Experimental investigation of surface/subsurface damage formation and material removal mechanisms in SiC grinding

The difficulty and cost involved in the abrasive machining of hard and brittle ceramics are among the major impediments to the widespread use of advanced ceramics in industries these days. It is often desired to increase the machining rate while maintaining the desired surface integrity. The success of this approach, however, relies in the understanding of mechanism of material removal on the microstructural scale and the relationship between the grinding characteristics and formation of surface/subsurface machining-induced damage. In this paper, grinding characteristics, surface integrity and material removal mechanisms of SiC ground with diamond wheel on surface grinding machine have been investigated. The surface and subsurface damages have been studied with scanning electron microscope (SEM). The effects of grinding conditions on surface/subsurface damage have been discussed. This research links the surface roughness, surface and subsurface damages to grinding parameters and provides valuable insights into the material removal mechanism and the dependence of grinding-induced damage on grinding conditions.