Predicting the production rate of diamond wire saw using statistical analysis

Performance prediction of diamond wire saws is important in the cost estimation and the planning of the stone quarries. An accurate estimation of sawability helps to make the planning of the rock cutting projects more efficient. In this paper, the performance prediction of diamond wire saws in cutting carbonate rocks was studied on 14 different carbonate rocks in stone quarries located in Iran. Rock samples were collected from the quarries for laboratory tests. Uniaxial compressive strength, Brazilian tensile strength, Schmidt hammer value, and Los Angeles abrasion were determined in the laboratory. Performance prediction was evaluated using simple and multiple regression analyses. Finally, a new model was proposed for predicting the production rate of diamond wire saw. It was concluded that the production rate of carbonate rock using diamond wire saw can reliably be estimated using the developed model.