Undeformed chip thickness with composite ultrasonic vibration-assisted face grinding of silicon carbide: Modeling, computation and analysis

In order to achieve high efficiency and low damage processing of hard and brittle materials, composite ultrasonic vibration-assisted face grinding (CUVAFG) has been proposed by comprehensively combining the high efficiency of axial ultrasonic vibration grinding (UVAG) and the low damage of elliptic ultrasonic vibration grinding (EVAG). However, the three-dimensional ultrasonic vibration brings about a more complicated machining mechanism than the previous ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding methodology. Hence, in order to explore the grinding mechanism in deep, this paper first developed a new model of undeformed chip thickness for CUVAFG from the perspectives of the kinematic mechanism and elastic-plastic deformation mechanism. Then the influences of different processing parameters on interference rate and undeformed chip thickness were further confirmed. Finally, CUVAFG experiments of silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics were conducted to study the relationship between the undeformed chip thickness and the resultant grinding forces, specific grinding energy, ground surface morphology and roughness, and subsurface damage. It is found from the experimental results that the critical chip thickness of brittle-ductile transition in CUVAFG is between 0.31 and 0.35 μm. As the undeformed chip thickness is less than the critical value, the grinding forces and the specific grinding energy increases with the undeformed chip thickness, but the ground surface roughness decreases with improved surface morphology and shallow subsurface damage. After exceeding the critical value, the grinding force remains unchanged, the specific grinding energy decreases, and ground surface roughness increases with deteriorated surface morphology and deepened subsurface damage. For the purpose of good machining surface integrity, it is essential to guarantee that the undeformed chip thickness is less than the critical value. The computational and experimental results have demonstrated the contribution of the developed undeformed chip thickness model to understanding the grinding performance of hard and brittle material by CUVAFG.