Wear 257 (2004) 246256

Test protocol for micro-geometric wear of sintered diamond tools

W. Polini , S. Turchetta
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Universit degli Studi di Cassino, Via G. di Biasio 43, 03043 Cassino, Italy Received 17 February 2003; received in revised form 4 December 2003; accepted 15 December 2003

Abstract The main component of a diamond tool is the diamond in the form of grains which constitute the actual cuts of the tool. The present study proposes a test protocol regarding the wear of diamond grains in sintered tools: a set of parameters, which characterise the grade of wear of a diamond grain, and its relationship with the cutting ability of the examined tools are established. The proposed protocol shows the procedure and the equipment for carrying out the tests, the properties of the material to use, the format of the report to present the obtained results. The developed test protocol indicates an universally applicable way to measure the wear of the diamond grains constituting the tool. It is an indispensable instrument for correctly carrying out the wear tests and for a reliable interpretation of the results. The protocol developed so far mainly regards laboratory tests, considering the slowness and the precision of the involved measurements. Given the total absence of norms, this protocol could be absorbed by national and international norm establishing organisations. This protocol has also been applied to two types of tools and the results obtained have appeared reliable and repeatable. The test protocol proposed in this study makes it possible to overcome the difculties connected to scarcity of technical data regarding the properties of the tool which is typical in this eld in that the recipes, with which the tools are produced, are patented. 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Wear; Test protocol; Diamond sintered tool; Diamond grain wear

1. Introduction Diamond tools used for natural stone machining can be classied in cutting tools, for example: wires, blade, disk and mill, and tools for machining the surface, such as grinders and mills of different shapes and proles. In both cases the tool consists of a support, a super-abrasive grain and a bond. The support is the part of the tool upon which the abrasive grain is xed; it gives the tool the appropriate form, transmits kinetic energy from the machine rollers to the abrasive grain and absorbs the forces created during the machining process. The support is generally made up of steel fused with chrome having corrosion-resistant properties. The steel bodies are tempered and treated so as to reach approx. 4345 HRC hardness. The super-abrasive grain has the task of removing the material: its properties are granulometry, shape and bond matrix concentration. The granulometry expresses the measurement of the super-abrasive grain size. The form of the grain may be regular or irregular according to the quality of the actual grain. Concentration is the quantity, in weight, of the diamond grain for segment unit
Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-0776-299-3679; fax: +39-0776-299-3886. E-mail address: polini@unicas.it (W. Polini). 0043-1648/$ see front matter 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.wear.2003.12.008

volume. Increase in concentration leads to cost increase and, therefore, to price increase. The bond is that alloy which blocks the super-abrasive to the tool support so that it can carry out the cutting, milling, sharpening, smoothening and proling economically and in a technically correct manner. The bond must guarantee two contrasting requisites: cutting capacity and long tool life. Finally, the bond must have wear resistance suited to the type of tool super-abrasive, such as to allow during use the right protrusion in relation to the process to be carried out and the properties of the material being machined, but above all it must allow the loss of worn grain to encourage replacement by new grain existing within the matrix. The metals making up the bond mixture are iron, copper, tungsten, cobalt and nickel. Wear is dened as the progressive loss or removal of material from a surface [1]. Wear has great technologic and economic signicance because it changes the shapes of tools and, consequently, affects the size and quality of the parts produced. Diamond tool wear is due to three different mechanisms: attritious grain wear, grain fracture and bond fracture. In attritious wear, the cutting edges of an originally sharp grain become dull by attrition, developing a wear at that is similar to ank wear in cutting tools. Wear is caused by the interaction of the grain with the workpiece material, involving both physical and chemical reactions.

