WO1996033836A1

WO1996033836A1 - Connection element for a diamond-impregnated cable and diamond-impregnated cable provided with such a connection element

Info

Publication number: WO1996033836A1
Application number: PCT/BE1996/000046
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xavier Heine; Romano Cappelli
Original assignee: Diamant Boart
Priority date: 1995-04-28
Filing date: 1996-04-26
Publication date: 1996-10-31
Also published as: ZA963335B; JPH09183117A; AU5493996A; BE1009305A3

Abstract

The invention concerns a connection element (1) to be mounted between two ends (2A) of a diamond-impregnated cable (2) used for cutting into blocks, in particular of natural stone. The diamond-impregnated cable (2) is used in particular in the form of a continuous loop and the connection element (1) comprises at least one emitter (6) which can emit at least one signal and comprises at least two emitter parts which are separable from each other and which, when combined with each another, emit a signal indicating a particular direction (8), and possibly at least one auxiliary signal. The invention also concerns a diamond-impregnated cable (2) equipped with this connection element (1).

Description

"Connection element for diamond cable and diamond cable provided with such a connection element" -

The present invention relates to a connecting element intended to be mounted between two ends of a diamond cable used to cut from blocks, in particular of natural stone, the diamond cable comprising, distributed and fixed along its longitudinal axis, diamond sleeves which ensure the cut, the diamond cable being used in particular in the form of an endless loop.

Connection elements are known for this kind of cable. However, these connection elements have no other function than that of connecting the two ends of a diamond cable to form the loop, for example either during the manufacture of said cable or during the repair of such a cable. , including a lengthening of it.

Diamond cables are also known which are equipped with a signal transmitter in the form of a magnet. This magnet has a magnetic field, the spatial distribution of which is known and which determines a particular direction and direction which is fixed and transverse relative to the longitudinal axis of the diamond wire. These particular directions and directions can be exploited for example to detect a rotation of the diamond cable on itself, around its own longitudinal axis.

It has been found that mounting such a magnet on the diamond wire itself poses problems. For example, when the signal transmitter breaks or malfunctions, the section carrying it must be replaced by a new section. During this replacement, two connection elements must be used which, by their rigidity different from that of the diamond cable, introduce vibrations and concentrated fatigue phenomena into the cable and therefore risks of cable breakage, wear abnormal diamond sleeves, etc. In addition, the sleeves of the new section do not have the same wear as those of the rest of the cable, their presence introduces into the latter an irregular operation of the sleeves: the least worn are the most stressed at this time, vibrations are produced at each passage from a more worn sleeve to a less used sleeve and vice versa on the stone block, on the guide pulleys of the diamond wire; etc. It has also proved necessary to arrange on or in the diamond cable in an endless loop, or even in an element definitively attached to it, means for recognizing the cable, these means giving for example a particular signal according to the type of material that can be sawn by this cable (marble, granite, etc.), depending on the direction of travel to be observed for this cable, etc.

To avoid the aforementioned problems and other afferents not cited above, the applicant has imagined and developed a connecting element comprising at least one transmitter capable of transmitting at least one signal and consisting of at least two parts of transmitters which are separable from each other and which, combined with each other, give a signal indicating a particular direction, and possibly at least one auxiliary signal.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention at least one of the parts of the transmitter is constructed so as to be interchangeable with a corresponding part having signal characteristics different from those of the aforementioned part. The present invention also relates to a diamond cable equipped with a connecting element of the invention.

Other details and particularities of the invention will emerge from the secondary claims and from the description of the drawings which are annexed to the present specification and which illustrate, by way of nonlimiting examples, particular embodiments of the connecting element and diamond wire according to the invention.

Figure 1 schematically shows a connector element of the invention fixed to two ends of diamond cables to connect them.

FIG. 2 schematically represents a diamond cable to which the connector element of the invention can be applied.

Figure 3 schematically shows another connector element of the invention.

Figure 4 schematically shows, in a removable embodiment, a connector element of the invention, made in two parts.

FIG. 5 schematically represents an embodiment of a connector element of the invention having a peripheral surface similar to that of a diamond sleeve of a diamond cable to which the connector element can be fixed.

FIG. 6 schematically represents, in a removable embodiment, a connector element of the invention, produced in three parts. In the various figures, the same reference notations designate identical or analogous elements.

The connecting element 1 (FIG. 1) of the invention is intended to be mounted between two ends 2A of a diamond wire 2 (FIGS. 1 and 2) used to cut from blocks (not shown) for example by natural stone. The diamond cable 2 may comprise, distributed and fixed on a carrying cable 3, along the longitudinal axis 3A thereof, diamond sleeves 4 on their periphery so as to cut the blocks. The sleeves 4 can be kept at a distance from each other by an injected synthetic material 5 known to those skilled in the art.

