Abstract
Subsurface damages and surface roughness are two significant parameters which determine the performance of silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics. Subsurface damages (SSD) induced by conventional polishing could seriously affect the service life of the workpiece. To address this problem, vibration-assisted polishing (VAP) was developed to machine hard and brittle materials, because the vibration-assisted machine (VAM) can increase the critical cutting depth to improve the surface integrity of materials. In this paper, a two-dimensional (2D) VAM system is used to polish SiC ceramics. Moreover, a theoretical SSD model is constructed to predict the SSD. Furthermore, finite element simulation (FEM) is adopted to analyze the effects of different VAP parameters on SSD. Finally, a series of scratches and VAP experiments are conducted on the independent precision polishing machine to investigate the effects of polishing parameters on brittle–ductile transition and SSD.
Highlights
With the rapid development of space optics, the dimensional stability of optical components is widely applied in the aerospace industry
For vibration-assisted polishing (VAP) Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics, the tangential and normal frictions were generated between the abrasive grains and the workpiece, the coefficient of which cannot be ignored
As the scratch depth increased, obviously broken chips appeared along the direction of scratch, and some microcracks were generated near the grooves, as shown in
Summary
With the rapid development of space optics, the dimensional stability of optical components is widely applied in the aerospace industry. Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics are a representative material due to its inherent features, for example, low density, low thermal coefficient, stable chemical properties, and high-temperature wear resistance. The machining process of SiC mainly consists of wire sawing, grinding, lapping, and polishing. Among the various machining methods, polishing is the last step to obtain good surface integrity. SiC ceramics have poor machinability due to their high hardness and brittleness [1,2,3,4]. The surface and subsurface damages may seriously deteriorate the quality of optical parts under thermal load during machining [5]. Such unsatisfactory surface integrity and high cost limit the application of SiC ceramics. Many scholars conducted work to determine appropriate methods to improve this problem
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