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These reactions are complex and involve diffusion, chemical degradation or decomposition of the grain, fracture at a microscopic scale, plastic deformation and melting. Because abrasive grains are brittle, their fracture characteristics in grinding are important. Optimally, the grain should fracture or fragment at a moderate rate, so that new sharp cutting edges are produced continuously during grinding. The selection of grain type and size for a particular application also depends on the attritious wear rate. A grainworkpiece material combination with high attritious wear and low grain friability dulls grains and develops a large wear at. Grinding then becomes inefcient, and surface damage (such as burning) is likely to occur. The strength of the bond is a signicant parameter in grinding. If the bond is too strong, dull grains cannot be dislodged. This prevents other sharp grains along the circumference of the tool from contacting the workpiece to remove chips, and the cutting process becomes inefcient. On the other hand, if the bond is too weak, the grains are easily dislodged and the wear rate of the tool increases. Dressing is the process of producing sharp new edges on grains, conditioning worn grains on the surface of a diamond tool. Loading is when the porosities on the diamond tool become lled or clogged with chips. A loaded tool cuts inefciently, generating much frictional heat; this results in surface damage and loss of dimensional accuracy. Grinding wheel wear is generally correlated with the amount of workpiece material bond by a parameter called the grinding ratio, which is dened as the ratio between the volume of removed material and the volume of wheel wear. Techniques for tool-condition monitoring typically fall into two general categories: direct and indirect. The direct method for observing the condition of a cutting tool involves optical measurement of wear, such as periodic observation of changes in the tool prole [2]. This is the most common and reliable technique and is done using a microscope; it requires that the cutting operation be stopped. Indirect methods of measuring wear involve the correlation of the tool condition with process variables such as forces [3,4] and differences of part size [5]. Despite the large amount of literature and standards [6] on wear of single tip cutting tool, the diamond tools have been peerly investigated. The works of the literature shown mainly qualitative considerations about diamond tool wear. Luo and Liao characterise the change, due to wear, of the grain shape versus the machining time and the consequent variations in cutting force [7,8]. Wright and Wapler determine the grain-life curve of the diamond grain, i.e. the trend of the protrusion height versus removed stone volume [9]. Diamond tool wear necessitates appropriate denition and measurement; in other words it is necessary to establish, in a clear and unequivocal way, the parameters that characterise the wear process and their measurement by means of a reliable and repeatable procedure. The aim of the present study is the denition of a test protocol regarding wear of diamond grains that constitute the main component of a diamond tool. The proposed test

protocol is suitable for sintered tools of any shape and size. The total absence of bibliographic references or norms regarding the procedures for conducting wear tests on sintered diamond tools has made it imperative to prepare a test protocol, adapt to offer a universally valid mode for carrying out the micro-geometric wear test with the aim of obtaining repeatable and comparable results. It is an indispensable instrument for correctly carrying out the test and for a reliable interpretation of the results. It offers stone machining companies the possibility of comparing tools which producers sell as similar, but which during machining present extremely differing performances. In fact, at the present state, diamond tools available on the market are characterised solely by the specication of the material they can process, while the other technical features are subject to industrial patent and, therefore, are not known to the marble and granite machining rms. This protocol could be used by tool manufacturers to evaluate the performance of their tools compared to those of competitors and at the same time to equip their supplies with information on the useful life of the tools offered. This last aspect represents a service that transformers are requesting with increasing insistence. The guidelines forming this protocol have been taken from existing norms for single-cut tools [6]. The protocol developed so far regards tests to be carried out in the lab, given the precision and thus the slowness of the tests involved. The protocol has allowed the development of knowledge of the wear process of diamonds which constitute the tools for machining natural stones, which constitutes the basis for machining optimisation. The following paragraphs describe the properties of diamond tools used in cutting natural stones and their relationship with wear. The test protocol and its application to two types of tools is also described.

2. Wear of sintered diamond tools for machining natural stone The behaviour of a diamond tool with respect to wear is the consequence of single progressions of wear of the diamonds and the bond constituting the tool (see Fig. 1). At rst the bond erosion increases the diamond grain protrusion so as to come into contact with the material being machined (integral grain). Once in contact, the grain is rounded so as to form a plateau (grain smoothing). Intermittent contact with the workpiece due to tool rotation leads to cyclical load on the diamond grain which, amplied by the unhomogeneity of the stone and the vibrations, causes deterioration of the capacity of the grain to resist the cut forces and consequently their disintegration after a certain interval of time (micro-fractured grain). The wear progression leads nally to a completely fractured particle or to an eroded matrix sufcient to allow release of diamond grain (pull-out). Other grain will come to the tool cutting surface and the wear cycle starts again. The macro-geometric effect of the wear cycle on the tool consists in the progressive reduction

