Philippi-Hagenbuch (PHIL) presented the newest patent-pending invention from LeRoy Hagenbuch at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014 – the Rolling Wedge Cutter. The company states that the Rolling Wedge Cutter “offers an innovative material-cutting approach that could dramatically improve material trenching and mining processes while improving cut size and reducing cutting coal dust by as much as 50%.”

The Rolling Wedge Cutter is described as a solution for trenching and mining through challenging environments for general construction, road construction, mining and utility applications. It can be used in above ground and underground environments, “and can create time efficiencies and accomplish techniques that were previously thought very difficult, and in some cases, unachievable.” The cited greatest benefit of using the Rolling Wedge Cutter is that 60-70% less energy is required to roll material out in tension than the sheer, brute force required to take materials past their compressive strength. Instead of blasting material apart by exceeding its compressive strength through brute force, which has been the traditional method, the Rolling Wedge Cutter places material in tension and pulls it apart by overcoming the material’s tensile strength. When put in tension, material such as concrete has just one-fifth the tensile strength of its compressive strength.

Because of this, PHIL believes that the Rolling Wedge Cutter “curtails the challenges associated with trenching and mining through difficult materials such as concrete, concrete with rebar, frozen ground and pavement. It causes less disruption to the ground underneath streets and roadways than backhoes and jackhammers forcing their way through pavement. It eliminates the need to wait for the ground to thaw by allowing users to trench or cut through materials without jackhammers, saws or other cutting devices. And users who want to break up a chunk of concrete can just drill a small hole and drive in a Rolling Wedge Cutter.”

The company adds that the Rolling Wedge Cutter adapts easily to many makes and models of trenchers and mining equipment. It is constructed out of hardened steel and is available in various sizes, from 0.75 in to 9 in diameters. It can be outfitted with a host of optional tips to meet the specific needs of a project, and Hagenbuch is currently developing specific cutters for specific cutting applications. The width of the trench dictates the total number of cutters required.