Therefore, understanding lapping mechanisms is important when establishing polishing conditions, not to mention the margin for stock removal.
Abrasives contained in slurries, during the lapping of hard and brittle materials, induce new fissures in the already-existing cracks and irregular features as indicated in the lapping model of Figure 6.3. This process subsequently generates chips through the cracks by the pushing, rolling, and scratching behaviors of abrasives. The following description of lapping is provided with concrete examples