Subsurface damage analysis of ultra-precise ground tungsten carbide

Subsurface Damage (SSD) and its influences in relation with optical components is widely known from the grinding of, e.g., glass lenses. Micro cracks and structure damage up to a depth of 50 micrometer are inducted to near subsurface layers by the grinding process. In this paper the investigation regarding the influences of an ultra-precision grinding process on the subsurface damage of two different types of tungsten carbide is described. Mainly used for the manufacturing of molding tools applied in a Precision Glass Molding process the SSD is considered to have some reasonable influences on the coating and the lifetime of the molds. In conclusion, verifying whether the grinding process causes certain effects of damage in the near surface structure layers is the first step to prove the abovementioned hypotheses.