Wear resistant CVD diamond tools for turning of sintered hardmetals

Sintered hardmetals are very hard materials that are usually machined using diamond grinding wheels and electro-discharge machining. Dry cutting with super-hard cutting tools like cubic boron nitride (c-BN), polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and chemical vapour deposition (CVD) diamond is an ecological alternative to reduce operation times and, therefore, to improve the productivity. In the present work, cylindrical forging dies of WC–27 wt.% Co hardmetal grade were turned at fixed operating parameters (cutting speed=15 m/min; depth-of-cut=0.2 mm; feed rate=0.03 mm/rev.) using CVD diamond tipped hardmetal inserts. Commercial PCD and c-BN inserts were tested for comparison. The cutting tool behaviour was studied in terms of both the tool wear and the finishing quality of the workpiece. The tool damage was evaluated using a special probe for edge roughness evaluation, together with scanning electron microscopy observations. The CVD diamond tools survived the task showing slight cratering, whereas flank wear was the main wear mode for the other superhard tools. Amongst all the tested tools, PCD presented the worst performance in terms of tool wear and workpiece surface quality. Furthermore, the operation time was reduced to one tenth with respect to conventional diamond wheel grinding.     

The mechanism investigation of ultrasonic roller dressing vitrified bonded CBN grinding wheel

To clarify the ultrasonic roller dressing mechanism of the vitrified bonded cubic boron nitride grinding wheel (V-CBN), the collision number model between the diamond dresser and CBN grits was established based on the geometric and kinematics analysis. The influence of each dressing parameter on the collision number was analyzed and discussed. The grinding experiment was performed on the bearing raceway with the dressed V-CBN grinding wheel, results obtained discovered that there was an inverse relationship between the collision number and the surface roughness and runout of the workpiece. Additionally, compared with conventional dressing, ultrasonic dressing has the advantage in improving the surface quality because it can produce more collision numbers and raise grit retention. In words, the collision number can be used to predict the dressing effect, which provides a reference for formulating an appropriate dressing process for V-CBN to improve the workpiece surface quality and production efficiency.     

Effect of wear behaviour of single mono- and poly-crystalline cBN grains on the grinding performance of Inconel 718

Polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) grains were fabricated by combining the monocrystalline cBN (McBN) nanoparticles and inter-abrasive ceramic materials via high temperature and pressure techniques. Grinding performance of Inconel 718 with single McBN and PcBN grains, including grinding force, force ratio, ground surface quality was investigated. Characterization of the wear morphology evolution of worn grains and scratches of PcBN grains were discussed. In addition, the fracture behaviour of PcBN grains was evaluated as the varying of the undeformed chip thickness. Results show that PcBN grains have the smaller grinding force and force ratio, more stable grain wear rate in comparison to McBN grains. Additionally, the better wear-resistance and grinding performance owing to its multi-cutting edges structure in terms of the grain wear morphology evolution were achieved for PcBN grains regardless of the undeformed chip thickness.     

Raman and photoluminescence spectra of indented cubic boron nitride and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride

The use of Raman spectroscopy, and in particular Raman line shifts, to measure stress in diamond and nitrides such as gallium nitride (GaN), is well known. In both diamond and GaN the application is principally to study stresses in thin films and at the substrate–thin film interface. Stresses in polycrystalline diamond composites have also been measured by this method. Typically stresses of the order of GPa can be determined with a spatial resolution of a few micrometers. In this paper, Raman spectra of indentations on cubic boron nitride (cBN) crystals and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) composites are presented. Shifts of the cBN Raman lines from their unstressed positions quantify the residual stresses in the boron nitride due to the deformation brought about by the indentation. Making use of the measured coefficient of shift of 3.39 cm⁻¹/GPa for the transverse optical Raman peak, these are of the order of 1 GPa. These measurements illustrate, for the first time, the use of Raman spectroscopy to study residual stresses in boron nitride. Plastic deformation is usually associated with the creation of vacancies. To investigate the possible presence of vacancy defects and vacancy-related defects, the indented boron nitride samples were also studied with photoluminescence spectroscopy.     

