Tribological Behaviour of Sub-micron Cutting-ceramics in Contact with Wood-based Materials

New sub-μm Al2O3-ceramics exhibit much better mechanical and tribological characteristics than commercially available grades. Previously, the sub-μm-ceramics have been successfully tested for machining hardened steels, but there is not any scientific experience with machining wood-based materials. The aim of the presented study was to examine how these ceramics behave in dry sliding when in contact with wood-based materials and to compare their behaviour with that of hard metals and polycrystalline diamond. It has been found that the friction coefficient mostly depends on the properties of the wood-based material. Furthermore, the changes of the ceramic materials surface roughness have confirmed that the grain size-related material features affect its tribological properties.