A predictive model of subsurface damage and material removal volume for grinding of brittle materials considering single grit micro-geometry

Abstract

It has been proven that micro-geometry of abrasive grits can influence the maximum cutting depth, thereby strongly affecting the material removal mechanism in grinding of brittle materials. The influence of grit micro-geometry on subsurface integrity, however, is not yet fully understood. In this paper, we aim to understand how grit micro-geometry affects subsurface damage and the material removal volume. An analytical model that takes into account grit micro-geometry and the intrinsic material removal mechanism is developed for predictions of material removal volume and subsurface damage. Results show that increasing the apex angle or grit tip radius tend to deteriorate subsurface integrity by extending the depth of subsurface damage. Moreover, it is found that the grit tip radius strongly affects the ductile-to-brittle transition in one grit pass along the contact trajectory. If ductile-to-brittle transition occurs in a grit pass with the brittle mode dominated, the predictive model indicates that the material removal volume decreases with an increasing apex angle or edge radius of abrasives. On the other hand, non-monotonic dependence of material removal volume on grit micro-geometry turns up for ductile-material removal in grinding of brittle materials. The predictive model is validated qualitatively and quantitatively, demonstrating good agreement with earlier reports. The proposed predictive model enables making proper choice of highly engineered abrasives in grinding of brittle materials.