Investigation of the correlations between the properties, the grinding process and the operational behavior of rocks as a cutting material

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Bernd Breidenstein
• Subject Area: Metal-Cutting and Abrasive Manufacturing Engineering
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 503208052

Preliminary investigations have shown that natural rocks can be used as cutting material. At present, however, there is a lack of various basic findings, which are necessary for the manufacture and use of cutting tools made of rock. Examples for this are the selection of suitable rocks, their grinding technology processing or the possible range of applications. The project applied for here focuses on the understanding of basic relationships between the properties of cherts and quartz varieties, their grinding technology processing, their application behaviour and the resulting suitability as cutting material. In addition, the influence and control of the material properties of these rocks as well as the determination of their usability as cutting material for the machining of non-metallic materials will be focused on. These findings make it possible to open up new application spectra for rocks as cutting materials and thus show a resource-efficient alternative to conventional cutting materials.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants