Annals of Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW

Forestry and Wood Technology № 83, 2013: 322-328

(Ann. WULS - SGGW, For. and Wood Technol. 83, 2013)

Dynamics of cutting power during sawing with circular saw blades as an

effect of wood properties changes in the cross section
KAZIMIERZ A. ORLOWSKI1, TOMASZ OCHRYMIUK2
1
Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Automation, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, The Gdansk
University of Technology, Gdansk, Poland
2
Department of Transonic Flows and Numerical Methods, The Szewalski Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Gdansk, Poland

Abstract: Dynamics of cutting power during sawing with circular saw blades as an effect of wood properties
changes in the cross section. In the paper the effect of the method calculation upon the cutting power is
presented. In computations were used models in which fracture toughness was incorporated. The comparison
concerned models as follows: FM-CM – classic model in which the sum of all uncut chip thicknesses of the
simultaneously teeth engaged represented the mean uncut chip thickness, FM-FDM – full dynamical model in
which besides variable uncut chip thickness additionally variable values of fracture toughness and shear yield
stresses according to the tooth position in relation to the grains were taken into account, and FM-SDM – semi
dynamical model in which in which uncut chip thickness is variable, but fracture toughness and shear yield
stresses are constant and equal to the mean values. The largest values of the cutting power have been obtained
while the FM-SDM model applied.

Keywords: circular sawing machine, cutting power, fracture mechanics, macro-mechanic model of sawing

INTRODUCTION
In the classical approach, energetic effects (cutting forces and cutting power – more
interesting from energetic point of view) of wood sawing process are generally calculated on
the basis of the specific cutting resistance kc (cutting force per unit area of cut) [13, 14, 15].
The latter has been confirmed in the latest review paper by Naylor and Hackney [12], in
which sawing became the focus of interest. During the 21st IWMS the methods of cutting
power determination during sawing with circular saw blades became the focus of interest in
some works: Sitkei [19] studied similarities of the energy requirement of saws (frame saws,
bandsaws and circular saws), Cristóvão et al. [6] compared the industrial results of cutting
power measurements with the original Axelsson’s model [3] outcomes. The latter model has
been converted by Porankiewicz et al. [18] into the multi-factor and non-linear dependencies
between main (tangential) Fc and normal (radial) FN cutting forces and eight machining
parameters for sawing simulation of wood of Pinus sylvestris L.. In the models for a circular
sawing machine kinematics described in works by Orlowski et al. [16], similarly to metal
milling [8], the sum of all uncut chip thicknesses of the simultaneously teeth engaged
represented the mean uncut chip thickness. However, in reality the instantaneous uncut chip
thickness at a certain location of the cutting tooth changes its value (Fig. 1). Hence, Orlowski
and Ochrymiuk [17] have converted the model described in the paper [16] into a new model
in which besides variable uncut chip thicknesses additionally variable values of fracture
toughness and shear yield stresses according to the tooth position in relation to the grains
were taken into account. Thus, for this reason that kind of the model could be called as FM-
FDM (fracture mechanics incorporated - full dynamical model). In this paper results of
cutting power with the use of: FM-CM – classic model [15, 16], FM-FDM [17], and FM-
SDM (fracture mechanics incorporated – semi dynamical model in which uncut chip
thickness is variable, nevertheless, fracture toughness and shear yield stresses are constant and
equal to the mean values as in the FM-CM).

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THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
In the case of circular sawing, identically as in analytical models for milling [1, 5], the
instantaneous uncut chip thickness hj(φ) at a certain location of the cutting edge can be
approximated as follows:
h j    f z sin  j (1)
where: fz is feed per tooth,  j is the angular position of the j-th tooth (immersion angle), and
its value changes as follows:
 j     j  1 P j  1,..., z (2)
2
 P is the pitch angle defined as  P  , and z is number of teeth.
z

fz
f h
en
G-vc
j D/2

ex
vc

Figure 1. Sawing kinematics on circular sawing machine: Hp workpiece height (depth of cut), a position of the
workpiece, φj angular tooth position, ФG–vc an angle between grains and the cutting speed direction [17]

If  en   j   ex , then it has a value, otherwise it is null.  en is an angle of teeth

