Ductile behavior of optical glass in single point diamond turning

Single point diamond turning tests were carried out on a B270 type glass. Submicrometer cutting conditions were applied in order to generate ductile response during single point machining. The profile generated by the rapid removal of the tool tip from the machined surface, analyzed by atomic force microscopy, showed that the brittle-to-ductile transition occurs at a few tenths of micrometers. According to the machining results, the maximum feed rate capable of generating a ductile mode machining behavior is of 0.9 micrometer/revolution. Furthermore, it was shown that with the cutting depth lower than 0.100 micrometer/revolution, the material removal mechanism is totally ductile. Ribbon-like chips were not observed when ductile machining was performed, as commonly seen during ductile machining of semiconductor crystals. The chips removed had a small needle-like shape. This material’s fragile behavior during machining may be related to high densification during tool/material interaction with subsequent elastic recovery response.