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Fig. 1. States of a diamond grain.

of the diameter and the weight of the actual tool together with the possible geometric change of the actual tool. Thus, we refer to macro-geometric wear of a diamond tool when we mean the progressive change of the macro-geometric features described above of the actual tool in relation to machining time and, therefore, the volume of material machined. On the other hand, from the micro-geometric point of view the wear cycle causes consumption of the bond and variations of the diamond grain properties. The abrasive action of the natural stone coupled with the high mechanical loads produces a progressive reduction of the protrusion height of each diamond grain with respect to the bond. On the other hand, the cooling uid combines with the machining tailings and forms an abrasive mixture which erodes the bond matrix. The capability of the diamond tool to restore its cutting capacity consists in the use of the previously described mechanisms to remove the diamond grain from the bond, once worn out. We refer to micro-geometric wear of a diamond tool when we mean the progressive change of the diamond height, protruding from the bond, of the diamond grains constituting the tool cutters in relation to the machining time and therefore to the volume of material machined. The present work aims to propose a test protocol in order to evaluate the micro-geometric wear of diamond tools during stone machining. The structure of the test protocol

is similar to the existent standard about the tool life testing of single-point turning tool [6], while the involved materials, machines and cutting conditions have been dened taken into account the actual industrial stone machining. The parameters characterising micro-geometric wear have been originally elaborated by the authors on the basis of previous studies of the literature on qualitative evaluation of diamond tool wear [79]. The introduced micro-geometric wear parameters are the trend of diamond grain life in function of the stone removed volume, the percentage of grains in the different wear state and the grain grinding ratio. The grain grinding ratio has been dened as the volume of stone removed by a diamond grain of one carat. All the details of the test procedure to evaluate the micro-geometric wear parameters are discussed in the following section.

3. Test protocol for the micro-geometric wear of sintered diamond tools The protocol regarding micro-geometric wear species the material to be machined, standard conditions of the workpiece, tool features, the cooling uid used and cut conditions to be applied during the test. The machine that carries out the test is that commonly used by the rm to machine stone

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(it may be a bridge milling machine in order to test diamond disks or an NC maching centre to test diamond mills). It should be of rigid construction and not tend to vibrate or to bend anomalously during the test. The machinetool for the test must have a command for continuous speed variation covering the whole range of speeds used during the actual machining. The method to be followed to achieve the test regarding tool life is the same as that used for achieving the cut operation with, in addition, observations to be noted and measurements to be made. Before beginning the test, a reference sintered diamond segment is chosen among those which constitute the mill, subject of the study, which will be observed with the available instruments. Subsequently, on the reference segment we univocally localise a portion of surface containing a number of diamonds considered representative of the population of diamonds making up the tool. The micro-geometric wear test consists in carrying out various cutting operations in succession and interposing between one cut and the next observation of the diamond grain and measurement of the micro-geometric wear parameters. The test is considered nished when all the diamonds initially present on the reference surface have been released by the matrix. The test report will contain the graph regarding the course of the micro-geometric wear parameters in relation to the volume of material machined. Below we have the full text of the protocol. 3.1. Material to machine Given the large number of materials used in the natural stone machining eld it is not advisable to compare tests carried out on differing materials. For this reason the grindability class of the used material [10] must be specied in the test report. 3.2. Standard conditions of the workpiece The cutting test must be carried out on slabs having dimensions which will minimise vibrations of the workpiece during the test. The spindle and the table where the workpiece will be xed must be stable and well balanced. During positioning of the workpiece on the table bending of the workpiece must be carefully avoided. 3.3. Tool Tool wear strongly depends on the materials constituting the actual tool. In the test report, features of the tool used during the test must be specied according to indications given in Table 1 for the two tools considered. 3.4. Cutting uid All the cutting tests in which the cutting uid is not a variable must be achieved using water as the cutting uid.

