WIRE SAW

摘要

One aspect of the invention concerns a wire saw (10) comprising a core wire (12), abrasive beads (14) spaced apart on the core wire and a flexible, typically elastomeric material such as rubber moulded over the core wire between the beads. This elastomeric material has a non-circular outer cross-sectional shape defined by relatively thick zones in which the radial extent of the material overlying the core wire is relatively great and intermediate zones, between the first zones, in which the radial extent of the material is zero or relatively small. In the preferred embodiments, the elastomeric material moulded about the core wire between the beads defines a generally polygonal outer cross-sectional shape. The polygonal shape includes sides (30, 34) which, at central positions on those sides, are located close to or at an outer surface of the core wire. Other aspects of the invention concern a method of moulding the elastomeric material and the mould itself.