Finite Element Analysis of Brittle Cracking due to Single Grit Rotating Scratch

Finite element analysis of single grit rotating scratch on brittle materials was conducted using an “elastic-plastic-cracking” (EPC) model. The brittle material removal mechanism was modeled based on a critical crack-opening displacement criterion. It was found that the tangential and normal force profiles as well as the damage morphology observed in scratch experiments were fully captured by the EPC model. The results revealed that the induced damage zone size increases linearly with a brittleness parameter EY/σf21/3 as well as the maximum depth of cut.