Of fiery sparks and glittering spots: melting-resolidification and spherical particle formation in abrasion

Singh Dhami, H and Ranjan Panda, P and Puneeth, S and Viswanathan, K (2023) Of fiery sparks and glittering spots: melting-resolidification and spherical particle formation in abrasion. In: Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 479 (2271).

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Abstract

The curious occurrence of perfectly spherical particle debris when a steel substrate is slid against a hard abrasive was first documented by Robert Hooke in the seventeenth century. Similar observations now abound in other abrasion-type processes, from industrial grinding to sliding rock faults. The prevalent hypothesis, originally proposed by Hooke, is that these particles form due to high local temperatures, resulting in particle ejection, melting and resolidification. In this work, we revisit this hypothesis, using a model steel-abrasive contact, a combination of in situ and post-process investigations, and complementary analytical calculations. Our results reveal two primary findings - firstly, the temperature of particles ejected from the contact zone is far from the melting point, and secondly, exothermic surface oxidation plays a critical role in actually melting the particle. Melting is either complete or partial, leading to spherical particles or 'slivers', as described originally by Hooke. Finally, we confirm that resulting particle surface patterns are typical of rapid solidification from the melt. Apart from throwing light on a centuries' old curiosity, our results precisely quantify the melting-resolidification process, with implications for a variety of applications, ranging from abrasion and powder production to the formation of micrometeorite dust. © 2023 The Author(s).

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Publisher:	Royal Society Publishing
Additional Information:	The copyright for this article belongs to Royal Society Publishing.
Keywords:	3D printing; Erosion; Grinding (machining); Rapid solidification; Spheres, Heat partitions; Local temperature; Particle formations; Particle forms; Powder mechanics; Resolidification; Roberts; Sliding rock; Spherical particle; Steel substrate, Abrasion
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Mechanical Engineering
Date Deposited:	25 Apr 2023 07:01
Last Modified:	25 Apr 2023 07:01
URI:	https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/81388

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