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

Jozef Fekiač,Miroslav Němec,Ján Svoreň,Jozef Gáborík

doi:10.3390/coatings12010055

Abstract

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.

Highlights

Circular saws are the most frequently used machines in 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 results show that the cutting power and the surface temperature of the circular saw blade increased when the feed speed increased

Summary

Introduction

Circular saws are the most frequently used machines in primary and secondary wood processing. Krilek et al [1] report that lower values of cutting power were measured in the transverse cutting of prisms from (soft) coniferous tree species (spruce) than in the case of (hard) broadleaved tree species (beech). The lowest values of cutting power were achieved at different feed speeds in the case of the face angle γ = 20◦. Kminiak and Kubš [2] report the different effects of (soft) coniferous tree species (spruce) and (hard) broadleaved tree species (beech and oak) on the cutting power when cross-cutting lumber. The thickness of a particle and the cutting direction significantly affects the magnitude of the main cutting force Other parameters such as wood density, wood moisture and cutting wedge face angle have a lower effect

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