Evaluation of Glass Lapping using Fixed Abrasive Pad

Glass ceramics is one of the key materials for the optoelectronic devices. In this work, double-sided lapping experiments were performed for various glass substrates (Borofloat, BK7, Quartz) using fixed abrasive pad with deionized water as coolant and the removal rate, hardness and roughness were reported at a lapping pressure of 0.6 kgf/cm(exp 2) and speed of 50 rpm. We found that the material removal rate is dominantly influenced by the mechanical properties of the substrate. The higher removal rate seen in the case of borofloat when compared to the other two substrates is due to the lower hardness. The glass studied in this work follows the two body brittle fracture mechanism, based on the calculation obtained using the residue size and the mechanical properties of the glass. Keywords: Glass, lapping, fixed abrasive pad, diamond, self-dressing