Title: Fabrication of a new-type electroplated wheel with controlled abrasive cluster and its application in dry grinding of CFRP

Authors: H.P. Yuan, H. Gao, Y.D. Liang

Addresses: Key Laboratory for Precision and Non-traditional Machining Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Liaoning 116023, China. ' Key Laboratory for Precision and Non-traditional Machining Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Liaoning 116023, China. ' Key Laboratory for Precision and Non-traditional Machining Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Liaoning 116023, China

Abstract: In convention grinding, only a portion of grits on the working surface of a wheel play the cutting role and the others produce heat by rubbing the workpiece. There is not enough chip clearance in a grinding wheel with finer grits so that the wheel is easily clogged, leading to serious detrimental effects especially in dry grinding of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRP) composites. In this study, a new electroplated wheel with controlled abrasive cluster (CAC) is proposed and its grinding performance in grinding carbon/epoxy composites is investigated comparing with a conventional electroplated wheel. Since the abrasives on the working surface of the CAC wheel is reduced by 81.4% as compared with the conventional electroplated wheel, the grinding temperature is dramatically reduced by almost 45% and the wheel loading is effectively avoided. The space among the abrasive clusters facilitates grinding chip removal from the grinding contact zone.

Keywords: controlled abrasive clusters; CAC; electroplated grinding wheels; carbon fibre reinforced plastics; CFRP; dry grinding; wheel loading; grinding performance; carbon-epoxy composites; chip removal.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAT.2010.036963

International Journal of Abrasive Technology, 2010 Vol.3 No.4, pp.299 - 315

Received: 16 Apr 2010
Accepted: 18 Apr 2010
Published online: 18 Nov 2010 *

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