Performance prediction of chain saw machines used in natural stone quarries based on rock properties

The aim of this study is to investigate the cutting performance of chain saw machines, which have been widely used for block production in natural stone quarries in Turkey in recent years. An improvement in the cutting speed of these machines, cutting harder natural stones and cutting blocks more quickly will increase the competitiveness of both natural stone mining and machine manufacturers. Choosing the machine depending on the rock properties is important for both energy consumption and chisel wear. For this reason, it is important to correlate some performance values such as the net excavation speed, power consumption and specific cutting energy of the machine with the rock properties in terms of monitoring the cutting performance. Determination of working parameters suitable for the physical, mechanical and mineralogical-petrographic properties of the rock to be cut; It has a serious effect on cost analysis, production planning, product quality and selection of machinery-equipment suitable for natural stone. Considering these disadvantages encountered in natural stone mining, the working conditions and performances of chain saw machines were investigated in this study. For this, performance measurements were made in the quarry in 3 different natural stone quarries where chain saw machines were used. First, some electrical parameters drawn by the machine from the electrical network were measured and recorded in the computer environment with the help of a power analyzer while the machines were cutting. Then, the net excavation speed and power consumption values of the machines were determined under various cutting conditions. As a result of these performance measurements, the specific cutting energy, which is one of the most important indicators of cutting efficiency and cutting performance, was calculated depending on the cutting conditions applied using the recorded electrical parameters. Finally, statistical models have been developed to predict performance based on electrical parameters, specific cutting energy and rock properties. In addition, various measurements were made in the quarries, and the cutting performance of the machines was tried to be determined by calculating the values such as chain saw penetration index and areal net cutting rate, which are used as the performance values of the chain saw machines.