STEP-NC machining files, so controllers do not need to implement the standard in an exhaustive way for all the possible features, but only at selected ones when convenient. This is demonstrated in a prototype implementation which is able to process STEP-NC product files with mixed-feature types: standard milling and non-standard sawblade features for stone processing.

On acoustic emission analysis in circular saw cutting beech wood with respect to power consumption and surface roughness

A sound or a noise that accompanies wood machining processes is introduced by the tool rotation itself, by the friction of moving machine parts, or by wood-tool interaction. The sounds generated during machining with a circular saw could be analysed in order to monitor and possibly control the cutting process. Applying altered cutting parameters while cutting beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.), which is the most common wood species in the Republic of Serbia, caused acoustic emissions that could be analysed throughout corresponding spectra. As shown in previous studies, altering the cutting parameters, e.g., the feed speed and tool override, resulted in variations in power consumption, surface roughness, and acoustic emission (or acoustic pressure). The aim of this paper was to provide a possible correlation between the applied cutting parameters and the acoustic emission spectra with respect to consumed power and the state of the machined surface. Along with acoustic emissions, the power consumption and surface roughness data were also acquired in order to make a possible relationship. By associating the idle circular saw acoustic spectra with background noise and comparing them with those obtained during machining, it was possible to indicate spectrum areas of particular interest for further analysis.

GEOMETRY OF KERF WHEN CURVE SAWING WITH A CIRCULAR RIP-SAW

Rip-sawing following the curvature of a crooked log means advantages for yield. However, the possibility to saw in a narrow curve with a circular saw blade is limited because of the inherently flat geometry of circular saw blades. For a double arbour circular saw the situation is even more problematic because the two blades have a certain overlap and thus, the two arbours are not positioned in the same horizontal position. In this study, a theoretical geometrical study of the creation of a kerf with a single circular saw blade and with a double arbour circular saw with two saw blades was examined. Results for stiff saw blades show that the kerfs become in general curved and inclined (tilted) in the vertical direction and also that the width of the kerfs for double arbour saws becomes wider at the top and bottom of the cant than in the middle. Additionally, the sawn boards obtain varying thickness along their width because of the varying kerf width. A comparison with experimental thickness data from four test sawings at a sawmill indicates that the theoretical results are valid and that curve sawn boards become thinner than straight sawn boards.

An Idea for Predicting Residual Stress Field of Roll Tensioned Circular Saw Blade

In this paper, a concise and fast 2D model of the roll tensioning process was built using the finite element method. Elastic thermal expansion is used to simulate rolling plastic deformation. A 3D model considering contact between roller and circular saw blade was also built. Through comparison of residual stress results obtained by the 2D model, 3D model, and X-ray stress test method, the correctness and feasibility of the 2D model were proven. While accounting for the diversity of circular saw blade structure, this paper provided an idea for rapidly predicting the residual stress field of a roll-tensioned circular saw blade.