Suppression Mechanism of Diamond Tool Wear in Ultrasonic Vibration Cutting.

It has been known that the ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting (UEVC) is the effective method for ultra-precision machining with diamond tools for ferrous materials. In these cutting methods, the formation of protective films by the adsorption of atmospheric gas to the contact surface suppress the wear of diamond tools. In addition, the ultrasonic vibration cutting has the effect of reducing the rise in the tool temperature during processing, which is also the reason for suppressing tool wear. In this study, to discuss the wear reduction mechanism described above in more details, we investigated the influence of tool wear exerted by the presence or absence of atmospheric gas and by the difference of worked materials. Consequently, it was found that the production of carbide is the controlling factor that determines the wear process of the diamond tool during the ultrasonic vibration cutting. Thus, it was suggested that in atmospheric conditions, the adsorption films from atmospheric gas suppresses the production of carbide, leading to decrease wear of diamond tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]