Table 1 Properties of diamond mills Mill properties Mill type M9Z3 Chemical composition of bond (%) Co Cu C O Al Si Bond hardness (HRB) Diamond mesh (no.) Diamond concentration (carat/cm3 ) Tool weight (g) Tool diameter (mm) Sectors number Height of sector (mm) Depth of sector (mm) Width of sector (mm) Core diameter (mm) Application (grindability class) 62.40 17.79 14.09 3.14 1.24 0.98 102 45/50 0.9 238 23 5 35 4 6 15 I M9BN 25.59 49.89 16.71 3.89 2.34 1.58 85 45/50 1.0 177 20 6 44 3.5 5 13 IV

The cutting uid jet must be directed onto the face of the tool and completely hit the active part of the tool. If possible, indicate jet capacity and pressure in the test report. 3.5. Cut conditions For all cutting tests by mills in which feed rate, axial depth of cut, and rotation speed do not constitute the main test variables, cutting conditions must correspond to those indicated by industrial applications and shown in Table 2. Table 2 is valid for mill whose diameter ranges from 20 to 30 mm. 3.6. Criteria for tool life and tool wear measurement 3.6.1. Introduction The aim of the tool life test is to establish by means of experimental tests how one or more parameters inuence the life of the cutting tools. The reason for which the life of a particular cutting material must be considered ended is often not the same for different machining operations.
Table 2 Recommended conditions of cutting Material Machining parameters Rotation speed (rpm) Granite Marble Granite Marble Granite Marble 5000 5000 4500 5000 4500 4500 Feed rate (mm/min) 300 400 200 400 200 400 Axial depth of cut (mm) 20 30 40

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The simplest case that can occur is when the tool becomes completely unuseable. In the majority of cases the tool wears progressively and the machining, that is carried out, becomes less satisfactory, for instance cut forces increase and produce intolerable bending and vibrations. Determining the end of tool life is thus xed by comparing tool performances with those of a new one. 3.6.2. Denitions On the basis of the present protocol the following denitions may be applied: micro-geometric wear change in shape and dimensions of the diamond grains constituting the diamond tool during cutting with reference to its initial geometry as a result of progressive loss of material procedure to measure parameters of microgeometric wear predetermined extreme value of the micro-geometric wear measurement necessary cutting time in order to achieve the grain life criterion six conditions of a diamond grain characterised by different shapes and dimensions due to wear progression (see Fig. 1) distance from the top of a grain to bond surface protrusion height versus removed stone volume parameters describing protrusion curve trend

wear of the diamond grain due to friction and subsequent smoothing; fracture of the diamond grain; loss of grain retention by the metallic matrix. Its capability to restore its cutting capacity consists in the repetition of these steps for each abrasive grain, thus allowing continuous tool cutting action. 3.8. Equipment 3.8.1. Machinetool The machine used for the test must be of rigid construction and not tend to vibrate or to bend anomalously during the test. The machinetool must have a command for continuous speed variation covering the whole range of speeds used. Furthermore, a variable speed command allows the exact predetermination of rotation speeds and reduces the time necessary for obtaining the tool life curve. 3.8.2. Instrumentation The following instruments are necessary for carrying out the necessary measurements and must be accurately constructed in order to be able to verify the tolerances indicated in the present instructions: a stopwatch to register cutting times; an optical microscope equipped with a micro-metric device for grain characterisation and protrusion measurement; a gauge for measuring the tool size; equipment for measuring cutting liquid ow (may be obtained by measuring the time necessary to empty a container having a known volume). 3.9. Procedure for tool micro-geometric wear test The conditions vary in each single case and, therefore, the test procedure regarding tool life can only be described in general terms. The method to be followed to achieve the tool life test is the same used to achieve good cut operation with, in addition, the necessary precautions to be taken, observations to be noted and measurements to be made. Before beginning the test, make sure that the machine tool, the workpiece and the tool correspond to the instructions of the present protocol. The following step consists in choosing a reference sintered diamond segment among those constituting the mill under examination, which can be easily observed with the available instruments. The examination is carried out on a single segment in that it is correct to say that all sintered diamond segments constituting the mill are homogeneous. Then, a portion reference surface is localised on the reference segment. This portion of surface must be chosen so as to be contained in the main surface zone of the segment involved in the cutting process. The specication of the surface sub-portions for observation and examination of wear must be chosen to give a good representative