2H p  a 
entrance which is given by  en  arccos (when the tool tooth gets into the
D
workpiece for machining), and  ex is an exit angle (the tooth of the saw blade gets out of the
2a
workpiece) which can be determined as  ex  arccos , D is a diameter of the circular saw
D
blade. In the case of cutting with circular saw blades the cutting power a new developed
macro-mechanic model, which is based on the model proposed initially in work [16], can be
expressed as:
 ( )   j   R   
Pcj    vc St   || _ j h j    || _ j  (3)
 Qshear _ j   Qshear _ j   
where: vc is cutting speed, St is the kerf (overall set),   || _ j ( ) is the shear yield stress, γj(φ) is
the shear strain along the shear plane [2, 16, 17], Фc(φj) is the shear angle which defines the
orientation of the shear plane with respect to cut surface [2, 16, 17], R|| _ j ( ) is specific work
of surface separation/formation (fracture toughness) [2, 16, 17], and Qshear_j(φ) is the friction

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correction [2, 16, 17]. The shear angle Фc(φj) is material dependent [2] and can be computed
numerically [2, 15, 16, 17].
Taking into account the position of the cutting edge in relation to the grains, for
indirect positions of the cutting edge fracture toughness R|| _ j ( ) and the shear yield stress
  || _ j ( ) may be calculated from formulae:
R|| _ j ( )  R|| cos 2  j  R sin 2  j   || _ j ( )    || cos 2  j     sin 2  j (4)
In case of FM-FDM and FM-SDM models, maximum, average or RMS values of
power can be determined after one full revolution of the tool, i.e. φ: 0–360° is simulated [5].
Thus, the total cutting power can then be computed as:
jz
Pc ( )   P cj ( ) (5)
j 1

The obtained values from the Eq. 5 should be augmented by the chip acceleration power Pac
variation as a function of mass flow and tool velocity [6, 15, 16].

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Predictions of cutting powers have been made for the case of sawing on the circular
sawing machine (HVS R200, f. HewSaw), which is used in Polish sawmills. The basic sawing
machine data and cutting parameters for which computations were done are shown in Table 1.
Computations were carried out in each case for one saw blade with both a new analytical
models (FM-FDM and FM-SDM, described in this paper, at the feed speed vf = 70 m·min-1
usually applied at the sawmill), and additionally with the model presented by Orlowski et al.
[15, 16].

Table 1. Tool and machine tool data [17]

HP [mm] nsb [mm] St [mm] vc [ms-1]
80 6 3.6 63.95
f [º] z [–] vf [m·min-1] ([ms- fz [mm]
1
])
25 30 60–200 (1 – 3.33) 0.57–1.91
h [mm] vf [m·min-1] ([ms-1]) fz [mm] applied h [mm] applied
applied
0.273–0.913 70 (1.17) 0.67 0.32
PEM [kW] Pi [kW] PcA ( PcA1 ) [kW]
 P [º]
90 14 64.6 (10.77) 12
1
Legend: PEM – electric motor power, Pi – idling power, PcA, ( PcA ) – available cutting power
in the cutting zone (available cutting power per one saw blade), nsb – number of saw blades

Table 2. Raw material data [15]

Region ρ R τγ MOR*
-3 -2
kgm Jm kPa MPa
C 478 1267.17 17986 35,2
ρ – density, MOR – modulus of rupture in bending (* values were taken from
Krzosek [10])

The raw material was pine wood (Pinus sylvestris L.) of depth of cut equal to Hp, at
moisture content MC 8.5–12%, derived from the Little Poland Natural Forest Region (C,
[17]). The value of friction coefficient  = 0.6 for dry pine wood was taken according to Glass

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and Zelinka [7]. In case of circular sawing in which indirect positions of the cutting edge are
present, R and τγ have to be calculated from formulae (4). According to Aydin et al. [4] it was
assumed that fracture toughness for pine for longitudinal (axial) cutting R|| = 0.05R.
Moreover, an assumption was made that in the case of pine wood for axial cutting the shear
yield stress τγ|| is equal to 0.125MOR (modulus of rupture in bending [9, 11]). The set of the
raw material initial data is presented in tab. 2.

RESULTS
In Figure 2, the values of the shear yield stresses   || _ j ( ) (Fig. 2a) and fracture
toughness R|| _ j ( ) (Fig. 2b) for indirect positions of the cutting edge of Polish pine wood
from the Little Poland Natural Forest Region provenance are presented. It could be
emphasised that for the cutting edge position φ = 90º, while there are conditions of
perpendicular cutting, in case of the shear yield stresses the largest differences caused by raw
material provenance were observed [17]. On the other hand, for fracture toughness mentioned
differences were not so meaningful [17].

a) b)
20000000 1400
18000000
1200
16000000
Fracture toughness  [Jm‐2]
Shear yield srtess [Pa]

14000000 1000
12000000 800
10000000
8000000 600

6000000 400
4000000
200
2000000
0 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Cutting edge positions  in relation to the grains [deg] Cutting edge positions  in relation to the grains [deg]
Figure 2. The effect of the cutting edge positions in relation to the grains of Polish pine wood from the Little
Poland Natural Forest Region on shear yield stresses (a) and fracture toughness (b)

a) b)
12000 12000

10000 10000
Cutting power [W]

