Morphologic characterization and fractal analysis of lapped and polished surfaces of quartz single crystals

Lapping and polishing are industrial processes sometimes used alternatively for surface finishing of hard and brittle materials. This article presents advanced image analysis of surfaces of quartz crystal blanks finished by lapping and polishing. Scanning electron micrographs were obtained from workpiece surfaces parallel to Y-, AT-, and Z-cut crystal planes treated with different normal stress and abrasive grit size, and stereometric and fractal/multifractal approaches were used to analyze the respective surfaces. Fractal dimensions and segmentation parameters were able to decode the effect of normal stress increasing on the surface roughness of lapped and polished samples. Moreover, the texture isotropy and the bifractal—hence agglomerated—nature of the surface patterns, suggest that both treatments dismiss the anisotropic signature of hardness and fracture toughness inherent to each crystal plane. This study provides promising results regarding the applicability of fractal analysis in the assessment of surfaces severely worn by the combined effect of brittle microcracking and plastic deformation mechanisms.