3-BODY ABRASION OF BRITTLE MATERIALS AS STUDIED BY LAPPING

Lapping experiments on glass were performed to verify a model for three-body abrasion of brittle materials. The model is based on material removal by rolling abrasive particles. The particles indent the workpiece surface and remove material by lateral cracking. Median cracking introduces subsurface damage. The model leads to expressions for removal (or wear) rate, surface roughness, subsurface damage and load per particle as a function of particle shape, particle size, material parameters of workpiece and lapping plate, applied pressure and relative velocity between plate and workpiece. The model was found to give a good description of the experimental results, allowing among other things the calculation of removal rate, surface roughness or damage penetration from the measurement of either one of these parameters.