Influence of Size Effects on Diamond Tool Wear During Micro-Cutting
Publication Date
4-10-2026
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Tribology International
Volume
221
DOI
10.1016/j.triboint.2026.112026
Abstract
At micrometer-scale cutting depths, material intrinsic size effects, namely depth-dependent hardness and elastic modulus, can dominate tool-workpiece interactions, yet their influence on diamond tool wear has never been reported. This study investigates CoCrMo and Ti6Al4V in cast and selective laser melting forms to establish how size effects govern wear morphology in micro-cutting. Micro-indentation revealed pronounced size effects in CoCrMo, with hardness decreasing from 14.2 GPa to 5.2 GPa and elastic modulus from 390 GPa to 195 GPa over 0–10 µm, while Ti6Al4V showed milder hardness gradients from 7.7 GPa to 4.7 GPa, and modulus from 230 GPa to 120 GPa. This disparity resulted in a distinctive W-shaped flank wear pattern when micro-cutting CoCrMo was contrasted with the conventional U-shaped profile observed with Ti6Al4V. CoCrMo chips exhibited denser serrations at edges and thicker central serrations, which signified non-uniform deformation driven by strong size effects and sharp stress gradients, whereas Ti6Al4V yielded uniform serrations. Transmission electron microscopy of the diamond cutter confirmed mechanical abrasive wear, with higher wear edge regions at shallower effective cutting depths presenting nearly 2.5-fold higher dislocation densities and greater strains (+23%/ −9%) than central regions (+7.5%/ −5%). Finite element simulations reproduced maximum principal stress concentrations near groove edges in CoCrMo, while Ti6Al4V displayed uniform distributions. A novel tool wear model, integrating depth-dependent properties and simulated stress fields, accurately predicted these irregular wear profiles. These findings offer new insights into depth-sensitive wear mechanism and underscore the necessity of accounting for near-surface property gradients in wear predictive models.
Funding Number
A-8001225–00–00
Funding Sponsor
Ministry of Education - Singapore
Keywords
Abrasive wear, Depth-dependent properties, Micro-cutting, Size effects, Tool wear, Wear predictive model
Department
Aviation and Technology
Recommended Citation
Lay Min Hoe, Yan Jin Lee, David Yan, and Hao Wang. "Influence of Size Effects on Diamond Tool Wear During Micro-Cutting" Tribology International (2026). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2026.112026
