Enhancing the wear resistance of polycrystalline diamond tools in Cf/SiC machining via ion implantation

Machining carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (Cf/SiC) composites is hindered by rapid tool wear, even with the hardest available polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools. This study explores ion implantation to enhance the wear resistance of PCD tools. The effects of ion type, energy, and dose on the surface morphology, chemical composition, and microstructure of PCD materials were investigated. Tool wear tests were conducted to assess the performance of ion-implanted tools. The results show that hydrogen-ion-implanted tools exhibit the best wear resistance, increasing tool life by 18.7 %. Hydrogen ion implantation induces the amorphous layer with high sp³ content on the diamond surface, and induces a large number of defects such as dislocation and even nanocrystals inside the binder cobalt. The amorphous layer reduces grain anisotropy, mitigating cleavage wear, while dislocation and fine-grain strengthening of the binder cobalt help reduce intergranular wear of the diamond grains.