Morphological modification in laser-dressed alumina grinding wheel material for microscale grinding Review Article

Laser was explored as a non-conventional dressing tool for alumina grinding wheels. High power Nd:YAG laser was employed to dress alumina grinding wheels. Post laser-dressing pole-figure analysis indicated evolution of planar crystallographic textures in the particles of resolidified surface layer. Evolution of refined and preferably oriented crystallographic planes resulted in formation of individual particles (grains) with sharp vertices and cutting edges. The surface roughness of the dressed wheel was a manifestation of the new morphologically laser modified surface. This modification in morphological features on surface helps maintain a high grinding efficiency. The performance of the laser-dressed grinding wheel was evaluated in comparison to the undressed wheel using a grinding apparatus. The weight loss in the laser-dressed grinding wheels processed at different powers is low as compared to undressed wheel after grinding. Microscale (fine) grinding can be done efficiently using the laser-dressed wheels to produce smooth surface finish on the workpiece material.