Method for maintaining a cutting blade centered in a kerf

Patent · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2001

OSTI ID:874550

Blaedel, Kenneth L ^[1]; Davis, Pete J ^[2]; Landram, Charles S ^[3]

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1. Dublin, CA
2. Pleasanton, CA
3. Livermore, CA

A saw having a self-pumped hydrodynamic blade guide or bearing for retaining the saw blade in a centered position in the saw kerf (width of cut made by the saw). The hydrodynamic blade guide or bearing utilizes pockets or grooves incorporated into the sides of the blade. The saw kerf in the workpiece provides the guide or bearing stator surface. Both sides of the blade entrain cutting fluid as the blade enters the kerf in the workpiece, and the trapped fluid provides pressure between the blade and the workpiece as an inverse function of the gap between the blade surface and the workpiece surface. If the blade wanders from the center of the kerf, then one gap will increase and one gap will decrease and the consequent pressure difference between the two sides of the blade will cause the blade to re-center itself in the kerf. Saws using the hydrodynamic blade guide or bearing have particular application in slicing slabs from boules of single crystal materials, for example, as well as for cutting other difficult to saw materials such as ceramics, glass, and brittle composite materials.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: The Regents of the University of California (Oakland, CA)
• Patent Number(s): US 6412377
• OSTI ID: 874550
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/83/384/
application
bearing
blade
boules
brittle
center
centered
ceramics
composite
composite material
consequent
crystal
cut
cutting
cutting blade
decrease
difference
difficult
enters
entrain
example
fluid
function
gap
glass
grooves
guide
hydrodynamic
incorporated
increase
inverse
kerf
maintaining
materials
method
pockets
position
pressure
provides
re-center
retaining
saws
self-pumped
single
single crystal
slabs
slicing
stator
surface
trapped
utilizes
wanders
width
workpiece