Elsevier

CIRP Annals

Volume 67, Issue 2, 2018, Pages 767-790
CIRP Annals

Fixed abrasive machining of non-metallic materials

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cirp.2018.05.010Get rights and content

Abstract

This paper summaries advancements in fixed abrasive machining of non-metallic materials, which include reinforced concretes, stones, rocks, carbon fiber reinforced plastic, metal and ceramic matrix composites, wood, wood-fiber plastic composite, biomaterials (bone, plaque, and enamel), and structural and electronic ceramics. The broad impacts, diverse applications, and innovations of fixed abrasive machining processes are presented. Benefits of the engineered deterministic distribution of abrasive grain grinding tools are demonstrated. Industrial perspectives and future research on innovative fixed abrasive machining technologies that enable new processes and improve the productivity are highlighted.

Introduction

Novel advanced materials with unique properties for superior performance during use are the enabling technology and source of innovations for new products and services. The evolution of material utilization in our society is illustrated in Fig. 1 for four types of material: ceramics, composites, polymers, and metals. Ceramics and polymers (including wood, skins, and fibers) were dominating materials before 5000 BC. Metals had a growing relevance until the 1950s. Since then, the utilization of non-metallic ceramics, composites, and polymers has steadily grown in electronic, medical, energy, aerospace, construction, and other industries. This trend of increasing use of non-metallic materials reflects in manufacturing research. The focus of this paper is to summarize advancements of fixed abrasive machining processes for non-metallic materials, which have a trend of increase utilization in broad applications.

New abrasive materials, such as the synthetic diamond and cubic boron nitride (CBN), are great inventions that have enabled better productivity and quality and created new applications. For non-metallic work-materials, the pace of new discovery and application is rapid. New non-metallic work-materials often require the abrasive machining to achieve precise shape, good surface integrity, and specific functional requirements. Due to the distinct material properties, most of these non-metallic materials are difficult-to-machine and require abrasive machining processes.

This paper covers the fixed abrasive machining processes for eight non-metallic materials listed in Fig. 2. While these processes differ significantly in tool design, they share the same abrasive machining principles and material removal mechanisms. In this paper, these eight non-metallic materials are the section titles. Within each section, various fixed abrasive machining processes are subsection titles. Each section starts with an introduction and technical challenges of this non-metallic material in fixed abrasive machining and concludes with the summary of innovations and future research.

Section snippets

Reinforced concretes and stones

Natural and artificial stones are often machined by cut-off grinding processes, including the disk sawing, cable sawing, and core hole drilling [54]. Most of the tools are based on metal-bond synthetic diamond in segments, which are welded onto circular (disk sawing) or tube-shaped (core hole drilling) base bodies or spaced on stranded steel cables (cable sawing). The segments engage with the workpiece according to specific process kinematics (Fig. 3). The diamond grain performs the

Rock drilling

The drilling of deep wells to access subterranean oil and natural gas reservoirs is a major application for fixed abrasive machining in terms of both the cost invested and value created. Oil and natural gas are most frequently found in the pore spaces of sedimentary rocks, which are rocks formed by the deposition of sediments or organic matter or by chemical precipitation. Oil and natural gas routinely occur at depths of up to 5 km below the surface, but it is not unusual at depths approaching 8

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP)

CFRP is a lightweight, high strength material. The diamond abrasive trimming and grinding of CFRP have been reviewed recently [103]. Two CFRP fixed abrasive machining processes, the abrasive ultrasound machining (USM) and diamond core drilling, are presented.

Ceramic and metal matrix composites

The metal matrix composite (MMC), such as WC-Co, is a wear resistance high-temperature material. Ceramic matrix composite (CMC) is a lightweight, high temperature material which has advanced the performance and fuel efficiency of aerospace jet engines. For example, the silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide (SiCf/SiC) is a CMC which overcomes the limitation on toughness of monolithic SiC with its fiber-reinforced microstructure. Advanced SiCf/SiC has excellent high temperature

Wood and wood-fiber plastic composite

Wood is a renewable, biodegradable, and one of the most popular and common materials in the history. Coated-abrasive machining is a key finishing process for wood products, such as floor, panel, furniture, cabinet, sport, etc. With the annual ring structure, wood is a natural, inhomogeneous, and anisotropic material made of composite of cellulose fibers. Coated abrasive sanding is one of the most common practices for smoothing surfaces in woodworking industry. This process greatly determines

Biomaterials — bone, plaque, and enamel

Fixed abrasive machining process is utilized every day in medical and dental procedures for patient treatment. In the operation room, neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons use the small, high-speed diamond wheels to grind the bone. Interventional cardiologists control a miniature over 150,000 rpm diamond wheel to remove the hard, calcified plaque in the artery to restore the blood flow. Dentists use the miniature diamond bur to grind the tooth enamel. Fixed abrasive machining of bone, plaque,

Structural ceramics

Ceramics, defined as the non-metallic and inorganic material, have unique mechanical, electrical, and optical properties for diverse applications. This section reviews the abrasive machining of structural ceramics. This topic has been reviewed in a CIRP keynote paper in 1996 [117] and by several handbooks [56], [90], [120]. This section provides an update on recent advancements in grinding of structural ceramics.

Electronic and optical ceramics

Single crystal Si is the most common wafer material for integrated circuit (IC). Single crystal SiC and sapphire are used for power electronic applications. AlN is a subtract for heat sink. These electronic ceramics require fixed abrasive machining to achieve the geometrical and surface requirements in production. The fixed abrasive diamond wire sawing, as summarized in the review by Wu [187], has been studied for slicing of SiC [74], [109], sapphire [84], and polycrystalline Si [188]. This

Conclusions

A comprehensive review of the fixed abrasive machining of non-metallic materials (reinforced concretes, stones, earth, rock, CFRP, metal and ceramic matrix composites, wood, wood-fiber plastic composite, bone, plaque, enamel, and structural, electronic, and optical ceramics) was presented. Examples of the broad and diverse applications of fixed abrasive processes were evident that fixed abrasive machining processes greatly impacted the society, including the infrastructure, healthcare,

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the valuable contributions, comments, and encouragement during the preparation of this paper: J. Aurich (Univ. of Kaiserslautern, Germany), D. Biermann (TU Dortmund Univ., Germany), H. Greenslet (Univ. of Florida, USA), C. Guo (United Technologies Research Center, USA), J. Oliveira (Univ. of São Paulo, Brazil), and K. Wegener (ETH, Switzerland). We also thank the support from colleagues of CIRP STC-G and US National Science Foundation.

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