Micro-sized polycrystalline cubic boron nitride with properties comparable to nanocrystalline counterparts

High-performance polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) was sintered without binders at 1500 °C in a pressure range from 11 to 15 GPa using commercial micrometre cubic boron nitride (cBN) with a diameter of approximately 2–4 μm. The results demonstrated that the sample sintered at 12 GPa and 1500 °C had the best mechanical properties and thermal stability. Its average Vickers hardness, fracture toughness, and thermal stability was 63 GPa, 15 MPa m^1/2, and 1315 °C, respectively. The considerable improvement in the mechanical properties was mostly attributed to the high compactness, close bonding between grains, and the sample's internal defect structures. The relatively small specific surface area of the micron grains provides an advantage due to its high thermal stability. The amorphous regions observed in the sample's local areas may provide a new strengthening mechanism under high pressure and temperature.     

Small-scale mechanical properties of constitutive phases within a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride composite

Micromechanical properties of a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) composite have been assessed by statistical analysis of data gathered from experimental massive nanoindentation. The mechanical study was complemented with electron probe X-Ray microanalysis, aiming to correlate relative B/N ratio and local hardness for individual cBN particles. Best-fit of experimental and deconvoluted data is achieved by considering five mechanically different phases, defined on the basis of chemical nature, TiN/cBN interface presence, ratio between residual imprint dimension and microstructural length scale as well as phase stoichiometry. In-depth local micromechanical and chemical analysis permitted to propose and validate, for the first time, the existence of a correlation between intrinsic hardness and phase stoichiometry for cBN phase. Finally, based on experimental data measured by nanoindentation and analyzed in terms of plastic index, toughness for the PcBN composite studied is estimated to range between 4 and 6 MPa·√m.     

Effects of Ni addition on properties of vitrified bond CBN composites in strong magnetic field

Properties of vitrified bond with varying Ni doping amounts were extensively investigated. Effects of Ni addition on microstructures and properties of vitrified bond cubic boron nitride (CBN) composites prepared in strong magnetic field were investigated for applications in CBN grinding tools. Vitrified bond was characterized using three-point bending, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and other methods. The refractoriness, fluidity, and bending strength of vitrified bond were evaluated. Bending strengths, microstructures, and phase compositions of vitrified bond CBN composites achieved using conventional and strong electromagnetic sintering techniques were compared. Results show that the addition of Ni to vitrified bond CBN composites improved the fluidity and bending strength of the vitrified bond. Strong electromagnetic sintering improved the mechanical strength and pore structure of vitrified bond CBN composites. Moreover, the introduction of the strong magnetic field facilitated Ni migration and aggregation in vitrified bond, rotated abrasives, and formed new substances, thus increasing the stability of vitrified bond CBN composite thermal material. Also, strong magnetic field inhibit grain growth of non-magnetic and ferromagnetic materials with fine-grain effect.     

Reactive sintering cBN-Ti-Al composites by spark plasma sintering

When synthesizing polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) at normal pressure, cBN had a trend of hexagonal transformation, which reduces the hardness and strength of PcBN. The cBN-Ti-Al composite was prepared by spark plasma sintering with introducing Ti and Al to absorb hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) transformed from cBN. By the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Ti and Al reacted with BN and forming TiN, TiB₂, and AlN, which combined cBN as the binder by chemical bonding. The mechanical properties of the prepared composite increased as the increment of sintering temperature. The threshold temperature for preparing composite without hBN phase was at 1400 °C. The composite with optimal mechanical properties was prepared at 1400 °C, and the relative density, the bending strength, hardness, and fracture toughness were 98.9 ± 0.1%, 390.7 ± 4.4 MPa, 14.1 ± 0.5 GPa, and 7.6 ± 0.1 MPa·m^0.5, respectively.     

