A simple model to describe the anisotropy of diamond polishing

Recent theoretical and experimental studies have shown that the mechanism of conventional diamond polishing into the so-called soft directions can be described by a form of mechanically induced degradation of diamond. This implies a very local transformation of diamond towards the graphitic structure under high non-hydrostatic stresses, resulting in easy removal of the material. The proposed mechanism satisfactorily explains the anisotropic features in the polishing rate. Here we present a model, fully consistent with the description as outlined above, but focused on the hard direction and expressed in terms of the periodic bond chain (PBC) vectors of diamond. These PBC vectors, which are also commonly used in explaining the morphology of crystals, allow for a straightforward prediction of the anisotropy observed in the diamond polishing rate. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.