Source:     Journal of Materials Science. Vol. 15, 1980, pp. 2508-2514
   

Abstract:  A study to examine the feasibility of cutting glass in the same manner as ductile metals was carried out on three types of glass (soda-lime microscope slides, carefully polished specimens of lead-doped flint and fused silica). No success was obtained with fused silica while soda-lime glass showed clear evidence of cutting in a manner similar to ductile metals, but provided variable results with different specimens. The most encouraging results were obtained with the lead-doped flint glass. Using a diamond tool with a semicircular face at a  rake angle of -34^o, crackfree cuts were produced with widths and depths up to about 100 and 1.6mm, respectively. The "chips" produced during this machining are tightly curled with a serrated concave side. The results of this preliminary investigation suggest many aspects for further study. However, the essential conclusion is that certain glasses may be machined in a manner similar to ductile metals if the "size" of  the cut is small enough.