Investigation of friction and wear behavior of titanium alloy-diamond based on the morphology evolution of single abrasive clusters

Abstract

This study investigates the wear mechanism of single diamond clusters during flexible scratching of titanium alloys. High-temperature rotary friction and wear tests were conducted using a flexible abrasive tool with bonded single diamond clusters. The study examined the impact of normal loads, rotation speeds, and temperatures on cutting ability and wear in titanium alloys. The percentage of abraded area in the annular cross-section was proposed as an index for evaluating diamond wear. The results indicate that the primary factors affecting diamond cluster wear are normal load and temperature, while friction speed has a relatively minor impact. At a 2 N load, the abrasive grains exhibited abrasive blunt wear without causing obvious damage to the titanium alloy surface. However, at a 4 N load and a temperature of 110 °C, adhesive wear became dominant, resulting in localized damage and oxidative wear on the diamonds. The annular cross-section abrasive wear profile revealed a nearly 30% increase in abrasive grain wear area as the normal load and temperature increased. This study aims to improve understanding of the abrasive grain wear at various stages and lays the foundations for grinding and polishing large-sized, high-precision parts.