Single-grit rotating scratch tests have been conducted with a conical diamo
nd tool on pure titanium. The force profiles during the scratch event were
captured using high frequency force transducers. The mechanisms of material
removal have been characterized by optical and scanning electron microscop
es. It was observed that the adhesion between the tool and the deformed mat
erial and the hardening properties of material play active roles in the scr
atching process. Adiabatic shear band (ASB) formation followed by cracking
was observed to be responsible for the material removal during scratching.
The overall frictional coefficient (OFC) was found to oscillate strongly at
the beginning and at the end of the scratch, but increased steadily in the
middle of the scratch. The size dependence of overall specific energy was
observed and was mainly attributed to the competition between hardening and
softening during the scratching process. Instantaneous specific energy and
instantaneous scratch hardness have been introduced to characterize the pr
ocess. These parameters were found to be sensitive to the depth of cut, thu
s validating the close correlation to the size effect of overall specific e
nergy. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.