RMZ – MATERIALI IN GEOOKOLJE

440 Kos, A., Dervarič, E.nally to the front and begin cutting inthe material.The arrangement of cutting plates onthe chain (shown in Figure 8). Thethickness of the cut is still 38 mm,and the system of the blade with cuttingplates has remained the same. Differentshaped on cutting elements areused: square, trapezoidal, star-shapedand round cross-cut sections of cuttingelements. The shapes depend onthe properties of the materials beingcut as well as on the structure of “widia”plates. In our production, we usesquare-shaped “widia” plates, whichcan be rotated eight times, and roundshapeddiamond cutting elements. Thedifference between the both is in price;the diamond plates are 10 times moreexpensive and more durable.A proper distribution of horizontal andvertical cuts can also affect the yieldof material, but it requires supervisor'sconstant monitoring and control, as thegeological and safety conditions in astone quarry change from one advancesection to another.ConclusionTechnological development in theproduction of natural stone is still anongoing process. In the exploitationindustry, there is an increasing collaborationamong the manufacturersof working equipment and customers,as they together provide developmentof new and better equipment.New modifications to machines usedin quarry work facilitate excavationand processing of the material. Thereare numerous manufacturers of chainsaw cutting machines worldwide.Customers can choose from modelsthat are most suitable for characteristicsof their sites, their excavationpreferences and prices. A great emphasisis on the production of suitabletools and cutting elements fordifferent types of natural stone, aseach material has its own properties.A new technology which is increasinglygaining in importance is the socalledwaterjet technology, i.e. cuttingof material by means of a waterjet. The said technology is currentlyused primarily for processing of materialin workshops.Proper selection of technology requiresprevious elaboration of detailedgeological and laboratory studies (mechanicaland physical parameters ofstone, chemical composition of the material),economic assessment of the siteand consideration of nature protectionconditions.Based on results of the studies, wecan select the optimal technology andtechnological processes of excavationto achieve satisfactory economic andtechnological results.RMZ-M&G 2012, 59