Sawing Stone by Wire.

Progress, Volume I, Issue 3, 2 January 1906, Page 63

Sawing Stone by Wire.

Stone sawing by wire is done successfully in France, according to a paper by Mr. E. Bourdon m the Bulletin of the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry. A complete plant comprises an endless wire passing round a series of pulleys, one of which is a driving-pulley. The necessary tension is obtained by a straining trolley working on an inclined plane, and between the driving shaft and this trolley is situated the saw frame, which carries the guide pulleys for the wire saw. This wire, which is driven at a given speed, is caused to press lightly on the stone, and the cutting is done by sand mixed with water, which is conveyed into the saw-cut as the work proceeds. Though the mode of operation appears simple, it entails various difficulties in practical application. Three twisted steel wires are used, each wire having a diameter of 0.098 in. The strands must be twisted fairly tight and should make one turn in

1. 1 8 in. The wire may be driven in the workshop at a speed of 23 ft. per second, but in quarries or adits the speed should not exceed 13 ft. per second. The force exerted by the wire to produce the cut must be uniform and must be capable of being readily varied ; moreover, it must be proportionate to the length of the cut.