Polycrystalline Grits and Associated Methods

Abstract

A method for forming polycrystalline grits can include forming an abrasive dough, including a plurality of abrasive particles, into a sheet. The sheet can be divided into a plurality of abrasive precursors. By placing the sheet on a stretchable surface, separations among the plurality of abrasive precursors can be revealed by stretching the stretchable surface. The stretchable surface can include a particulate separating agent, and additional particulate separating agent can be distributed in the separations. The abrasive precursors can be sintered to form polycrystalline grits.

Description

PRIORITY DATA[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 986,532, filed on Nov. 8, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to methods for use in producing abrasive grits, and the associated grits, particularly polycrystalline grits. Accordingly, the present invention involves the fields of chemical engineering, chemistry, metallurgy, and materials science.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Abrasive particles can be used in a variety of applications such as cutting, sawing, grinding, lapping, drilling, and polishing of materials. Selection of abrasive particles depends on the anticipated use for the particles. As such, abrasive particles come in a variety of materials. For applications requiring extraordinarily hard abrasive particles, superabrasive particles, such as diamond and cubic boron nitride (cBN), can be used. In some cases, they may be single crystal grits, or po...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides systems and methods for making polycrystalline grits. This involves creating an abrasive dough with abrasive particles and a binder, and then dividing the sheet into smaller parts. These parts are then placed on a stretchable surface with a separating agent to create separate layers. The layers are then sintered to form polycrystalline grits. This method can be used to make various abrasive materials such as diamond, nanodiamond, and others. The invention provides a way to create polycrystalline grits with improved properties and performance."

Problems solved by technology

Creation of grits can be very time and resource intensive.

It can rely on expensive materials, and can require extraordinary processing conditions, such as high pressure high temperature (HPHT) conditions.

Furthermore, the grits created are generally non-uniform and require sorting for size and quality.