Fracture in CVD diamond

The fracture behaviour of thick, textured films of chemical-vapour-deposited diamond is discussed with particular emphasis on the influences asserted by the polycrystalline microstructure. Cracking is investigated on two different scales, firstly where it is large in that it traverses many grains and pertains to the fracture of the bulk. The second is where the fractures are localised, resulting from repeated small particle impacts and the mechanisms of material removal at the grain-size-scale are elucidated. The behaviour at this smaller level can be rationalised in terms intermediate to bulk fracture and that observed in single crystal diamond. The effects of grain size, grain boundaries, crystallographic orientation, twinning, internal stresses and pre-existing flaws are discussed. A new value for the fracture toughness is calculated and the gravimetric erosion rate for different surface orientations measured.