In situ diamond wires: diameter determination of the external cutting rope

Diamond wires are cutting tools used in the slabbing of dimension stones. This tool consists of a steel cable ∅5.0 mm in diameter on which annular metal-diamond pearls (∅ext 10.0 mm, length 6.0 mm) are mounted, with spacings of 20 mm between them. The use of this technology has been expanded all over the world due to its advantages on the other slabbing techniques. Besides this, it is recognized that the spacings between diamond pearls are prematurely weared out, leading to a catastrophic steel cable rupture. To prevent this problem, a new technology to process diamond wires was proposed, called “in situ” Technology (involves powder metallurgy and rotary forging), which is composed of a braiding array of diamond composite wires over a Cu-Nb strength cable. This work deals with the determination of the optimum diameter for the external cutting rope.