Preparation and characterization of coated abrasives with domed pyramid thermosetting polyurethane/epoxy/diamond composites by roller embossing: Wear performance

Abstract

To improve the durability and self-sharpening ability of traditional coated abrasives for efficient automated manufacturing, structured patterns and super hard materials were utilized for the fabrication of coated tools. In this study, the polymer matrix was synthesized by 50 wt% polyurethane and 50 wt% epoxy, the tensile strength and elongation at break is 53.6 MPa and 36.8%, respectively. Then the thermosetting PU/EP diamond composites were prepared by roller embossing successfully. The wear performance tests of the composites were performed with the difficult-to-machine material 304 stainless steel. The maximum height of the summit of the 400# and 800# diamond composite grits declined by 13.6% and 8.2%, respectively after wear tests. Also, the composite grits could retain material removal ability and renew themselves due to the domed pyramid structure. The surface roughness of the workpiece decreased to 0.405 μm by 80% after the first wear test for 400# diamond and eventually approached 0.036 μm. The improvement on the surface of the workpiece could be accomplished in no more than 90 s.