Measurement Techniques, Vol. 52, No.

3, 2009

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

OF THE WEAR FACTOR FOR A DIAMOND
STONE-CUTTING TOOL

N. D. Bolatashvili, K. D. Mgaloblishvili, UDC 621.93.027:539.375

and G. G. Dadunashvili

Results are provided for a study of the wear factor in cutting Kursebi deposit teshchenite with a diamond
cutter segmented wheel 1250 mm in diameter made of SAM 500/400 diamonds. Analysis shows that diamond
consumption varies within considerable limits. For wheels with a diameter of 500–1250 mm, the maximum
consumption reaches 0.9–1.5 carat/m2.
Key words: diamond stone-cutting tool, wear.

Determination of the wear factor for stone-cutting tools is necessary in order to develop more effective machining
technology for hard materials. One of them is teshchenite from the Kursebi deposit (Georgia). In machining with diamond
cutting wheels, the most important properties of teshchenite are taken into consideration, i.e., mechanical strength, hardness,
and abrasiveness.
The strength of rock depends on mineral composition, grain shape, structure, texture, porosity, binder composition, etc.
Hardness demonstrates the capacity of rock to resist indentation into its solid. Overall hardness is proposed as a combined
index for teshchenite resistance to breaking [1, 2]:

Q = (HmPp)1/2,

where Hm is weighted mean rock-forming mineral microhardness, N/m2; and Pp is rock punch hardness, N/m2.
Abrasiveness is the capacity of machined material to wear a stone-cutting tool. During cutting with a diamond tool,
the abrasive properties develop as wear of diamond grains due to their wearing away with friction over the rock and break-
ing bonds, to which the diamonds are fastened, as a result of the action of broken material particles upon them. Therefore,
the wear factor, specifying the capacity of rock to wear a diamond tool as a whole, should reflect both the abrasive proper-
ties of the unbroken mass, and the abrasive properties of rock particles already dispersed. The abrasiveness factor is taken as
this index:
Ra = (Hm/Pp)1/2.

Kursebi teshchenite has the following physical parameters: Hm = 450–880 N/m2, Pp = 150–300 N/m2, Ra = 1.8–2.0,
and Q = 300–400 N/m2.
A diamond cutter segmented wheel has been developed that consists of steel body, made in the form of a flat disk,
and diamond segments fastened to it whose diamonds break the material being machined. The segments consist of diamond
(Sd) and diamond-free (S-Sd) layers, and the latter is necessary in order to provide the required strength of segment fasten-

Tsereteli State University, Kutaisi, Georgia; e-mail: gdadunashvuli@mail.ru. Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika,
No. 3. pp. 45–47, March, 2009. Original article submitted December 22, 2008.

292 0543-1972/09/5203-0292 ©2009 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

ing to the body, and also the precision of wheel manufacture. The thickness of the diamond-free layer is 2–3 mm with an
overall segment height of 7–10 mm [3].
Diamond stone machining is an essential area of the machining industry. Considerable attention is devoted to
increasing stone-cutting tool life and reducing diamond consumption [4]. As a result of studies, it has been established that
about 30% of diamond grains fall from the matrix, not achieving significant wear. The amount of broken grains is about 3.3%.
It is clear that it is important to provide strong fastening of a diamond abrasive grain in a tool binder.
A new binder G-50 for a diamond stone-cutting tool contains: 36.2–44.8% Co; 13.0–14.0% TiH2; 32.0–40.0% Cu;
8.0–10.0% Sn; 0.8–1.2% FeS and it is distinguished from previous binders by the fact that titanium within it is in the form
of a broken titanium hydride product. In fact, in a hydrogen atmosphere titanium develops high chemical activity due to which
there is an improvement in the adhesion properties of the binder and an increase in tool wear resistance.
Specimens were prepared as follows. A mixture of diamond and metal powders was subjected to prior cold com-
paction at a pressure of 1.0–1.5 MN/m2. A briquette, in the shape of a paralleliped, in contact with a steel rod was introduced
into a graphite mold that was charged into a furnace. In order to prevent sintering of a specimen to the mold, the surfaces in
contact were lubricated with a suspension of hexagonal boron nitride. Sintering was performed in high vacuum at constant
pressure. The heating rate up to 800°C was on average 10°C/min. A further rise in temperature up to sintering occupied
2–5 min, and then exposure followed for 5–15 min, which provided complete wetting of diamond particles with molten metal
and compaction, close to the calculated theoretical. After cooling and extraction from the mold, specimens were machined
(surface cleaning). The linear machining rate was 2.5–3.0 m/sec, the feed rate was 2.8 mm per pass, the machining depth was
0.15–0.2 mm, and the machining time was 12 sec.
During machining of Kursebi teshchenite with a segmented diamond wheel made from diamonds grade
SAM-500/400 with a nominal concentration of 50 vol.%, and a binder (Cu–Sn–Ti) + 15%BK + 12.5%B4C, an average spe-
cific wear of diamond was obtained of 0.101 kg/m3 with a volume of rock removed of 1978 m3.
Studies showed that on machining teshchenite the best binders are Cu–Sn–Ti with introduction of BK and especial-
ly a binder based on chromium (Cu–Ni–Cr–Cr3C2–B4C, where the volume of Cr–Cr3C2 does not exceed 60%); the specific
diamond consumption in tools with this binder is lower by a factor of two or more than for existing binders. Optimum binder
compositions were selected from which industrial samples were then prepared (segments for saws).
Thus, use of an adhesive-active binder as the matrix for a diamond stone-cutting tool makes it possible to increase
considerably its operating properties.
It is difficult to obtain by experiment a fundamental dependence of wear factor on temperature, created during cut-
ting, due to the complexity and high cost of setting up repeated tests for determining the amount of material wear, friction
force, and contact temperatures under industrial conditions [1]. Therefore, some researchers analyze the dependence of vol-
umetric and linear wear factors and time theoretically. According to calculations, for experimental data it is most suitable
(with a relative error of not more than 5% [5]) to use the following dependence of the wear factor on temperature:

