Welcome to part 1 of our 6 part concrete cutters glossary. Over the next 2 weeks we will be issuing 6 total glossary entries, with the intent of describing all the of the key terms used in concrete cutting. Please keep checking back as these points will be handy for any one, intending to buy a concrete cutter, to know.

Concrete Saws
Concrete Saws often referred to as ‘consaws’ or ‘road saws’ are power tools used for cutting masonry, asphalt, brick, tile and most other solid materials. Concrete saws can be powered by hydraulic pressure, diesel, petrol or electric motors1. As significant heat is generated by the friction occurring when cutting hard substances such as concrete, the cutting blades require significant cooling to prolong their life span. Water is often used to cool the blades and reduce dust contamination. The blades themselves have either diamond or abrasive tips.

Circular Saws
A circular saw should be used for cutting other materials such as wood, plastic and some masonry. Similarly to concrete saws they have teeth bonded to a metal disc or blade which is rotated at high speed to make cuts or slots. Circular saws may be table mounted or hand-held. Most units are powered by electric motors.

Diamond Drilling and Core Drilling
Diamond drilling is an efficient method of making precise, circular cuts within strong substances such as reinforced concrete, granite, stone and brick. This drilling method utilises a non vibrating, dust free and relatively quiet drill, enabling precise cuts to be made. As these cuts are so accurately made they result in clean sided holes, reducing the need for additional finishing. Water is used as a coolant to ensure dust generated during the cut is kept to a minimum, allowing work to be performed even in occupied buildings. Diamond Drills often have a built in water feed through the drive shaft for this purpose. Other materials such as thin steel plate and cast iron and can also be cut using this method.

Power is provided by hydraulics or electric power units. From small holes of as little as 10 mm in diameter to larger holes over one meter in diameter, with nearly unlimited depths, diamond drilling is the most efficient way to create precise apertures. Barrel extension sections can be used to increase the drill depth. Dry drilling of holes up to 100 mm is usually feasible, this is useful when working in areas containing existing electrical installations for example, where water cannot be used safely. As this method of drilling materials such as concrete is so quick and efficient, it ensures labour costs and kept to a minimum for any works.

By using remote cutting machinery even confined spaces can be worked. Drilling machines have diamond segmented drill bits mounted on the rotating ends of their cutters. These machines can operate vertically and horizontally and in inverted positions when using them in confined areas.

Line Drilling
Line drilling is a technique where multiple core drills are made to create a series of overlapping holes. These holes allow a large segment of concrete to be removed leaving the surrounding material unaffected. Line drilling is an extremely effective way to remove almost any thickness of concrete and is useful when creating unusually shaped openings or larger apertures. Some examples of applications where this method of drilling could be used are; when installing electrical, fibre and telephone cabling openings, sewer and floor drains, tie-ins, heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) openings, for aggregate analysis or any floor, wall or roof penetrations.

Core Drilling
Core drilling is used to perform precise circular cuts of up to one meter in diameter. Core Drilling is often used to create openings in reinforced concrete suitable for plumbing, electrical cabling, heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) installations.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

This entry was posted on Monday, August 3rd, 2009 at 11:02 am and is filed under Concrete Cutters, Glossary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.