Concrete, a composite material made of cement, water, sand, and gravel, is popular in construction applications because of its unique properties. It can withstand hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes, corrosion, and freeze-thaw cycles, making it an excellent choice for infrastructure projects, including sidewalks, streets, walls, and residential and commercial buildings.

Builders often need to cut through concrete and its sturdy counterpart, reinforced concrete, in various settings. To ensure maximum efficiency and accuracy, they rely on diamond saw blades equipped with industrial diamonds, which consistently deliver optimal results.

If you need help with concrete cutting for your residential or commercial project, you can trust our expertise. As trusted, highly experienced Brisbane diamond floor and road sawing experts, we have provided clients with reliable, cost-effective concrete cutting solutions since 2003.

This blog explains the basic principles of diamond blades and their advantages, empowering clients with knowledge and decision-making skills that facilitate their projects.

Why Use Diamonds For Concrete Cutting?

Don’t let the term “diamond” fool you. Many associate this word with jewellery and gemstones that complement an elegant appearance. However, people use only a small percentage of these stones for aesthetic purposes.

Conversely, construction experts use most of these diamonds for industrial applications, including cutting tools, drilling and mining, grinding and polishing, electronics and semiconductors, and machining hard materials.

The versatility of diamonds makes them appealing to the construction industry. Whether natural or synthetic, these stones are sturdier than most substances. Consequently, diamonds can slice through challenging applications, including concrete, natural stone, metals, and composite manufactured materials.

Diamonds can also transfer and disperse heat. Concrete cutting tools’ high thermal conductivity maintains hardness and sharpness at high speeds, allowing them to endure extreme temperatures from friction.

Hence, diamonds cut accurately through concrete, boast of a long lifespan, and perform better when slicing hard or abrasive materials.

Nowadays, manufacturers use synthetic diamonds to create cost-effective, state-of-the-art concrete cutting technology. Wet cutting is preferred for hard, abrasive materials because the liquid helps cool the blade and minimise friction.

Diamond Saw Blade Manufacturing Process

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how manufacturers create diamond saw blades:

• Steel core: Manufacturers create a circular disc that acts as a steel core, providing structural integrity.
• Diamond segments: Next, they mix synthetic diamond crystals with iron or steel metal bonds and create segments.
• Brazing/welding: Manufacturers latch the diamond crystals onto the steel core through vacuum brazing, laser welding, or sintering.
• Quality control: Engineers inspect the finished products to ensure even wear and minimal vibrations.

How Diamond Saw Blades Function

Diamond saw blades grind through concrete instead of cutting it. The embedded diamonds produce a shearing impact that deteriorates various applications. These stones, which are exposed on the blade’s edges and sides, grind the material into a fine powder.

Next, the blade’s rotational force or a cooling liquid eliminates the powdery substance. As the stones and metal bonds erode, new diamond particle layers expose themselves, ensuring continuous, accurate, powerful cuts.

Abrasion And Fracture

Diamond wall sawing in Brisbane cuts concrete mainly through abrasion and fracture, which happen simultaneously during the cutting process:

• Abrasion: Grinding synthetic diamond particles on concrete creates a corrosive effect. Diamonds’ hardness and resiliency combined with the rotational motion against concrete wear down and grind the application.
• Fracture: The diamond blades also fracture the concrete while wearing it down (microfracture). The rotating blade’s powerful pressure creates these fractures, which weaken the concrete and facilitate continuous, precise cutting.

Diamond Saw Blade Advantages Over Conventional Blades

The advantages of diamond saw blades over conventional ones include the following:

• Improved cutting efficiency: Diamond saw blades cut faster and more effectively than conventional abrasive blades, minimising project time and labour costs.
• Enhanced durability: Diamonds make concrete cutting saws resilient, increasing their lifespan by up to one year with frequent, heavy-duty use.
• Better accuracy and cleaner cuts: Traditional blades may produce chipping. In contrast, diamond saw blades produce cleaner, precise cuts through concrete surfaces.
• Versatility: Diamond saw blades can easily slice concrete, brick, stone, and asphalt. Hence, these tools are perfect for construction and masonry projects.

Maintaining Cool Diamond Blades

Concrete cutting creates intense heat, damaging the blades and compromising efficiency. Fortunately, manufacturers equip synthetic diamond blades with cooling and lubrication systems that neutralise these harmful effects.

Wet cutting systems include water channels or holes that spread water onto the cutting surface, cooling the blade, eliminating concrete dust, and guaranteeing a clean, precise cut.

Choosing The Correct Diamond Saw Blade

Each diamond saw blade has unique characteristics that stand out from similar tools:

• Diamond quality.
• Diamond concentration and distribution on the cutting segments.
• Hardness adhesion between the blade core and the cutting surface.
• Cutting surface width.

Your trusted contractor will select diamond saw blades appropriate for a specific project or task. They consider the following factors:

• Concrete surface or structure rigidity.
• Concrete wear resistance.
• Aggregate (stone, gravel, or sand) amount used in the concrete formula.
• Steel rebar presence.
• Rebar project requirements.

The appropriate diamond blade for concrete saws produces powerful, accurate cuts, thanks to the latter’s operating horsepower and the blade’s spin rate.

Highly skilled and experienced builders use wet-cutting techniques to significantly reduce saw blade friction, extend blade lifespan, and minimise concrete dust. Dry cutting is also effective when the blade has frequent cool-down periods.

Whether your project requires wet or dry cutting, a contractor with a proven track record can recommend a suitable strategy to complete your project and ensure maximum safety.

Diamond Saw Concrete Cutting Safety Reminders

We strongly recommend following these safety tips when operating diamond saws for concrete cutting:

• Ensure the blade is appropriate for the project application.
• Inspect the blade thoroughly for possible damage before mounting.
• Ensure the blade’s rotational arrow coincides with the machine’s rotational direction.
• Always use a safety guard covering at least half of the blade. Position the guard between the technician and the disc.
• After securing the blade onto the saw, run the blade for thirty seconds. To ensure optimum safety, avoid aiming the saw at any people within the vicinity.
• Check the diamond blade occasionally for damage, flatness, or fatigue cracks. If it’s damaged, replace it immediately.
• Maintain the blade at a right angle to the cut to ensure accurate slicing. Twisting, jamming, or wedging the blade can cause it to bounce, fail, and injure the operator or others.

Conclusion

Resilient diamond blades are cost-effective for cutting challenging, abrasive applications, including decorative and architectural concrete, pavement and roadwork, wall and floor sawing, coring and openings, and demolition and removal.

Sturdy diamond blades complement concrete cutting saws perfectly and ensure clean, accurate cuts in various project settings. Whether you’re managing a residential, commercial, or industrial project, a trusted, highly experienced service provider using diamond saw blades guarantees a seamless project.

Contact us to discuss your diamond wire sawing in Brisbane requirements. We can create a customised quotation for your needs and budget, schedule an on-site inspection, and provide cost-effective solutions that offer excellent value for money.