Sawing performance of diamond with alloy coatings

An experimental study was carried out to evaluate the sawing performance of diamond with Ti–Cr coatings. The coated diamonds and metal powders were hot pressed to form metal-bonded diamond specimens. The transverse rupture strength (TRS) of the specimens was assessed by a three-point bending test. SEM and EDS were used to analyze the fracture surfaces of the specimens. The sawing performance of the specimens was evaluated in terms of their wear performance during sawing of granite. The forces generated in sawing were also measured to account for the process. The TRS of the specimens was found to be dependant mainly on the sintered quality of the bond matrix although Ti–Cr coatings can also raise TRS. As compared with uncoated diamonds, the wear performance of the specimens with coated diamonds was improved. However, it is difficult to establish a relationship between the wear performance and TRS.