A comparison on core drilling of silicon carbide and alumina engineering ceramics with mono-layer brazed diamond tool using surfactant as coolant

Core drilling with diamond tool is an efficient method for machining of holes in engineering ceramics. A comparative study on core drilling of silicon carbide and alumina engineering ceramics with mono-layer brazed diamond tool was carried out. Two surfactant (anionic type 1631 and nonionic type OP10) water solutions were used as coolant in core drilling. The effect of the coolant׳s type and concentration on drilling torque and drilling efficiency were also investigated. The morphologies of machined surface of ceramics and the wear of diamond grits were examined. According to the results, the anionic surfactant 1631 water solution produces a lower drilling torque and higher drilling efficiency than that of nonionic OP10. Both silicon carbide and alumina demonstrate a ductile regime of material removal under the lower maximum undeformed chip thickness (0.08 mm). The wear of brazed diamond grits for drilling of silicon carbide is much severer than that of alumina.