Grinding performance improvement of laser micro-structured silicon nitride ceramics by laser macro-structured diamond wheels

Silicon nitride ceramics are widely used in various industrial fields because of their excellent characteristics: high hardness, high elastic modulus, abrasion resistance, and high heat resistance. Diamond wheel grinding is the predominant and most productive method to machine silicon nitride ceramics. However, a lot of heat is generated due to high friction between a diamond grinding wheel and extremely rigid silicon nitride during grinding. This causes surface/subsurface damage, wheel wear, etc., which impairs the surface quality of silicon nitride. This impairment can restrict the use of silicon nitride ceramic components. To improve the surface quality and service life of grinding wheels, a laser macro-micro combination structured grinding (LMMCSG) method was presented. The results indicated that the grinding force ratio and surface roughness when using LMMCSG were respectively 31% and 40% lower than the grinding force ratio and surface roughness when using conventional grinding. Moreover, the LMMCSG method effectively reduced the wheel wear and workpiece subsurface damage.     

Granularity-induced plastic deformation mechanism of pure polycrystalline cubic boron nitride

Combined X-ray diffraction(XRD) profile analysis and HRTEM observation, a method for exploration of plastic deformation in pure polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) samples with sizes of primary cBN powders was developed. XRD profile results showed that the coarse-grained PcBN exhibited a larger micro-strain ε, a greater deformation stacking faults probability fD, which was an order of magnitude larger than that of fine-grained PcBN, but a smaller twin stacking faults probability fT. It was deduced that the plastic deformation of the coarse-grained PcBN was dominated by stacking faults and mechanical twins mode, which would result in strain strengthening and then recrystallization. While the manner of growth twins was the mainly modes of fine-grained PcBN by phase transform, especially utilized the curled SP2 structure as a basis for a cubic structure nucleation. Fundamental plastic deformation principles of the ultrafine polycrystalline cBN was crucial for the field of high-precision cutting tools.     

Synthesis of ultrafine nano-polycrystalline cubic boron nitride by direct transformation under ultrahigh pressure

Using a turbostratic pyrolytic boron nitride as a starting material, we synthesized a variety of ultrahard polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) as a function of the heating duration changing from 1 to 60?min under a constant temperature and pressure conditions (1950?°C and 25?GPa) using a multi-anvil apparatus. When the heating duration was less than 13?min, ultrafine nano-polycrystalline cBN (U-NPcBN) with the mean grain size of <50?nm was produced. Among these U-NPcBNs those synthesized with 11–13?min were found to have a uniform texture composed purely of cBN (i.e. with no wurzite BN residue) and a Knoop hardness of >53?GPa, which is 20% higher than that of the hardest conventional binderless PcBN in practical use. Furthermore, the PcBNs synthesized with 18–20?min showed a unique nanocrystalline texture composed of relatively coarse grains dispersed in a fine grained matrix and even higher Knoop hardness (54.5–55.2?GPa).     

Theoretical foundations of galvanic treatment of dielectrics and semiconductors in ionic melts

The behaviors of diamond, cubic boron nitride, and silicon and boron carbides in ionic melts were analyzed thermodynamically and studied by potentiometry and corrosion measurements. The redox reactions occurring at the dielectric (semiconductor)/ionic melt interface were assumed to give rise to an electrochemical potential and surface conductivity. Controllability of the electrochemical potential makes metallization of the materials considered possible. Techniques are suggested for the electrodeposition of molybdenum, tungsten, and their carbides onto diamond, boron nitride, silicon carbide, and boron carbide particles.     

Self-sharpening property of porous metal-bonded aggregated cBN wheels during the grinding of Ti–6Al–4V alloys

Grinding process with cubic boron nitride (cBN) superabrasive wheels has been the subject of extensive research during high efficiency and precision machining difficult-to-cut materials in aerospace and aviation industries. However, the grinding performance and tool-life of conventional cBN abrasive wheels are severely affected by the probable macro-fracture and pull-out of cBN grains owing to their anisotropic crystalline structure. In this case, porous metal-bonded grinding wheels coupled with high-performance aggregated cBN abrasive grains were developed to improve tool performance and machined surface integrity. Characterisation of morphologies, including as-sintered aggregated cBN abrasive grains, pore structures and grain wear evolutions, was performed. The grinding ratio, grinding forces, force ratio and ground surface roughness were evaluated through single-grain grinding of Ti–6Al–4V alloys. Experimental results indicated that the porous aggregated cBN wheels had abundant chip storage space and excellent wear resistance. A stable grinding force ratio and small ground surface roughness were obtained during the tool wear tests due to the combined characteristics of microfracture and partial macrofracture of multi-layer cBN particles.     

