Papers by Keyword: ELID (Electrolytic In-Process Dressing)

Abstract: The formation mechanism of α-Fe2O3 on iron-bonded diamond wheel surface by ELID grinding is presented here. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were used to analyze the compositions of the oxide films. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated the existence of the diffraction peak of α-Fe2O3, which was observed in ELID grinding iron-bonded diamond wheel surface. To illustrate the correctness of our theory, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was also performed. Results reveal that the characteristic spectrum of oxide film on ELID wheel has coincidence with the standard spectrum of Fe_2p in α-Fe₂O₃. These results suggest the existence of α-Fe₂O₃ in oxide films on the grinding wheel surface. The potentiality that α-Fe₂O₃ can bring polishing effect to ELID grinding process has also been discussed. It helps understand how ELID grinding can achieve excellent surface finish for the workpiece.

Abstract: The electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID) technology was combined with ultrasonic honing technology and ELID-ultrasonic honing system was proposed. And the electrolysis parameters, ultrasound parameters, honing parameters reasonable were matched for ELID- ultrasonic honing system and the honing processing experiments were carried out. Studies have shown that parameters in ELID-ultrasonic honing system are independent without disturbing each other. Compared to traditional honing and ultrasonic honing, ELID-ultrasonic honing system has a significant advantage in machining accuracy, surface roughness, processing efficiency and so on. The feasibility of ELID- ultrasonic honing system is validated, which provided a new compound method of honing for ultra-precision honing machining.

Abstract: Based on the analyzing ultraprecision grinding process of hard and brittle materials, taking ELID grinding of silicon nitride ceramic as an example, active control technology of passivating films state was introduced in this paper. ELID ultraprecision grinding process respectively at adaptive dynamic balance mode, discontinuous electrolyzing mode and discontinuous grinding mode had been comparatively studied. By means of AFM used for analyzing surface topography of parts, studies show that material removal method for ELID grinding is always a combination of micro brittle fracture, plastic shearing, lapping and polishing action, and which is the main material removal mode depends on the actual grinding contact state. Finally, finishing surface generating mechanism for silicon nitride in ELID ultraprecision grinding was summed up.

Abstract: Taking ultraprecision grinding of silicon nitride ceramic as an example, this paper mostly introduces some influences of diamond wheel’s specialties on the grinding process and surface quality during ELID (electrolytic in-process dressing) grinding of hard and brittle materials. Research indicates that grain size and concentration of abrasive material should be reasonably selected based on the surface roughness. And Inhomogeneity of concentration distribution along wheel circumference will result in heterogeneity of insulator layer state, which will bring difference in the number of abrasive grain in the grinding area, thereby changing the actual cutting depth of every abrasive grain. Dynamic balancing of grinding wheel should be accurately adopted to reduce eccentric mass, furtherly to avoid generating waveness on the workpiece surface. For the purpose of reflecting rightly compositive effect from eccentricity of wheel shape, roundness of the wheel and periodical vibration derived from eccentric mass, actual radial runout of grinding wheel should be well and truly measured and controlled based on the wheel’s surface profile during wheel is rotating at working speed.

Abstract: For ELID (Electrolytic In-process dressing) super-precision grinding, as the result of machine tool thermal deformation, actual grinding depth is much less than nominal grinding depth. However, controlling accurately grinding depth is more significant for realizing normal grinding process, increasing material removal rate and analyzing rightly material removal mechanism. In this paper, based on study of thermal deformation law and compensating technique, three feeding strategies for ELID grinding was analyzed. On the premise of measuring of total thermal deformation of machine tool, indirect compensating numerical value may be preset to ensure effective contact between wheel and workpiece, and right evaluation method of material removal rate was explored.

