Resin mineral composite (RMC) is a new material with several times the damping properties of gray cast iron and great corrosion resistance. Due to its overall brittleness, sawing with a diamond band saw would be a suitable method. In this research, sawing experiments are carried out to study the sawing force characteristics of the material and its surface morphology during the processing. The results show that the feed force level is in the range of 3.5~5.5 N and the tangential force level is relatively low. The distribution of resin mineral components does not have a significant impact on the average sawing force but increases the fluctuation of the lateral force signal. The maximum fluctuation volume is 94.86% higher than other areas. Uneven lateral force, generated when diamond particles pass through the resin-mineral interface, is one of the causes of fluctuations. The machined surface of RMC has uniform strip scratches and a small number of pits. Maintaining a constant ratio of sawing speed to feed speed can result in approximately the same machined surface. A step structure with a height of about 10 μm appears at the interface of resin minerals. As a processing defect, it may affect the performance of RMC components in some aspects, which need a further precision machining processing.
Keywords: diamond band saw; machined surface morphology; processing defects; resin mineral composites; sawing force.