You need to look at some very basic chemisty behind the
diamond. Diamonds are the hardest material known for some
very basic reasons. It's foundation is based on how
the material is put together and what holds it together.
Carbon atoms in a diamond are held together with covalent
bonds. This would make them very difficult if not next
to impossible to simply dissolve into another material,
even at temperatures experienced in grinding. See web
site listed for a quick and simplistic overview of the
two basic forces that hold atoms together.

http://people.deas.harvard.edu/~jone...lent_bond.html

There are plendy of applications where diamond wheels are
indeed used to remove steel. I have a drill doctor that
uses a diamon wheel to sharpen drills made of HSS to Carbide.
Tool grinders used diamond wheels to sharpen carbide tools.
I have some DMT and cheap HF diamond whetstones that seem to
continue to cut steel knife blades. These aren't tools that
hog material but they do cut very hard steels and contiue
to do so. Due to their fine abrasive nature, attempt to
cut soft material can easily lead to loading or
contamination issues. This will hinder the ability of the
cutting portion of the wheel to actually contact and remove
material from the work intended.

On a side note. Materials that are known to conduct
electricity better, are also known to conduct heat better.
There is on exception. An exremely good electrical
insulator is diamond. This again has to do with
covalent bonds and no free or shared electrons able to flow
about. Strangely enough diamonds are exceptional thermal
conductors.


"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message ...
"George E. Cawthon" wrote in message
...
. Let me say one last time,
there is no dissolving of diamonds or silicon carbide in the
grinding process.

Maybe you can sell your diatribe to Norton, then, because their literature
seems to think there is. But then, what the hell would the leading
manufacturer of grinding wheels know about that?

Harold