Plastic Deformation of Al2O3During Abrasion

Abstract
X‐ray diffraction line broadening examination of the debris produced by abrasion of polycrystalline Al2O3on a 320‐grade diamond‐impregnated lap showed that heavy plastic deformation is associated with the abrasive process. Annealing of the debris resulted in an increase in crystallite size at temperatures >800°C but only minor changes in microstrain. This behavior contrasts with the large reduction in microstrain reported for ball‐milled Al2O3with similar initial crystallite size. The results are consistent with recovery during formation of the debris particles. A transient temperature of 900° to 1200°C was estimated from the plastic work done, assuming that material is removed by a mechanism similar to that observed in the abrasion of metals.