Strength recovery of ground ceramics via electric furnace heating

Grinding operations are necessary to finish ceramics for precision components. However, the strength of ground ceramics tend to be deteriorated due to machining introduced flaws. This paper presents an attempt to improve the strength of ground ceramics by heat treatment. The results of this study indicate that the strength of ground ceramics can be improved significantly via electric furnace heating in minutes. Alumina ceramics and silicon nitride ceramics were tested in this study, and the strength recovery was confirmed both in two types of ceramics. Heating temperature and heating time have a profound influence on the degree of strength recovery. The degree of strength recovery also relates to grinding parameters such as bond type of wheel, feed rate and depth of cut.