Concrete Saw with Track Support for Wet Slab Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing concrete saws are too heavy and cannot cut expansion joints in freshly poured slabs that are still wet, as they sink into the slab surface, and require manual alignment with chalk lines, limiting their effectiveness and efficiency in preventing uncontrolled cracking.
Innovation Solution
A concrete saw apparatus with a frame supported by ground-contacting tracks that allows the saws to move above the slab, featuring adjustable saw support assemblies for transverse and longitudinal cuts, and a guidance system for precise cutting without contacting the slab, enabling cutting of expansion joints before the slab fully dries and improving alignment accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If prior art concrete saws use small metal wheels to support their weight, then the saws can be powered and mobile, but the small wheel area causes heavy loading on the slab surface, making them unable to cut wet slabs without creating unacceptable indentations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from point-contact wheels to line-contact tracks, changing the dimension of contact from zero-dimensional points to one-dimensional lines. This distributes the saw's weight over a longer contact length, reducing pressure on the wet slab surface while maintaining mobility and power delivery capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the single heavy saw unit into multiple lighter track sections that can be distributed across the slab width. This segmentation allows the saw to span multiple tracks, distributing its weight across multiple contact points and reducing the loading factor on any single point of the wet slab surface.
2Power
If prior art concrete saws are made heavy and powerful for paving industry requirements, then they have sufficient cutting power, but their weight causes them to sink into insufficiently dry slab surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces point-contact wheels with line-contact tracks, distributing the heavy saw's weight over a longer contact length. This dimensional change reduces the pressure exerted on the wet slab surface, preventing sinking while maintaining the necessary cutting power for paving applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the support system from small-diameter wheels to large-surface-area tracks. This parameter change increases the contact area with the slab, reducing the pressure (force per unit area) and preventing the heavy saw from sinking into wet surfaces while preserving cutting power.
3Ease of operation
If prior art concrete saws use chalk lines and guide arms for alignment, then cutting location can be marked, but manual alignment is required which reduces precision and increases labor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical chalk line and guide arm alignment system with an optical laser guidance system. This substitution eliminates the need for manual alignment while providing more precise cutting location and straightness through laser-based optical guidance, improving both ease of operation and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses laser light to create an optical copy or projection of the desired cutting path onto the slab surface. This laser guide provides a visual reference that is more precise and easier to follow than chalk lines, eliminating manual alignment requirements while improving cutting accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A saw apparatus for sawing paving slabs has a frame mounted on a ground contacting propulsion member such that the frame may move above a slab to be cut without touching the slab. A first saw support assembly disposes a blade of a saw in cutting engagement with the slab for a transverse cut. A second saw support assembly disposes a blade of another saw in cutting engagement with the slab for a longitudinal cut. The saws are mounted on the saw assemblies and the saw assemblies are mounted on the frame and the frame is mounted on the ground contact propulsion members such that no part of said frame need contact the slab during cutting.