High-performance grinding of ceramic matrix composites

Abstract

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are highly promising materials for the next generation of aero-engines. However, machining of CMCs suffers from low efficiency and poor surface finish, which presents an obstacle to their wider application. To overcome these problems, this study investigates high-efficiency deep grinding of CMCs, focusing on the effects of grinding depth. The results show that both the surface roughness and the depth of subsurface damage (SSD) are insensitive to grinding depth. The material removal rate can be increased sixfold by increasing the grinding depth, while the surface roughness and SSD depth increase by only about 10%. Moreover, it is found that the behavior of material removal is strongly dependent on grinding depth. As the grinding depth is increased, fibers are removed in smaller sizes, with the fiber length in chips being reduced by about 34%. However, too large a grinding depth will result in blockage by chip powder, which leads to a dramatic increase in the ratio of tangential to normal grinding forces. This study demonstrates that increasing the depth of cut is an effective approach to improve the machining efficiency of CMCs, while maintaining a good surface finish. It provides the basis for the further development of high-performance grinding methods for CMCs, which should facilitate their wider application.