Abstract: In this paper, a copper-resin bonded diamond wheel was applied to machine the optical glass on a precision grinder. The process of truing and pre-dressing with ELID (electrolytic in-process dressing) were first carried out for the grinding wheels, then the ELID assisted grinding experiments were conducted with the special fine and coarse grained diamond wheels. The experimental results show that the fine and coarse grained wheels can all generated the smooth surface with the surface roughness in nanometer scale and the coarse grained diamond wheel correlates to the slightly more surface damage than the fine grained diamond wheel, which also proves that the high efficient grinding of the optical glass with a good surface quality can be realized with the coarse grained copper-resin wheel on a precision grinder and the grinding wheels were all well conditioned with the conditioning method presented in this paper.

Abstract: In order to realize ductile machining of optical glasses using mono-layer nickel electroplated coarse-grained diamond grinding wheel, a novel conditioning technique features using a copper bonded diamond grinding wheels of 15m grain size dressed by ELID (electrolytic inprocess dressing) to condition the 46m grain sized diamond wheel has been developed. During the conditioning process, a force transducer was used to monitor the conditioning force, a coaxial optical distance measurement system was used to in-situ monitor the modified wheel surface status. White-light interferometry (WLI), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the conditioned wheel surface status as well as the ground optical glass surface topography correspondingly. The experimental result indicates that a minimized wheel radial run-out error of less than 2μm as well as the top-flattened diamond grains of constant wheel peripheral envelop profile were generated on a 5-axis ultra-precision machine tool. The grinding experiment proved that the well conditioned 46μm coarse-grained diamond wheel can be used in realizing the ductile grinding of optical glass BK7, which indicates that the newly developed conditioning technique is feasible and applicable to introduce the coarse-grained diamond wheels into precision machining of brittle and hard-to-machine materials.

Abstract: In this study, rock minerals of natural stone were finely polished with loose abrasive and ELID technology to study the surface behaviours. After these rock specimens were polished to ultra smooth surfaces, the surface characteristics were observed with microscope and analyzed with surface texture analyzer. It was found that the calcite and fluorite minerals could be polished to high surface quality with fine loose aluminum oxide abrasive. But ultra smooth quartz surface must be finished with superabrasive ELID polishing technology. The weakly acidic coolant might bring chemical damage to calcite and fluorite minerals under the condition of ELID polishing process.

Abstract: The present paper describes the highly efficient and precise ELID grinding method and presents a discussion on the ELID grinding process and the grinding characteristics of several kinds of ceramic materials. The following conclusions are obtained; (1) Good ground surface roughness and accuracy are achieved using the #4000 metal-bonded grinding wheel in through-feed centerless grinding for ZrO2 optical fiber ferrules. (2) Efficient and precise grinding of spherical lens molds with cup wheels using the ELID CG-grinding process was proposed and tested in the present study. (3) The ELID grinding method can be used to fabricate machined surfaces exhibiting desirable characteristics for hard AlN ceramics. The ELID ground AlN demonstrated a surface hardness and sliding characteristics that were superior to those of the polished series. These advantages may be attributable to the diffusion phenomenon of the oxygen element produced by the ELID grinding.

Abstract: In this paper, a novel conditioning technique features using copper bonded diamond grinding wheels of 91μm grain size assisted with ELID (electrolytic in-process dressing) as a conditioner to precisely and effectively condition nickel electroplated monolayer coarse-grained diamond grinding wheels of 151μm grain size was firstly developed. Under optimised conditioning parameters, the super abrasive diamond wheel was well conditioned in terms of a minimized run-out error and flattened diamond grain surfaces of constant peripheral envelope, with the conditioning force monitored by a force transducer as well as the modified wheel surface status in-situ monitored by a coaxial optical distance measurement system. Finally the grinding experiment on BK7 was conducted using the well conditioned wheel with the corresponding surface morphology and subsurface damage measured by AFM (atomic force microscope) and SEM (scanning electron microscope) respectively. The experimental result shows that the newly developed conditioning technique is applicable and feasible to ductile grinding optical glass featuring nano scale surface roughness, indicating a prospect of introducing super abrasive diamond wheels into ductile machining of brittle materials.