Automated Identification of the 3D-Shape of Grains for High-Strength Grinding Powders of Synthetic Diamond

Particular significance in the problems of the indirect analytical estimation of technological properties for grinding powders from synthetic diamond is substantiated for the spatial shape of grains. Referring to literature sources, it is pointed out that the actual 3D grain shape of such grinding powders, being used immediately instead of their 3D model, provides more reliable information about the values of technological properties. The creation of methodical tools for the automated 3D shape identification of a large-volume sample (up to 2000 grains) from such abrasive powders is emphasized to be of applied importance. An original method of solving such a problem for high-strength abrasive powders of synthetic diamond is proposed. The method is based on the known fact that grains of such powders are crystals with a 3D shape close to octahedra, cubooctahedra, and truncated octahedra. Some analytical and graphic information about the shape of an orthographic parallel projection of these spatial bodies is given depending on the 2D shape of the face, on which they are located. An analytical relationship between the geometric projection parameters required for the automatic identification of both the 2D shape of this projection and the 3D shape of grains and the generative parameters of an octahedron, cubooctahedron, and a truncated octahedron is derived. Some analogues to the morphometric characteristics of abrasive powders diagnosed by contemporary computer and technical tools with grains identical to the considered spatial bodies by their 3D shape are updated. The practical application of the developed methodical tools is illustrated by using high-strength abrasive powders AS250–AS500 from synthetic diamond as an example. It has been established that the relative content of grains shaped other than octahedra, cubooctahedra, and truncated octahedra is less than 31%.