To understand how diamond blades work remember one key fact. Diamond blades don't cut, they grind. The individual exposed diamond crystals on the outside edge and sides of the rim do the grinding work. The metal matrix locks each diamond in place. Trailing behind each exposed diamond is a bond tail or cornet tail which helps support the diamond.
While the blade rotates on the arbor shaft of the saw, the operator pushes the blade into the material. As the exposed diamonds score the material and grind it into a fine powder, they crack and break into smaller pieces. A new layer of embedded diamonds becomes exposed as the matrix wears. This process continues until the blade is worn out.
In order for a blade to work properly, the diamond type, quality and grit size must be suited to the saw and the material. The metal matrix must also be matched to the material being cut.
In general, blades for cutting hard, dense and less abrasive materials such as tile, hard brick, stone or hard cured concrete require a softer metal matrix. The softer metal matrix wears faster, replacing worn-out diamonds fast enough for the blade to keep cutting.
Blades for cutting soft, abrasive materials such as block, green concrete or asphalt, must have a hard metal matrix to resist abrasion and hold the diamonds longer.
Normal Wear of a Diamond Blade
Bon Tool Co. has made a serious effort to provide exact and current information, but does not guarantee the accuracy of the data. Bon Tool Co. cannot assume responsibility for the application of information nor guarantee results.
