| The operating speed of circular saws is limited by the natural frequencies of the saw. Current methods in industry of increasing the natural frequency of the saw include pretensioning, where tensile forces are introduced into the saw. The integration of shape memory alloys, to provide tensioning to the saw, is investigated as an alternative or complement to pretensioning. To better model the saw, a finite element model is compared to current software for steel saws, CSAW, a software program that calculates frequencies for stiffened circular saws. Using CSAW and the finite element method, the results are compared and the finite element model is validated for steel saws. The validated model is then used to simulate and test circular saw blade designs incorporating shape memory alloys. The designs are found to provide similar stability characteristics to tensioned steel saws. |
