Interaction Between Wire and Ingot in Wiresaw Slicing

Abstract

The deformation of the wire in the wiresaw slicing process was studied by considering directly the mechanical interaction between the wire and the ingot. The wire tension on the upstream is larger than on the downstream due to the friction force between the wire and the ingot. The tension difference across the cutting zone increases with friction and the span of the contact zone. The pressure in the contact zone increases from the entrance to the exit if the wire bending stiffness is ignored. The finite element results show that the wire bending stiffness plays an important role in the wire deformation. Higher wire bending stiffness (larger wire size) generates higher force acting onto the ingot for the same amount of wire deformation, which will leads to higher material removal rate and kerf loss. While larger wire span will reduce the force acting onto the ingot for a given ingot displacement in the direction perpendicular to the wire.