Spotlight on Wire Sawing
Category: Wire Cutting
Method(s) Used: Circular Cut
The Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association sponsored a wire sawing demonstration as part of the World of Concrete Mega Demos on February 19, 2004. The demonstration was part of the Demolition Derby and featured “Team CSDA,” a group of CSDA contractors and manufacturers who demonstrated how wire sawing can be used to cut perfect large-scale holes in concrete walls of any size.
Spotlight on Wire Sawing
Project Documentation
The Problem
Wire saws are extremely versatile and appropriate for a wide variety of applications, but for this demonstration a wire saw was used to cut a 6-foot-diameter circle in a wall measuring 8-feet-square by 2- feet-thick. A wire saw consists of a multistrand cable with diamond segments that is threaded through a series of pulleys. The pulleys are attached to a hydraulic-powered drive wheel that continuously pulls the wire through the concrete.
The Solution
To cut the large-scale hole using a wire saw, Team CSDA first drilled access holes to attach the wire saw assembly and the saw’s rotating arm. The access holes were drilled on opposite sides of the circle’s circumference, near the 3:00 and 9:00 points on the circle. To perform the actual cutting, operators rotated the wire saw mechanism 180 degrees. When the cutting was complete, operators removed the wire saw mechanism and used a forklift to remove the massive concrete section. The entire process took approximately 12 hours over the course of three days.
The Result
The Mega Demo audience saw Team CSDA drill the center, 3:00 and 9:00 holes. On day two, the wire saw was mounted and cutting operations began. For the Demolition Derby on day three, the final cut was completed and the 6- foot-diameter by 2-foot-thick core was removed with a forklift.