Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1 This is a Divi5ional of application Serial Number
275,773 filed April 6, 1977.
The present invention relates to an apparatus for
sawing a stone block, and more particularly to such apparatus -
for severing it into a plurality of slabs.
Recentl~, there has been an increased demand for slabs
of stone such as marble, granite and the like to be used for
flooring, walling and the like. Conventionally the stone blocks
cut at the mine or quarry are transferred to the processing
factory where said stone block is severed into a plurality of
slabs which may be finished by grinding.
In such factory there is provided a work bed on which
the stone block is fixedly laid, onto which a rotary cutting
wheel having a peripheral portion embedded with finely divided
particles o any hard material such as diamond is manually
pressed downwards and forwards. When the saw blade has been
advanced along the stone block length to the opposite side with
having cut it by some depth, then it is retractad to the intial
position for repeating the advance-cutt:ing works. During the
repeated reciprocal travels of the rotary cutting wheel along `~
the length of the stone block, the cutting depth is gradually
deepened to complete the cutting work. Such method has ~een
adopted widely and for a long time despite that the retractive
travels of the saw is obviously inefficient for the cutting
work. It is not always impossible of course to cut ~he stone
block in a breath, namely without repeating said r~ciprocal
travels of the saw, butthe feeding rate of the saw must be
considerably slowed down in view of incrementally increased
resistance.
An object of the present invention is, thus, to provide-
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1 an apparatus for successively and effectively sawing the stone
block to be cut into a plurality of slabs.
S~id and other objects as well as various advantages of
the invention to be readily appreciated by studying the
following explanation can be attained fundamentally by providing
a plurality of saw blades arranged in series in the cutting
plane of the saws of which cutting depth is made deeper step-
wisedly from the first saw to the last one, and means for
successively feeding a plurality of stone blocks one by one on
the work table towards the saws.
Some preferred embodiments of the invention shall be
explained in reference to the accompanying drawings; in which: `
Fig. 1 is a schematic fragmentary side elevation of the
first embodiment;
Fig. 2 is a schematic fragmentary top plan view of the
above embodiment with cutting out the top casing frame for
showing the arrangement of the saws;
Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but of a modification ~ -
of the above embodiment; ~ ~ !
Fig. 4 is a schematic side elevation of means ~or
successively feeding the stone blocks one by one towards ~he `~
saws and of auxiliary means for feeding said stone blocks
during a new stone block is being supplied and said main feeding
means is unactuated status,
Fig. 5 is a schematic side elevation similar to Fig. 1 i
but with a different feeding means
Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but with a further
different feeding means, and
Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a means for
3Q turning the stone block around to be used for the feeding means
shown in Fig. 6. ;~ ~-
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1 In Figs. 1 and 2 illus-tratiny the first embodiment of
the inve~tion, three stone blocks lA, lB and lC, each being
a granite block from Inada District and oE dimensions of 20 cm
width, 30 cm height and 120 cm length, are longitudinally laid
on a work bed 2 following one after another. The first work
piece lA fragmentarily illustrated is urged towards the left in
the drawing at the trailing end thereof by means of a push member
3 fixed at the free end of a piston 4 to be cooperatad with a
cylinder 5 of the hydraulic pressure apparatus so that the work
pieces lB and lC also are urgingly fed towards the left on said
work bed 2. It is preferable for the work bed 2 to have a
plurality of longitudinal slits 2' by reason to be readily
appreciated.
As the first step, there are provided twelve saw blades
lOA, each of 50 cm diameter, mounted on a shaft transversely
extended from a gearing casing 12A and driven by an electric
motor 13A of 75 h.p. Said saw blades lOA are each equally
separated from the adjacent one by a spacer llA of which thickness
is adapted to comply with the desired thickness of the slab. The
casing 12A is suspended from a machine frame 14 to be adjustable
in the level.
The above is just applied to the second and thixd saw
groups lOB and lOC, except that the diameter of each saw blade
of the last group lOC is of 64 cm. As a matter of course, the
dimension of these saw blades is not critical. In view of three
groups of saws provided in this embodiment, the level oE each ;~
saw group is so adjusted that the first lOA may cut the stone
block by about 10 cm depth or a third, the second lOB into about
20 cm depth or two thirds, and the third lOC through the total `
thickness of 30 cm. In view of that the first and second saw
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1 blades are both of 50 cm diameter, the casing 12A is set higher
than the casing 12~ By feeding the s-tone blocks at a rate of
5 c~/min. about llm oE cu-ttiny ability could be reali~ed.
