Abstract

The majority of precision refractive optical components are fabricated from brittle glasses. The fabrication usually involves grinding the desired contour of the component followed by polishing to remove the undesirable surface features. These surface features are remnants of the brittle fractures that occur in the grinding operation. Previous studies at the Precision Engineering Center have demonstrated the feasibility of achieving ductile material removal (Ductile Mode Grinding) on samples of brittle materials. Experimental measurements and analytical models have demonstrated the relationship between the depth of cut and the damage to the surface. The extrapolation of such one-dimensional critical depth information to three dimensions is being developed through computer simulations of the grinding process and the resulting chip geometry.

© 1990 Optical Society of America