Tool wear and surface finish in diamond cutting of optical glass

The development of the ability to machine glass materials to optical tolerances is highly desirable. In this work, cutting tests were carried out on glass to investigate the wear of diamond tools under different cutting conditions, i.e. conventional turning and ultrasonic vibration cutting. The tool wear mechanism was discussed on the basis of the observation of wear zone and machined surface topography. Cleavage and micro-chipping appear to be the dominant wear mechanism under the cutting conditions used in the tests. The cutting performance was found to be improved by applying ultrasonic vibration to the cutting tool. The change in the tribology of the cutting process as well as the alteration of the deformation mechanism of the work material in the cutting zone might be responsible for the reduction in tool wear in vibration cutting.