Grinding characteristics in high speed grinding of engineering ceramics with brazed diamond wheels

An investigation was undertaken to explore the grinding characteristics and removal mechanisms in high speed grinding of three engineering ceramics—alumina, silicon nitride, and zirconia—by using brazed diamond wheels of two different grit sizes. The grinding forces and surface roughness were measured and the morphological features of ground workpiece surfaces were examined. The results indicate that material removal mechanisms are different for the three ceramics at high grinding speeds. For alumina, the removal is dominated by brittle fracture. For silicon nitride and zirconia, the ductile removal prevails in the grinding. For each of the three ceramics, grinding power per unit width is found to be nearly proportional to the rate of plowed surface area generated per unit time per unit width, indicating that the grinding energy expended is mainly associated with sliding and plowing.