micro-geometric wear measurement

diamond grain life criteria

diamond grain life wear states of a diamond grain

protrusion height protrusion curve parameters of protrusion curve

3.7. Micro-geometric wear test procedure 3.7.1. Introduction The wear mechanism of diamond sintered tools at local level can be divided between the matrix on the one hand and the diamond on the other. The abrasive action of natural stones, coupled with high mechanical loads affects the diamond provoking wear. On the other hand, the cooling uid joins the tailings to form an abrasive mixture that erodes the segment matrix. These mechanisms determine what is known as the useful life cycle of the diamond grains. This life can be divided into the following phases: abrasion of the metallic matrix and progressive increase of diamond grain protrusion;

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sample of the features of the surface under examination and thus of the segment. The micro-geometric wear test consists in a cut operation which measures the progression of the abrasive particle protrusion with respect to the matrix and their condition (integral, micro- and macro-fractured, smoothed, pull-out) in relation to the volume of material machined. The test is divided into a number of partial cuts. At the end of each partial cut the diamond grains contained in the chosen surface sub-portions are catalogued and the respective protrusion heights are measured. The quantity of material for each single cut is determined by the relationship between the average useful life of the single grain and the chosen number of partial cuts. Finally the grain grinding ratio is calculated as the ratio of removed stone volume by a diamond grain to the number of carats of that diamond grain (cm3 per carat). Before carrying out the micro-geometric wear test a preliminary test described in the following paragraph is carried out to determine the average useful life of the single diamond grain not known beforehand. This preliminary test is necessary in that it allows programming of the number of intervals and thus the volume of material to be carried out with each partial cut in the micro-geometric wear test. 3.10. Preliminary test to determine the average useful life of diamond grain The preliminary test regarding the useful life of the single grain consists in making the tool work in the above described cutting conditions for a volume of material that will not permit the loss of grain chosen for reference. This value is determined by a succession of brief cut tests and by a visual examination of the abrasive particles on the reference surface sub-portions at the end of each cut. 3.11. Test report In the test report the following results must be given: progression of the protrusion in relation to the material machined (i.e. protrusion curve); wear states of diamond grains in relation to the material machined; parameters of protrusion curve; grain grinding ratio.

ment system variability, which can be separated into components like repeatability, reproducibility and part variation. Repeatability is the variation in measurements obtained with the measurement instrument when used several times by the same operator while measuring the identical characteristic on the same part. It is also commonly known as equipment variation. Reproducibility is the variation in the average of measurements made by different operators using the same instrument when measuring the identical characteristic on the same part. The part variation is essentially a measure of the variation of the process. We implemented analysis of variance method for determining the gage R&R. As shown in Fig. 2, use is made of the gage R&R crossed study since each operator measures each part. The variance component computations indicate that less than 1% of the total variance is due to gage R&R. The graphical output in Fig. 3 illustrates how most of the variation is due to the part-to-part component. The R-chart shows that the operators recorded the values for each part with a similar amount of variability, with the Xbar chart indicating an out-of-control situation emphasising the discriminating power of the instrument. The average values on all parts measured (40) by the two operators are represented in the by operator graph, and indicates that the overall means recorded by both operators are similar. The operator by nozzle interaction exhibits parallelism, reected in the statistically insignicant term being removed from the model.

