Abstract
Hand tools for cutting polyvinyl chloride pipe are very useful. However, these tools require the user to exert enormous amounts of power. To improve the cutting performance of hand tools, we manufactured a special device for measuring the force required for cutting. The relationships between the geometry of the cutting tool and the cutting force were investigated. The cutting force was found not to remain constant and to exhibit large peaks at the initial and final stages of cutting. The cutting force increased with increasing angle of the tool edge or with increasing radius of the tool tip. In addition, the friction force was a major component of the cutting force during the entire cutting process, and the frictional coefficient was markedly affected by the grinding direction of the tool.
