Molecular dynamics simulation model for the quantitative assessment of tool wear during single point diamond turning of cubic silicon carbide

Saurav Goel, Xichun Luo, Robert L. Reuben

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

142 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a material of great technological interest for engineering applications concerning hostile environments where silicon-based components cannot work (beyond 623 K). Single point diamond turning (SPDT) has remained a superior and viable method to harness process efficiency and freeform shapes on this harder material. However, it is extremely difficult to machine this ceramic consistently in the ductile regime due to sudden and rapid tool wear. It thus becomes non trivial to develop an accurate understanding of tool wear mechanism during SPDT of SiC in order to identify measures to suppress wear to minimize operational cost. In this paper, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has been deployed with a realistic analytical bond order potential (ABOP) formalism based potential energy function to understand tool wear mechanism during single point diamond turning of SiC. The most significant result was obtained using the radial distribution function which suggests graphitization of diamond tool during the machining process. This phenomenon occurs due to the abrasive processes between these two ultra hard materials. The abrasive action results in locally high temperature which compounds with the massive cutting forces leading to sp3-sp2 order-disorder transition of diamond tool. This represents the root cause of tool wear during SPDT operation of cubic SiC. Further testing led to the development of a novel method for quantitative assessment of the progression of diamond tool wear from MD simulations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)402-408
Number of pages7
JournalComputational Materials Science
Volume51
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • MD simulation
  • Single crystal silicon carbide
  • Single point diamond turning
  • Tool wear

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Computer Science
  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Computational Mathematics

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