5. Application example The protocol developed has been applied to study the wear of two types of tools put on the market by a well-known producer for the machining of two types of granites. The cut tests have been carried out on African Black granite and Sardinian granite, whose grindability class is I and IV, respectively. Linear cuts have been carried out on slabs whose dimensions are 1000 mm 500 mm in order to allow a proper xture on machinetool table. Each cut had a radial depth of cut equal to the mill diameter, i.e. 23 mm for M9Z3 and 20 mm for M9BN, and an axial depth equal to the slab thickness, i.e. 30 mm for the M9Z3 mill and 40 mm for the M9BN. Cuts have been put at a distance assuring a complete independence among the following cuts. The parameters characterising the two types of tools are given in Table 2. Water, the cooling uid commonly used in the machining of natural stones, has been used, directed onto the cutting zone in question by means of a nozzle system appropriately positioned and a duct inside the actual mill. The test conditions are given in Table 3. A representative sample has been extracted from the diamond grain population scattered on the surface of the tool and its behaviour with regard to wear observed. The sample has been selected in the form of 20 grains contained on the reference segment surface within a delimited area by means of two incisions carried out with a normal saw for cutting ferrous materials.

4. Reproducibility and repeatability of the proposed micro-geometric wear measurement system It has been carried out by a gage repeatability and reproducibility approach in order to determine if the proposed gaging system is suitable for the process under measurement. We have considered the measurement of the protrusion height of three grains on the surface on a new tool by two operators. This method computes the total measure-

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Gage R&R Study - ANOVA Method Two-Way ANOVA Table With Interaction Source grain operator operator*grain Repeatability Total DF 2 1 2 18 23 SS 0.0166453 -1.26E-34 0.0000120 0.0000840 0.0167413 MS 0.0083227 -1.26E-34 0.0000060 0.0000047 F 1387.11 -0.00 1.29 P 0.00072 1.00000 0.30066

Two-Way ANOVA Table Without Interaction Source grain operator Repeatability Total Gage R&R Source Total Gage R&R Repeatability Reproducibility operator Part-To-Part Total Variation Source Total Gage R&R Repeatability Reproducibility operator Part-To-Part Total Variation VarComp 4.80E-06 4.80E-06 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 1.04E-03 1.04E-03 StdDev (SD) 2.19E-03 2.19E-03 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 3.22E-02 3.23E-02 %Contribution (of VarComp) 0.46 0.46 0.00 0.00 99.54 100.00 Study Var (5.15*SD) 0.011283 0.011283 0.000000 0.000000 0.166061 0.166444 %Study Var (%SV) 6.78 6.78 0.00 0.00 99.77 100.00 DF 2 1 20 23 SS 0.0166453 -1.26E-34 0.0000960 0.0167413 MS 0.0083227 -1.26E-34 0.0000048 F 1733.89 -0.00 P 0.00000 1.00000

Number of Distinct Categories = 21

Fig. 2. Gage R&R (ANOVA) for grain protrusion measurement.

The univocal identication of the diamond grain on the reference surface has been obtained by SEM mapping. A sequence of cuts has been performed. Each cut has removed the same volume of material and the micro-geometric wear variables have been measured between two following cuts. To plan the cuts sequence, i.e. to determine the material volume to remove for each cut, the average life of a diamond grain has been determined through preliminary tests.

Table 3 Experimental plan Test Mill type Process variables Rotation speed (rpm) 4500 4500 Feed rate (mm/min) 200 200 Axial depth of cut (mm) 30 40

1 2

M9Z3 M9BN

It has been calculated by observing, by means of an optical microscope, a set of reference grains on mill surface, after consecutive machining steps, from their initial emersion from binding to their nal pull out from mill surface. The volume of the stone removed by a single grain stands for its average life. The time lag between two following cuts has been a percentage of the average tool life of a grain. Then, the measurement of the protrusion height of the diamond grain sample by means of LEICA optical microscope equipped with movement along the three main axes X, Y, Z and a plotting and measuring system along the axes has been carried out. This instrument has 0.5 m resolution and approx. 2.6 m measurement uncertainty. The method of measurement of the protrusion height is based on the plotting of the relative measurement of the positioning of the lens focusing along the height of the diamond grain [11]. Furthermore, SEM observation has been carried out at the end of cuts to determine the percentage of grains within the

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Fig. 3. Graphical output of gage R&R (ANOVA) for grain protrusion measurement.

sample observed, which can be found in the different states described in Section 2. In particular, at the end of each cut the mill has been dismantled from the machine spindle and undergone a through cleaning cycle to remove any machining tailings. This cycle uses pressurised water to remove all gross impurities deposited between the diamond grain and
0.120

the metallic bond, a water and acetic acid solution to dissolve and completely remove calcareous residue still deposited on the surface and not removed by the mechanical action of the preceding clean, and nally, even acetone to remove oily impurities formed during tool manipulation. Then, SEM observations may be carried out.

