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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. HIGHLIGHTS: • Both surface roughness and subsurface damage depth are found to be insensitive to the depth of cut. • The dependence of material removal behavior on grinding depth is revealed. • A technique for high-performance grinding of ceramic matrix composites is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indentation test (Nanoindentation and Vickers indentation), diamond scratching and high spindle speed grinding are conducted to investigate the role of silicon (Si) in the surface damage behavior of reaction-bonded SiC/Si composites (RB-SiC/Si). Even though the addition of Si contributes to densifying the bulk materials and improving the toughness, the indentation and diamond scratching results firstly indicate that the cracks initiate at the SiC/Si interfaces due to the non-uniform deformation caused by the existence of Si, and the phase transformation of Si also leads to the pop-out effect during the nanoindentation and the diamond scratching test. The ground surface of RB-SiC/Si is characterized by scratching grooves and brittle fracture, indicating the ductile material removal mode and brittle material removal mode for RB-SiC/Si, respectively, and the surface reliefs form on the ground surface due to the different hardness between Si and SiC phases. Moreover, the phase transformation of Si contributes to the easy fracture of phase boundaries under the mechanical loading, and the accompanied volume change also results in the dislodgement of hard particles and the generation of surface burs on the ground surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High efficiency and precision grinding of brittle materials is challenging due to material physical and chemical properties. To understand the effect of grain geometry and wear conditions on the material removal mechanism in brittle material precision grinding, a single diamond grain grinding experiment was conducted on Silicon Carbide (SiC). The cutting edge radius and deflection angle were measured by confocal scanning. Under six different cutting edge radius and three maximum undeformed chip thickness, grinding force and ground surface were measured. Diamond grain wear was investigated by observing the grain morphology, wear rate, grinding force, and ground surface change over accumulative material removal volume. The result showed the existence of a critical cutting edge radius for improving SiC ground surface quality.. Normal grinding force increased with the cutting edge radius increase. Tangential grinding force increased with the cutting edge radius increase and reached the peak value at the critical cutting edge radius. Flank wear was the major wear mode in precision SiC grinding. The grain wear was associated with the grinding force and ground surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide ceramic matrix composite (SiC f /SiC) is promising for manufacturing aero-engines because of its high-temperature resistance and lightweight. However, since SiC f /SiC is hard and brittle, the machining of SiC f /SiC has been suffering from uncontrolled machining-induced damages, such as edge chipping, cracks, fiber breakage. This paper studies the edge chipping characteristics of SiC f /SiC in brittle removal mode in single grain grinding. It is found that the edge chipping in grinding SiC f /SiC is complicated. The edge chipping in grinding the SiC matrix is dependent on the pre-existed defects rather than grinding parameters. While the edge chipping in grinding SiC fibers is dependent on both fiber orientation and grinding speed. The edge chipping in the grinding perpendicular to the fiber orientation is larger than that in the grinding along with the fiber orientation. It decreases with increasing grinding speed. Increasing grinding speed from 20 m/s to 50 m/s and 90 m/s, the width of the edge chipping area decreases by 30% and 60% respectively. While in the grinding along with the fiber orientation, edge chipping is minor and insensitive to grinding speed. Therefore, this study represents that increasing grinding speed would not enlarge the edge chipping but greatly increase the material removal rate, which is important for the surface finish and damage control of the machining of SiC f /SiC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the grinding ability of as-sintered aggregated cubic boron nitride (AcBN) grains. Single-grain grinding tests of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy are conducted, and the wear characteristics of AcBN grains and their corresponding effects on material removal behaviour are investigated. Characterisation of the morphologies and micro-structure of AcBN grains and scratch morphologies is also performed. The grinding force ratio, material removal efficiency and grain wear characteristics of AcBN abrasives are discussed. Results show that the developed AcBN grains have multiple cutting edges and better self-sharpening ability than conventional monocrystalline cBN grains. In addition, AcBN grains feature a more stable grinding force ratio, larger material removal volume, higher material removal efficiency and longer steady-wear regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]