Wavelength decomposition analysis of surface generation in the ultraprecision machining of brittle single crystals

Brittle single crystals present special characteristics that are not encountered in ultraprecision machining of ductile materials. The conventional surface characterization approaches based on surface roughness parameters and power spectrum analysis are inadequate for characterizing the surface generation. In this paper, a wavelength decomposition analysis is proposed that provides a component-by-component wavelength decomposition of the surface roughness profiles at a finite number of radial sections of the machined surfaces. Experimental results indicate that wavelength decomposition analysis provides an effective way of characterizing quantitatively the effect of different surface generation mechanisms such as the brittle-ductile transition on surface roughness in the ultraprecision machining of brittle single crystals.