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Factors affecting bandsaw tracking behavior and stability Wong, Darrell C.

Abstract

This theoretical and experimental study examines the tracking behavior and stability of bandsaw blades. Tracking describes the in-plane "front-to-back" motion of a bandsaw as it runs on the bandmill wheels. Bandsaw tracking stability returns the sawblade to its initial position after any in-plane side-to-side displacement caused by a cutting force. The tracking behavior and stability of the sawblade are determined by the geometry of the saw and bandmill wheels. Fourteen factors affect this geometry. They are the cutting force, wheel profile, tilt, cross line and coefficient of friction, and the saw backcrown, overhang, strain, tensioning, thickness, width, guides, rotational speed and temperature distribution. In practice, many of these factors are present at the same time. A theoretical model is presented here that accurately and reliably predicts the behavior and stability of the band. This model incorporates and quantifies the tracking stability of cutting force, wheel profile and tilt, and band overhang, strain, thickness and width. Both the experimental and theoretical results show that wheel crown and overhang are the only true stability factors and that the other factors such as width and thickness only modify the stability of crown and overhang. It was also found that the detail of the wheel profile has a substantial effect on tracking stability and when wheel crown is combined with overhang, the tracking stability of overhang is improved. The model can now be applied to investigate different wheel crown profiles. It provides an important tool for the task of improving bandsaw cutting performance while at the same time reducing the required saw and bandmill maintenance.

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