The connecting element 1 can for example be a crimping element on the ends 2A of the carrying cable 3 or soldering or bonding thereon.

The diamond cable 2 is used in particular in the form of an endless loop (not shown) stretched by pulleys (not shown) which communicate the guiding and cutting movements to it. To detect a rotation of the diamond wire

2 on itself around its longitudinal axis 3A in either direction of the double arrow 5A, a batte¬ ment communicated to the diamond cable 2 by the pulleys, vibrations of the diamond cable 2, a sliding of that - Here on the pulleys, etc., the diamond wire can be provided with a signal transmitter (not shown) which indicates a particular direction 8 (Figures 1 and 3), possibly a direction determined on this direction. Until now, this transmitter has been in the form of an O-ring magnet (not shown) threaded on the carrying cable 3 in the manner of the sleeves 4.

To solve the problems mentioned above, according to the invention the connecting element 1 comprises this signal transmitter 6 and consequently the connecting element is made of a material which does not disturb the signal from the transmitter 6.

In this way, in the event of a fault in the signal transmitter, it suffices to replace the connection element, for example necessary for the formation of the loop, by a new connection element equipped with a new signal transmitter. . The transmitter 6 can be a magnetic bar 7

(Figure 1) whose signal is the magnetic field it develops and whose particular direction 8 is the magnetic axis of this field, the determined direction can be given by the North-South direction on this magnetic axis.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the particular direction 8 (FIG. 1) can be transverse to the longitudinal axis 3A and advantageously be perpendicular to it and cut it. According to another embodiment of the invention (Figure 3), the particular direction 8 can be parallel to the longitudinal axis 3A and away from it. It appears that in this case for example, a control of the rotation of the diamond wire 2 around its longitudinal axis 3A is just as possible.

To control this rotation, the connection element 1 according to the invention is advantageously arranged so that, when it is mounted in the diamond cable 2 (FIGS. 1 and 3), the transmitter 6 is connected to at least one of the two ends 2A of the diamond cable 2 so as to be driven in rotation about the longitudinal axis 3A at an angle and a direction of rotation identical to those executed by the end 2A around this same axis 3A . As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the connecting element 1 can fix relative to each other the two ends of the diamond cable 2, as regards the rotation of the latter on itself around the longitudinal axis 3A. The transmitter 6 (FIG. 1) can be arranged inside the connection element 1 at the location of the longitudinal axis 3A, for example between the two ends 2A when the connection element 1 is mounted in the diamond cable 2. However, (FIG. 3) the transmitter 6 can be placed away from the longitudinal axis 3A, towards the outside. Laughter of the connecting element 1. The transmitter 6 can be composed (FIG. 4) of several emitting portions 9, for example of several magnets whose combined magnetic fields give the particular direction 8 above.

The transmitter 6 can also be constituted by an integrated circuit (not shown) which is arranged to emit an electromagnetic signal in a particular direction 8. This integrated circuit can be excited from outside the diamond cable 2 in order to deliver the aforesaid signal .

This same integrated circuit can for example be arranged to transmit at least one other signal which can be used inter alia as a warning signal that the transmitter 6 is approaching a measurement area and that a device measurement (not shown) must be ready to detect the signal from the particular direction 8.

The other signal can however come from an auxiliary transmitter (not shown) which can be located, for example, at a distance from the previous one, on the same connection element 1 and which can also be an integrated circuit.

The emitter 6 can be not only the aforementioned magnetic bar 7 or the emitting portions 9 but also a unitary or fragmented magnetic mass 7A which either produces a magnetic field or modifies a magnetic field which it crosses, for example at a measurement location, not shown, so as to indicate indirectly by this modified field a particular direction 8. The above-mentioned auxiliary transmitter can also be of the same "magnetic" type as the transmitter 6.

The transmitter 6 and / or the auxiliary transmitter can be constituted by optical means (not shown) for emitting optical radiation, these means which can be excited by a source (not shown) external to the diamond cable 2. It may be visible or invisible light, laser beam, etc.

The transmitter 6 and the auxiliary transmitter can be of different types to avoid interference of their signals. For example, one may be of the magnetic type and the other of the optical type.

Advantageously, to avoid abusive re-use of an old transmitter 6 and / or auxiliary transmitter on a new diamond cable 2, the connecting element 1 can be of the type to be crimped on at least one of the ends 2A and the magnetic mass 7A above form in the connecting element 1 a magnetic block when mounted there a first time. This magnetic mass 7A can for example be magnetized after it has been mounted in the connection element l. At least starting from the crimping, because this one for example fragments the magnetic mass 7A or else because of origin the latter is composed of juxtaposed elements, when one withdraws it from the connection element 1 which has been crimped, the magnetic mass 7A is in a disaggregated form which can not or no longer be reused immediately in a new connector element 1.

