Shouldn’t Diamond-Tipped Tools Just Fall Apart Under High Stress Use?

Question

Yes, Diamonds are the (usually) hardest substance available for a variety of industrial applications.

Yes, they are found on everything from the tips from dentist’s drills, to masonry saw teeth, to the surfaces of angle grinders.

Is a diamond tip really that much more effective in most applications?

For extremely hard jobs, what’s preventing the diamonds from falling out of the much softer material they’re embedded in?
Wouldn’t the fail point be wherever it’s weakest?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

> For extremely hard jobs, what’s preventing the diamonds from falling out of the much softer material they’re embedded in?
Wouldn’t the fail point be wherever it’s weakest?

That’s exactly what happens. The softer metal wears down, the diamonds fall out or break. But regular tools do that to (this is why you have to sharpen knives). Diamond tools just do this slower.

It’s important to note that diamond tools aren’t “sharp”, they don’t cut stuff like knives. They abrade stuff like sandpaper. There’s a bunch of of extremely hard rocks gouging out material as they get moved against the piece. As the diamond tool gets worn down new diamonds are exposed, unlike non diamond tools that rely on a cutting edge.