0.100

B D E

protrusion height [mm]

0.080

0.060

0.040

0.020

A
0.000 0 220.8 441.6 662.4 883.2

F
1104 1324.8 1545.6 1766.4 1987.2 2208 2428.8 2649.6 2870.4 3091.2 3312 3532.8 3753.6

volume of removes stone [cm^3]

Fig. 4. Protrusion curve of a sample of grains of the M9BN mill.

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0.100 0.090 0.080 protrusion height [mm] 0.070 0.060 0.050 0.040 0.030 0.020 0.010 0.000 0.000 A

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B D C E

F 634.800 1269.600 1904.400 2539.200 3174.000 3808.800 4443.600

volume of removed stone [cm^3]

Fig. 5. Protrusion curve of a sample of grains of the M9Z3 mill.

6. Discussion of results The test report of each of the two tools gives the progression of the protrusion height of each diamond observed in relation to the volume of the machined material, the progression of the percentages of diamonds which, within the sample can be found in different states (emergent, integral, smoothed, micro-fractured, macro-fractured and pull-out), the parameters that characterise the protrusion curve and the values of the grain grinding ratio. The progressions of the protrusion height of the different diamonds belonging to the same tool are totally similar regardless of the type of tool, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 where are shown some of the curves collected for the 20 grains sampled on the surface of each tool. Furthermore, through SEM observation points of the diagram corresponding to classiable states of the diamond grain have been identied, such as emergent (A), integral (B), smoothed (C), micro-fractured (D), macro-fractured (E) and pull-out (F) in Figs. 4 and 5. It is possible to distinguish two distinct zones in such progressions. In the rst zone there
0.25
0.2203

is considerable variation of the protrusion in relation to the material machined, while in the second this remains more or less constant. On the basis of this observation the zones have been respectively dened transient and steady area. The transient zone is distinguished by an initial protrusion height, corresponding to an emergent grain that increases to maximum value corresponding to protruded grain, testifying consumption of the bond which mostly causes diamond grain to appear on the surface. The steady zone begins at the end of the transient zone with an inferior protrusion value with respect to the maximum value obtained previously as a consequence of the grain smoothing phenomenon, but with constant progression, which passing through the diamond fracture (micro and macro) reaches exit of the grain from the matrix. The progression found has been characterised through ve parameters: maximum protrusion height (Pmax ), dened as the maximum protrusion height of the diamond grain, the protrusion speed in the transient zone (vmax ), dened as the positive inclination of the curve in the transient zone, the average protrusion height in the steady zone (Pavg ), dened as the average protrusion height in the portion of
2500 2000
1920.1

0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.00

0.1576

1500
M9Z3 M9BN
1174.5 1225.6

0.0889 0.0859 0.0682 0.0632

1000 500 0

M9Z3 M9BN

872.2

Pmax [mm]

Pavg [mm]

vmax [mm/min]

Vtra [cm^3]

Vreg [cm^3]

Fig. 6. Micro-geometric variables in function of mill kind.

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Fig. 7. Percentage of diamond grains in the ve different wear states for M9BN.

curve in the steady zone, the volume of material machined in the transient zone (Vtra ), dened as the quantity of material machined in the transient zone, and the volume of material in the steady zone (Vreg ), dened as the quantity of material machined in the steady zone. The average values of Vtra and Vreg parameters of the grain life curve measured for the 20 grains on tool surfaces are sensibly different for the two tools, while those of Pmax , vmax and Pmed parameters seem not to depend by tool kind (see Fig. 6). This is probably due to the higher hardness and strength of the M9Z3 metallic bond if compared with M9BN mill. Moreover, these trends are related to the abrasiveness of the two considered granites too, i.e. Black Africa is lower abrasiveness than Sardinian granite. However, this study takes into account the two industrial process conditions: M9Z3 mill cuts Black Africa and M9BN mill cuts Sardinian granite. The bond of M9Z3 wears out more slowly than that of M9BN, i.e. its maximum protru-