Effect of different surface treatments on the repair bond strength of resin composites with titanium

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different surface treatment combinations on the bonding of composite resins to NiCr and titanium alloys after thermal cycling. Square-shaped specimens (10?mm x 10?mm x 2?mm) were made from NiCr and titanium alloys. The specimens were divided into 6 pretreatment groups (n?=?11): (1) machined titanium (control, no treatment); (2) CoJet sand application; (3) grinding with a diamond bur; (4) metal primer application; (5) CoJet sand?+?metal primer application; and (6) grinding with a diamond bur?+?metal primer application. The surface roughness of the mechanically treated specimens (control, grinding, CoJet sand) was evaluated. The surface morphology of both metals and elemental composition were examined with SEM and EDS. The composite resin was applied to the specimens. Shear bond strength (SBS) was tested after thermal cycling (5000 cycles, 5?°C to 55?°C). Failure modes were determined. The data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, two-way ANOVA and post hoc Fisher’s LSD test (p?=?.05). For titanium specimens, the grinding?+?metal primer exhibited higher values than the other groups, and all groups showed higher SBS values than the control group. Combined use of CoJet sand, grinding with a diamond bur, and metal primer application would be useful for enhancing the bond strength of composite resin to titanium. The grinding of the NiCr surface with a diamond bur is the only method that could improve the bond strength of a composite resin compared to the other methods.     

Fabrication of porous structure vitrified bond diamond grinding wheel via direct ink writing

Porous vitrified bond grinding wheels with complex structure, high porosity, controllable pore size have fundamental application in high efficiency and precision grinding of hard and brittle materials. In this paper, direct ink writing (DIW) is proposed to fabricate three kinds of grinding wheels, including solid structure, triangle structure, and lattice structure. Moreover, the rheological property of ceramic ink with different doses of xanthan gum (XG) solution was investigated to ensure printability, demonstrating 3% XG solution can meet requirements. Additionally, the effect of sintering temperature and pore former (PMMA) contents on size shrinkage rate, morphology, mechanical strength, and porosity et al. were studied. The results indicate that the diamond grinding wheel with 30 vol% PMMA and sintered at 670 °C possess the best comprehensive performance. Besides, grinding performance was evaluated by surface morphology, surface roughness, and material removal rate. Among the DIW-fabricated wheels, triangle structure grinding wheel and lattice structure grinding wheel possess a higher material removal rate than solid structure grinding wheel. Therefore, the porous structure grinding wheels fabricated by DIW present the advantage of controllable porosity, excellent self-sharpening ability, and higher bond strength, which may pave the way for designing a new generation vitrified bond diamond grinding wheel.     

Effect of porosity on the grinding performance of vitrified bond diamond wheels for grinding PCD blades

In this paper, the preparation of nano-AlN modified Na₂O–B₂O₃–SiO₂ vitrified bond diamond tools with various porosities is reported. The effects of porosity on the impact strength and grinding properties of the wheels for grinding PCD blades are also discussed. The results show that the porosity not only affects the impact strength of the wheels but also the grinding properties, such as the grinding efficiency, the self-dressing, the service life and the surface roughness of the work pieces. The optimum porosity for nano-AlN modified Na₂O–B₂O₃–SiO₂ vitrified bond diamond wheels for grinding PCD tools is approximately 40.5 vol%.     