Figures 1 to 3 show connecting elements 1 in one piece.

Figure 5 shows a variant of a connecting element 1 in one piece on which is provided a diamond sleeve 4 of the same dimensions and external shapes as the sleeves 4 of the diamond cable 2 to which this connecting element 1 can be fixed.

Fig 4 shows a first example of a removable connection element 1, a first section 11 comprising for example a lug 12 and a second section 13 comprising for example a mortise 14 which can cooperate with the lug 12 to fix one to the other sections 11 and 13 so that they communicate the rotation of the end 2A of diamond wire attached to it at 15 to each other to communicate this rotation to the other end 2A.

In FIG. 4, however, the tenon 12 can be spherical and the mortise 14 can be arranged to retain the tenon 12 while letting it rotate on itself around the longitudinal axis 3A so that each end 2A of diamond wire 2 can rotate, relatively independently of the other, on itself around the longitudinal axis 3A when the tenon 12 and the mortise 14 are one in the other, for example to close the loop of the diamond wire 2.

FIG. 6 shows a connecting element 1 in three parts in which two similar sections 20 are each to be fixed to one end 2A of dia¬ manté cable 2 and are to be screwed into (according to FIG. 6) or onto an intermediate section 21 which may include an emitter 6 having for example a toroidal shape outside this intermediate section 21. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connecting element 1 comprises at least one emitter 6 capable of emitting at least a signal consisting of at least two parts of the transmitter which are separable from each other and which, combined with each other, give a signal indicating a particular direction 8, and possibly at least one signal auxiliary.

It may be appropriate to modify the characteristics of the transmitter 6, for example to customize one or more auxiliary signals, for example according to the type of material to be sawn with the diamond cable 2 or according to the type of machines with which this cable can be used. 2 or according to parameters relating to sawing or which may influence it. For this purpose, it is advantageous that at least one of the parts of the transmitter 6 is constructed so to be interchangeable with a corresponding part having signal characteristics different from those of the aforementioned part.

If for example the diamond cable 2 shows signs of ovalization according to a determined plane, when it is used in machines equipped to rotate it automatically around its longitudinal axis, it may be desired to force this cable 2 to position so as to compensate for such "preferential" wear, thereby increasing its service life.

For this purpose, it is advantageous that at least one of the parts of the transmitter 6 is arranged in the connecting element 1 so that it can be positioned in different ways with respect to the other parts of the transmitter 6 and / or relative to the connecting element 1 and / or to the diamond wire 2. An embodiment of the connecting element according to that of FIG. 6 allows this. It may be desired that the diamond wire

2 emits signals which characterize it and which are memorized in a support fixed to the cable, these signals being for example manufacturing characteristics, origin of the cable 2 proper, etc. Other information or sawing signals (rotation of the cable 2 around its longitudinal axis, time of use of the cable 2, etc.) can be stored in different parts of said transmitter 6. All these signals and information mentioned above combined can increase the reliability of information to be supplied to a cable control machine 2, without requiring a constant presence of a technician to record it, and can for example help to determine the performance of the diamond cable 2. For this purpose at least one of the above parts of the transmitter 6 can be fixed indissocia- ble to the diamond cable 2, a dissociation of the cable 2 and of said emitter part making it definitively inoperative, this inseparable fixing possibly being carried out by means of a section of the connecting element.

A person skilled in the art can organize such an arrangement so that, in the event of an attempt to dissociate the abovementioned inseparable fixation, there is for example a loss of at least part of said information or signals or a total halt of the operation of the transmitter 6.

As already explained in the case of FIG. 4 for example, the connection element 1 can consist of at least two connection sections 11, 13 each provided with corresponding means 12, 14 arranged to fix a section to the other and means for attaching to two corresponding ends 2A of the diamond cable 2, so as to form the endless loop, at least one connection section 11, 13 comprising at least one part of the above-mentioned emitter.

As shown in FIG. 6 already explained above, a connector section 21 can be detachably arranged with respect to the other sections 20 and to the diamond cable 2 and can comprise at least one interchangeable part of the transmitter 6 and / or at least one auxiliary transmitter.

Preferably, the signal from at least one transmitter 6 and / or auxiliary transmitter consists of radiation. In the embodiment of Figure 1, it appears that at least one of the transmitters 6 is arranged therein so as to radiate its signal from the longi¬ tudinal axis 3A of the connecting element 1, the transmitter 6 and / or at least one of the transmitter parts possibly being arranged, in the connection element 1, at the location of its longitudinal axis 3A. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, however, it also appears that at least one of the transmitters 6 is arranged therein so as to radiate its signal offset from the longitudinal axis 3A of the connecting element 1, the transmitter 6 and / or at least one of the parts of the transmitter being optionally disposed away from this longitudinal axis 3A.

