Mechanics of nanometric cutting

The need to further develop our understanding of the process physics which govern material removal at the nanometer scale has resulted from continually increasing requirements for surface form and finish accuracy. Single point diamond machining is currently being used to produce surfaces with sub-micrometer form accuracies and roughnesses in the nanometer range. However, further advances towards the creation of "perfect" surfaces are being limited by our incomplete understanding of the basic mechanisms which govern material removal at the nanometer scale.

To enable an investigation of the forces involved in nanoscale material removal, we have designed and built two highly-specialized instruments which allow cutting with single-point diamond tools down to depths of cut approaching atomic dimensions. These instruments have been used in a series of experiments on ductile and brittle materials to provide fundamental understanding of nanometric cutting. Our current interests involve the nature of the surface which is generated under such conditions. This involves an assessment of the introduction of lattice disorder and possible phase changes which occur for single crystal semiconductors.

Funding provided by:

NSF

Collaborators:

R.L. Rhorer, Los Alamos National Laboratory (now at NIST), and R.J. Hocken, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Relevant publications:

Richter, H., Misawa, E.A., Lucca, D.A. and Lu, H., "Modeling Nonlinear Behavior in a Piezoelectric Actuator", Precision Engineering, 25, No. 2, (2001) 128-137.

Lucca, D.A., Chou, P. and Hocken, R.J., "Effect of Tool Edge Geometry on the Nanometric Cutting of Ge", Annals of the CIRP, 47, No. 1, (1998) 475-478.