Modelling the Brittle/Ductile Transition in Super-Fine Finishing of Carbides

Abstract

Materials such as binderless tungsten carbide and silicon carbide have become ubiquitous in the fabrication of high-performance tooling and molding inserts. But while conventional grinding of these hard ceramics has been studied in depth, the theory underlying their super-fine finishing has been less extensively explored. In particular, the boundary in process parameters that delineates the brittle/ductile removal transition remains mostly undocumented. In this paper, we review some super-fine finishing methods for carbide materials, based on both bound and kinetic abrasive processes. The focus is then placed on modelling the interaction between material and abrasives under their respective process conditions, and deriving some useful criteria guiding the brittle/ductile transition.