The response of isotropic brittle materials to abrasive processes

Abstract

An overview is presented of the response of brittle material to abrasion. A three-region model is proposed for both two-body and three-body wear, two regions being where removal rate is nearly independent of abrasive size for otherwise identical conditions, and a transition region where rate is proportional to abrasive size. The mechanics is explored through these three regions in two-body and three-body wear and some comparisons are made to the wear of nonbrittle materials. This work is restricted to isotropic materials, since variations in bond strength and lattice structure introduce orientation effects.<>