As already indicated above, at least part of the transmitter consists of a magnet.

According to a variant that a person skilled in the art can implement in view of the above, at least one transmitter, possibly auxiliary, is constituted by an integrated circuit memorizing the aforementioned information and / or signals to be transmitted. Likewise, at least one part of the transmitter can be formed by means of emitting an optical ray.

The invention also relates to a diamond cable 2 for cutting in blocks, in particular of natural stone, the cable 2 comprising, distributed and fixed along its longitudinal axis 3A, diamond sleeves 4 which ensure the cut, the diamond cable 2 being in particular used in the form of an endless loop, a connection element 1 being provided between two ends 2A of the diamond cable 2 for their connection, the connection element 1 comprising at least one signal transmitter 6 consisting at least two parts, and possibly at least one auxiliary transmitter, in accordance with any one of the features claimed.

It should be understood that the invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described and that many modifications can be made to these without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, the diamond cable 2 may not be looped and the connecting element 1 can be used to join a diamond cable 2 to a cable for pulling or tensioning the diamond cable 2 in a reciprocating cutting system.

A person skilled in the art is able to decompose an emitter 6 into parts and to distribute these parts so as to correspond to the indications given in the present description.

For example, a magnetic field can be the result of several magnets each constituting a part of the transmitter and all constituting the transmitter 6 together, each part being able to be housed in a different section of the connecting element 1 and / or in the cable 2 proper.

Claims

- 13 - CLAIMS

1. Connection element (1) intended to be mounted between two ends (2A) of a diamond cable (2) used for cutting in blocks, in particular of natural stone, the diamond cable (2) being in particular used under the form of an endless loop, characterized in that the connecting element (1) comprises at least one transmitter (6) capable of transmitting at least one signal and consisting of at least two parts of transmitter which are separable from each other and which, combined with each other, give a signal indicating a particular direction (8), and possibly at least one auxiliary signal.

2. Connection element (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the parts of the transmitter (6) is constructed so as to be interchangeable with a corresponding part presenting signal characteristics different from those of the aforementioned part.

3. connecting element (1) according to reven¬ dication 1, characterized in that at least one of the parts of the transmitter (6) is arranged in the connecting element (1) so as to be able to be positioned in different ways compared to the other parts of the transmitter (6) and / or compared to the connecting element (1) and / or the diamond cable (2).

4. Connection element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one of the above-mentioned parts of the transmitter is inseparably attached to the diamond cable (2), a dissociation of the cable (2) and of said emitter part rendering it permanently inoperative, this inseparable attachment possibly being produced by means of a section of the connecting element.

5. Connection element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that that it comprises several transmitters emitting different signals in kind and / or function.

6. Connection element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it consists of at least two connection sections (11, 13) each provided with means (12, 14) corresponding ¬ dants arranged to fix a section to the other and means for fixing to two ends (2A) correspon¬ dantes of the diamond cable (2), to then form the endless loop, and in that at least one section connector (il, 13) comprises at least one part of the aforementioned transmitter.

7. Connection element according to claim 6, characterized in that a connection section (21) is detachably arranged with respect to the other sections (20) and to the diamond cable (2) and comprises at least one part interchangeable transmitter (6) and / or at least one auxiliary transmitter.

8. Connection element according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the signal from at least one transmitter (6) and / or auxiliary transmitter consists of radiation.

9. Connection element according to claim 8, characterized in that at least one of the transmitters is arranged therein so as to radiate its signal from the longitudinal axis of the connection element (1), the emitter (6) and / or at least one of the emitter parts possibly being arranged in the connecting element (1), at the location of its longitudinal axis (3A).

10. Connection element according to claim 8, characterized in that at least one of the transmitters is arranged therein so as to radiate its signal offset from the longitudinal axis (3A) of the element. connection (1), the emitter (6) and / or at least one of the emitter parts possibly being arranged away from this longitudinal axis (3A).

11. Connection element according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that at least one part of the transmitter is formed by a magnet.

12. Connection element according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that at least one transmitter, possibly auxiliary, is constituted by an integrated circuit.

13. Connection element according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that at least one part of the emitter is constituted by means for emitting an optical ray.

14. Diamond cable (2) for cutting in blocks, in particular in natural stone, the cable comprising, distributed and fixed along its longi¬ tudinal axis (3A), diamond sleeves (4) which ensure the cut, the diamond cable (2) being in particular used in the form of an endless loop, a connecting element (1) being provided between two ends (2A) of the diamond cable (2) for their connection, characterized in that the connecting element (1) comprises at least one signal transmitter (6) consisting of at least two parts, and optionally at least one auxiliary transmitter, according to any one of claims 1 to 11.