sion rate (vmax ) is lower than that of M9BN mill, because of bond hardness and of less abrasiveness of machined granite. Therefore, M9BN mill behaves better than M9Z3, since its diamond grains quickly emerge by bond and start to machine in regime conditions. In the same time, the single diamond grain of M9Z3 mill is retained on tool surface for a time longer than that of M9BN, i.e. the stone volume removed by a single grain of M9Z3 is higher than that of M9BN. This effect implies the stone volume removed by a single diamond grain of M9Z3 (Vtra and Vreg ) results bigger than that due to M9BN. The values of the maximum protrusion height (Pmax ) are very similar for the two mills, since they are characterised by the same diamond mesh and they have machined with the same values of the process parameters. In fact, higher are the values of both mesh and process parameters, higher is the protrusion height of the diamond grain from the bond. The values of the average protrusion height (Pavg ) are very

Fig. 8. Percentage of diamond grains in the ve different wear states for M9Z3.

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grain grinding ratio [cm^3/carat]

8 7 6 5 4 3 2

tool kind

Fig. 9. Boxplot of grain grinding ratio of the two considered tools (1: M9Z3, 2: M9BN).

similar for the two mills, since M9Z3 bond matrix wears out more slowly than M9BN does, but in the same time, M9Z3 diamond grain wears out more slowly than M9BN does, because of the lower abrasiveness of the machined granite (Black Africa). The contrary is true for M9BN. The progression in the course of time of the quantity of grain traceable to each of the six states described in Section 2 has been dened as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. An analysis of the two graphs shows how the percentage of integral and micro-fractured diamond grain remains constant, always supplying the same quantity of cut edges for the tool. The different behaviours due to the constructive differences of the two tools analysed emerge from comparison of the described indicators. In fact, the two mills present different geometry with different numbers and dimensions of the segments and different bond composition. The M9Z3 mill has a larger cobalt content compared to the M9BN mill (the ratio of the percentages of cobalt in weight is about 2.44%) which is equal to a greater machined material volume in the steady zone. The M9BN mill presents a greater protrusion speed due to the inferior hardness of its metallic matrix and, therefore to easier wear caused by the machining tailings [12]. Finally, the grain grinding ratio has been calculated for the 20 grains of the two tools and, then, put into relationship with the tool kind. The grain grinding ratio depends strongly by the tool kind: it is equal to 6.8 cm3 per carat for M9Z3 tool and to 4.6 cm3 per carat for M9BN tool (see Fig. 9). On the whole we can say that the protocol developed allows us to achieve results in line with the properties of the tool and allows us to compare tools having different characteristics.

the protrusion height and the analysis of the grains during the course of time can be used as variables to describe the behaviour of the diamond in relation to wear. Furthermore, the use of parameters characterising the protrusion curve or of the grain grindability ratio allows synthesis of the diamond grain behaviour in relation to wear. Through use of the test protocol developed it is demonstrated that the M9Z3 tool behaves better than the M9BN tool both in terms of volume of material machined as in useful life of the diamond grain. The results obtained are perfectly justiable through the constructive features of the two tools. The protocol developed has allowed identication of the critical parameters of the wear process which can be evaluated by means of faster, even if less precise and perhaps actually portable instruments, which can be installed directly on the machine. This is currently the subject of further investigation. Moreover, the evolution of this subject is applied to the extension of the protocol to other kinds of tools, both in terms of geometry as in terms of the producers. Acknowledgements This work was carried out with the funds received by the Italian MIUR (Ministry of Instruction, University and Research) within the project entitled Stone manufacturing technologies (COFIN01). References
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7. Conclusions The present study proposes a test protocol for the measurement of micro-geometric wear of diamond tools. In this way it is possible to obtain comparable and repeatable results to characterise the wear of diamonds constituting the tool. The results obtained emphasise how the progression of