Investigation of deformation behaviour and abrasive wear mechanism in nanomachining

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the deformation behaviour and the abrasive wear mechanism of copper and nickel materials in nanomachining. A nanoindenter equipped with a nanoscratching attachment was used for nanomachining and in situ observation of the machined surfaces. The results showed that the generated normal and cutting forces were higher for Ni than for Cu machining. However, the elastic recovery (%) was lower for Cu than for Ni. Hence, both elastic and plastic deformations were significant in these machining conditions. The pile-up volume due to plastic deformation distinguished between the ploughing and cutting mechanisms. The ploughing mechanism was dominant for Cu machining, while the cutting mechanism was dominant for Ni machining. When the depth of cut was smaller than the cutting tool tip radius, only the ploughing mechanism contributed, otherwise, both mechanisms contributed to produce a nanoscale groove.