In reference to Fiy. 3, there are provided two additional
saw groups lOD and lOE each rotatinyly mounted on the output
shaft of the geariny casiny upstanding on a lower machin~
frame 14' so as to be arranyed under said saw groups lOA and
lOB. hvery saw yroup conprises 26 saw blades arranged transverse
to the direction of the stone block feeding travel. The upper
and lower first saw yroups lOA, lOD as well as the upper and lower
second saw groups lOB, lOE, each blade being of 50 cm diameter,
are adapted to cut the stone block by 5 cm depth, but the last
saw group lOC of 64 cm diameter blade adapted to cut by 10 cm
depth.
When the stone block of 40 cm width, 30 cm height and
120 cm length is subjected to the cutting work at a feeding ~-
rate of 10 cm/min. the cutting ability per minute was about
47 m . ;`~
In reference to Fig. 4, there is provided an auxiliary
feeder means in addition to the feeder as explained in reference
to Fig. 2 in order to successively feed the stone blocks. When
the main hydraulic pressure apparatus 3, 4 and 5 is retracted
for preparation o receiving a new supply of the stone block
lX, said auxiliary feeder comprising a grasper 23 mounted at the
free end of a piston 24 to be cooperated with a cylinder 25 -~
as the hydraulic pressure apparatus may relievingly serve to
urge the stone block lA towards left in the drawing.
In Fig. 5, there is illustrated a different feeding
means for the stone blocks lA, lB, lC and lD respectively
~ixedlylaid on a carrier 32A, 32B, 32C and 32D each having faur
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1 supports 33 which may be engaged with an endless belt 34
longitudinally running on a lower machine ~xame 35. Or said
support 33 may be a wheel to roll on a rail 34 so that each
carrier 32 may be separately moved by any means not shown, or
the carriers 32 connected with each other may be pulled or
pushed as a whole by any means not shown,
In Fig. 6, the three groups of saws 10A, 10B and 10C
are adapted to cut the stone block by only a half of the height
or thickness thereof. The stone block lC having been severed
10 by a half cut depth by the third and last saw blades 10C must `
be turned over to be subjected to the second cutting from the
reverse side. For that purpose the half depth cut block lD is
taken up together with carrier 32D by a fork lift having a
fixed base 41L, vertically upstanding posts 42L, sleeves 43L
guid~dly movable along said posts 42L, and a pallet fixed to
said sleeves 43L and having rails 34L on which the wheels 33 of
the carrier 32D ride. The stone block lE having been liftéd up
together with the carrier 32E is on rails 34' laid on the upper
frame 14 transferred from the rail 34L on the pallet. The
stone block lF having been brought at the middle of the ;~
elongated upper rails 34' is lifted up from the carrier 32F and
turned over by a means generally represented by 50 to be - -
explained in reference to Fig. 7 and ~en laid on the carrier 32F
again. The carrier 32G on which the turned over stone block lG
is laid is taken up onto rails 34R on the pallet of the fork
lift similarly having a fixed base 41R, vertical posts 42R
upstanding thereon, and sleeves 43R guidedly movable alon~
said posts and provided fixedly with said pallet, and lowered
do~n to be subjected to the second cutting.
In Fig. 7, the turning over means 50 comprises a frame
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1 consisting of two pairs oE wall members 51, 51' and 52, 52'.
Said wall members have respectively two pairs of pla~e members
53, 53' and 54, 54' respectively mounted to the concerned wall ~-
member by means of rods 55, 55' and 56, 56' to be, manually
or hydraulically or by any other suitable means, moved toward - -
or away from the concerned wall member. Said frame is provided
with a pair o~ pulleys 57, 57' at the opposite wall members 52,
52' so that a pair of belts 58, 58' extending around the
respective pulley may raise or lower the ~rame assembly as a
10 whole or may tilt the frame to be turned over. ~ ` ~
- When said belts 58, 58' are lowered, the frame 51, 51'; ` ~"
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52, 52' in which said plate member 53, 53'; 54, 54' having `~;`
been retracted toward the respective wall members, may~snugly ;;-
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surround the stone block lF on the carrier 32F. By moving the
plate members 53, 53'; 54, 54' away ~rom the concerned wall
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members and consequently toward the concerned sides o~ the
stone block lF, this can be firmly grasped in the frame. When~
raising the belts 58, 58' and operating them to rotate the~
respective pulleys ~57, 57' by 180, the frame and consequently
~20 the stone block held therein is completely turned over so as to
be laid on the carrier 32F. ..
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