Adhesive Wear — Industry Glossary Entry
Definition of adhesive wear in industrial cutting: loss of knife material when micro-welds between the edge and the substrate fracture at the knife side.
Adhesive Wear is the loss of knife material when micro-welds formed between the cutting edge and the substrate fracture on the knife side rather than the substrate side. Adhesive wear is the mechanism behind built-up edge, and it accelerates at higher temperatures and on softer substrates.
Adhesive wear vs abrasive wear
Abrasive wear is the dominant mechanism on hard, abrasive substrates (glass-filled polymer, recycled feedstock, mineral-coated paper). Adhesive wear is dominant on softer, gummy substrates (stainless, aluminium, low-density polyethylene). The knife design trades off the two: harder knife + sharper edge = more adhesive wear; softer knife + duller edge = more abrasive wear.
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