Hot-press sintering temperature response of diamond cutting tools and its correlation with wear mechanism

The diamond cutting tools (DCTs) find vast applications in the stone cutting industries. The properties of marbles/stones vary from mine to mine. The main factor judging the performance of the tool is its wear resistance which is primarily affected by materials/process variables and unpredictable working conditions. The DCTs having composition (by wt.%) of 13.5% Cu, 20% Co, 10% FTC, 6% Al, and 1% Mg and balance thermally reduced electrolytic iron powder were blended in a mixer with ball to powder ratio of 10:1 (by wt.%) for 2 h. Then this blended powder is mixed manually with synthetic diamonds (2.88%) and 2% paraffin wax. The blended powder was green compacted to size 20 mm × 10 mm × 4.5 mm in hot-pressed sintering furnace. The sintering response of DCT was studied and it was correlated with its wear performance in dry sliding Pin-On-Disc wear test machine having sintered alumina as the counterface. These specimens were subjected to varying loads (2, 6, 10, and 12 kg) and varying velocities (1, 2, 3, and 4 m/s) for wear test. The 2D contour was drawn to establish transition in wear modes from adhesive wear to abrasive wear.

► Diamond cutting tools are manufactured using electrolytic iron powder.
► The sintering response of diamond matrix is studied along with wear test.
► 2D contour can be used to locate optimum properties of the materials.
► Wear modes shift from adhesive to abrasive with increasing load and sliding speed.