Sintering,microstructure, and mechanical properties of vitrified bond diamond composite

The demand for high-performance grinding wheels is gradually increasing due to rapid industrial development. Vitrified bond diamond composite is a versatile material for grinding wheels used in the backside grinding step of Si wafer production. However, the properties of the vitrified bond diamond composite are controlled by the characteristics of the diamond particles, the vitrified bond, and pores and are very complicated. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of SiO₂–Na₂O–B₂O₃–Al₂O₃–Li₂O–K₂O–CaO–MgO–ZrO₂–TiO₂–Bi₂O₃ glass powder on the sintering, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the vitrified bond diamond composite. The elemental distributions of the composite were analyzed using electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) to clarify the diffusion behaviors of various elements during sintering.The results showed that the relative density and transverse rupture strength of the composite sintered at 620 °C were 91.7% and 126 MPa, respectively. After sintering at 680 °C, the glass powder used in this study exhibited a superior forming ability without an additional pore foaming agent. The relative density and transverse rupture strength of the composite decreased to 48.2% and 49 MPa, respectively. Moreover, the low sintering temperature of this glass powder protected the diamond particles from graphitization during sintering, as determined by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum. Furthermore, the EPMA results indicate that Na diffused and segregated at the interface between the diamond particles and vitrified bond, contributing to the improved bonding. The diamond particles can remain effectively bonded by the vitrified bond even after fracture.     

Effects of open pores on grinding performance of porous metal-bonded aggregated cBN wheels during grinding Ti–6Al–4V alloys

Porous metal-bonded wheels coupled with the aggregated cubic boron nitride (cBN) grains and water-soluble carbamide particles as pore-forming agents were fabricated, aiming to the improvement of grinding wheel performance and ground surface quality in grinding of Ti–6Al–4V alloys. Grinding forces and force ratio, ground surface roughness and microhardness were investigated to evaluate wheel performance. In addition, the wear evolutions of cBN grains and macropores were performed as the material removal volume increases during wheel wear tests. Findings show that the dynamic changing behavior of the coverage and exposure of open pores attributes to the improvement of grinding performance and ground surface quality of porous AcBN wheels. Meanwhile, the promising self-sharpening property of wheels can be guaranteed in basis of dynamic wear variations of multiple cBN abrasive grains layer by layer.     

Deposition of cubic boron nitride films on diamond-coated WC:Co inserts

Cubic boron nitride (cBN) thin films were deposited on diamond-coated tungsten carbide (WC) cutting inserts using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). The effects of gas flow rate and substrate bias on the phase composition and structure of the BN films deposited on diamond surfaces were studied. It was revealed that both the cubic phase formation and the selective etching of hexagonal phase were controlled by modulating the hydrogen and boron trifluoride flow rate ratio. By the trial and error method the gas flow rate ratio and substrate bias voltage were optimized. Moreover the phase composition of the BN film was found to be affected by the thickness of diamond buffer layer and interrelated to the effective substrate bias. The hardness of the resulting cBN films reached the value of 70 GPa. In the synthesized coatings, the diamond beneath renders the best mechanical supporting capacity while the top cBN provides the superior chemical resistance and extreme hardness. The cBN/diamond bilayers deposited on WC inserts may serve as universal tool coatings for machining steels and other ferrous metals.     

Microstructure of c-BN thin films deposited on diamond films

Diamond films were used as substrates for cubic boron nitride (c-BN) thin film deposition. The c-BN films were deposited by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) using a mixture of nitrogen and argon ions on diamond films. The diamond films exhibiting different values of surface roughness ranging from 16 to 200 nm (in R_rms) were deposited on Si substrates by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The microstructure of these c-BN films has been studied using in situ reflexion electron energy loss spectroscopy analyses at different primary energy values, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and high resolution transmission microscopy. The fraction of cubic phase in the c-BN films was depending on the roughness of the diamond surface. It was optimized in the case of the smooth surface presenting no particular geometrical effect for the incoming energetic nitrogen and argon ions during the deposition. The films showed a nanocrystalline cubic structure with columnar grains while the near surface region was sp² bonded. The films exhibit the commonly observed layered structure of c-BN films, that is, a well textured c-BN volume lying on a h-BN basal layer with the (00.2) planes perpendicular to the substrate. The formation mechanism of c-BN films by IBAD, still involving a h-BN basal sublayer, does not depend on the substrate nature.