Cutting power [W}

8000 8000
6000 6000

4000 4000
2000 2000

0 0
0 60 120 180 240 300 360 0 60 120 180 240 300 360
Angle of circular saw blade revolution [deg] Angle of circular saw blade revolution [deg]
Figure 3. Comparison of predictions of cutting powers obtained with the use of new developed cutting models
that include work of separation in addition to plasticity and friction for the circular sawing machine with one
circular saw blade in the case of dry pine sawing from the Little Poland Natural Forest Region, where: a – FM-
FDM [17], b – FM-SDM

Results of predictions of cutting powers obtained with the use of new developed
cutting models that include work of separation in addition to plasticity and friction in the case
of sawing of pine (the Little Poland Natural Forest Region provenance) with one circular saw
blade, at the feed speed vf = 70 m·min-1 usually applied at the sawmill, for one full revolution

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of the tool (the first one), are shown in Fig. 3, respectively FM-FDM (Fig. 3a) and FM-SDM
(Fig. 3b). The larges dynamical changes of cutting power are observed for sawing process of
pine wood while FM-FDM is applied, but the smaler alteretions are for the FM-SDM model
used. For a stable condition of cuting power changes RMS values were computed, and they
are equal to: for FM-FDM Pc(RMS_C) = 8799 W and for FM-SDM Pc(RMS_D) = 9153 W.
In Figure 4, the effect of the calculation method on the cutting power value for the
circular sawing machine with one circular saw blade in the case of dry pine sawing is shown.
While the classic approach is used, it meant that the sum of all uncut chip thicknesses of the
simultaneously teeth engaged represented the mean uncut chip thickness, the computed value
of the cutting power has the lowest value.

10000
9000
8000
Cutting power [W]

7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
FM-CM FM-FDM FM-SDM
Method of calculations
Figure 4. The effect of the calculation method on the cutting power value for the circular sawing machine with
one circular saw blade in the case of dry pine sawing from the Little Poland Natural Forest Region (for FM-FDM
and FM-SDM values of RMS are presented)

CONCLUSIONS
The conducted analyses of energetic effects using the developed macro-mechanic
cutting models (FM-FDM and FM-SDM) that include work of separation in addition to
plasticity and friction corroborated their versatility and revealed the usefulness for predictions
not only average values of cutting power but also mainly its dynamical changes.
The conducted analyses have demonstrated that in each case values of RMS of cutting
powers obtained with new developed dynamical models are larger than values computed with
the use of the mean uncut chip thicknesses and mean values of raw material data such as R
and τ in the model. Furthermore, the largest values have been obtained while the FM-SDM
model applied.

Acknowlegements: The financial assistance of Ministry of Science and Higher Education,

Poland, Grant N N 508 629840 is kindly acknowledged. The authors would like also to
acknowledge firms the firm PPH GASSTECH Sp. z o.o. for circular saw blades data, and the
Olczyk Sawmill (Poland) for data on the sawing process.

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Streszczenie: Dynamika mocy skrawania podczas przecinania piłami tarczowymi jako efekt
zmian właściwości drewna w przekroju poprzecznym. W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono
wpływ metody obliczeń na wartość mocy skrawania. Każdy z zastosowanych modeli
obliczeniowych zawierał elementy współczesnej mechaniki pękania. W porównaniach
uwzględniano następujące modele obliczeniowe: FM-CM – model klasyczny, w którym suma
wszystkich grubości warstwy skrawanej ostrzy będących w kontakcie z przedmiotem
obrabianym odpowiadała wartości średniej grubości niezeskrawanego wióra, FM-DDM –
pełny model dynamiczny, w którym uwzględniano dla ostrza zmiany właściwości
mechanicznych materiału obrabianego, a także zmiany grubości warstwy skrawanej, oraz
FM-SMD – pół (quasi) dynamiczny model, w którym uwzględniano jedynie zmiany grubości
warstwy skrawanej, zaś właściwości materiału przyjęto jak w modelu klasycznym.
Największe wartości mocy skrawania w rozpatrywanym przypadku otrzymano dla metody
FM-SMD, pomimo, iż zmiany dynamiczne mocy skrawania były mniejsze niż dla modelu
FM-FDM.

Corresponding author:

Prof., Dr. Sc., Eng. Kazimierz A. Orlowski,

Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Automation,
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
The Gdansk University of Technology
11/12 Narutowicza,
80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
email: [email protected]
phone: +48 583472101

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