 K , T ≤ 250°C ;
K w (T ) =  0
 K1 + K2 T , T > 250°C ,

where T is contact temperature; K0 = 3.65·1019 m2/N; K1 = –5.49·10–19 m2/N; and K2 = 3.64·10–21 m2/(N·K).
The relationship between volumetric and linear wear factors is expressed by the equation

Kw.lin ≈ Kw.vol/(2πRh),

where R is wheel radius, and h is cutting surface width.

However, this theoretical approach for determining wear factors is connected complicated laboratory studies and it
is hardly effective. A simplified method is proposed below for determining the wear factor.
The original equation of the analytical method for studying wear of a diamond segmented wheel during cutting
materials has the following form:

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TABLE 1. Results of Determining the Volumetric and Linear Wear Factors for Diamond Wheel on Temperature

Specimen Time for a Number of Linear wear, Contact Kw.lin·1019, Kw.vol·1020,

length, mm single cut t, sec cuts mm temperature, ºC m2/N m4/N

50 3.6 310 0.38 250 3.65 0.110

75 3.9 272 0.32 270 4.02 0.210
100 4.3 221 0.37 300 4.23 0.224
125 5.4 187 0.41 340 5.04 0.241
150 7.2 155 0.35 410 5.73 0.254
175 4.8 132 0.39 430 6.32 0.276
200 8.9 119 0.44 470 7.01 0.289
225 12.1 102 0.47 500 7.24 0.307
250 13.5 87 0.37 520 8.57 0.342
300 14.4 75 0.45 540 9.40 0.384
450 21.6 52 0.4 570 14.62 0.441
600 28.8 39 0.43 620 17.10 0.518

mi n
dh / dt = K w v ( 0, t ) p i ( 0, t ) ,

where dh/dt is cutting wheel material wear rate; Kw is the wear factor, depending on contact temperature and cutting condi-
tions; v(0, t) is relative sliding rate; p(0, t) is the nonuniformly distributed contact pressure; and mi, ni, are indices depending
on the material reaction characteristics.
The wear factor Kw(T) is established by experiment, and its value has a marked effect on wear resistance. Here
model experiments are considered for determining the dependence of the wear factor on temperature [6].
The dependences of volumetric and linear wear factors were studied in cutting Kursebi teshchenite with a diamond
cutting segmented wheel with a diameter of 1250 mm made from diamonds SAM-500/400 with a relative concentration of
50 vol. % in a G-50 binder. The test unit used was created on the basis of a 6M82GB milling machine. Studies included deter-
mining the volumetric and linear wear of a wheel by the procedure described above with single-pass cutting. Contact tem-
peratures were calculated for each specific specimen length. The number of specimen cuts was varied, and here strict con-
sideration was given to the amount of work carried out cutting time. In order to determine wheel wear with a cutting rate of
21 m/sec, no fewer than 20 measurements over the height were performed, from whose results the average values of thick-
ness, weight and volume of a wheel were found. The relative error of measurements did not exceed 10%.
Data for these experimental studies for wear factor due to temperature, arising in the contact zone, are provided in
Table 1. It has been established that wheel strength does not change up to 600°C. Productivity is characterized by diamond
consumption per unit of machined surface, that is determined by the weight of diamonds in carats consumed for 1 m2 of
machined area.
The diamond consumption index is used extensively in the practice of stone machining in order to evaluate wheel
operation. It is easily determined from the initial weight of diamonds in a wheel and the area cut by it. During wheel opera-
tion, diamond consumption is established from the linear wear of segments. Segment wear may be measured by means of a
UIM-21 microscope, an IZM-10 optical comparator of a special bracket fitted with a clock type indicator. In order to mea-
sure segment thickness, each of the two bracket supports is installed in an intersegment groove in order that the tip of the
indicator is in contact with a segment working surface placed between supports. Then values of the segment thickness are
read from the indicator scale. Four to six measurements are made for each wheel uniformly over its circumference. After
obtaining a prescribed area of cutting (for Kursebi teshchenite 0.2–0.3 m2), measurement of all segments is repeated. From
the difference in the thickness, their linear wear is determined and then its weighted mean ∆hm is calculated.

294
 Diamond consumption in carats for 1 m2 of cut area is found by the equation

∆q = M∆hm /(5000S),

where M is the weight of diamonds in a wheel, carat; ∆hm is average wheel segment wear over the thickness, µm; S is cut-
ting area, m2; and 5000 is a factor a factor depending on the thickness of diamond-bearing layer segment.
Thus, diamond consumption is established by means of a special measuring device that contains a clock type indi-
cator arranged on a stiff metal arc with fastening mechanisms at the ends. This analysis of the operation of diamond cutter
segmented wheels shows that diamond consumption in cutting natural rock varies within significant limits; for wheels with
a diameter of 500–1250 mm the maximum consumption reaches 0.9–1.5 carat/m2.

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3. N. D. Bolatashvili, Georgian Pat. AU 2008 9507 U, Byull., No. 23 (2008).
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(1977).
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elastic states of a diamond wheel during cutting building materials,” Preprint No. 90-4, Inst. Matem. Acad. Sci.
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