Wear Mechanisms in Grinding of PCBN

Abstract

PCBN-inserts have a high potential in the cutting of hardened steel, cast iron and super alloys due to their high hardness and heat resistance. Nevertheless they have a high purchase price, which lowers the economic benefits for the end user compared to other cutting materials. This is caused by the high production costs of the inserts. The grinding of PCBN-inserts causes a major proportion of these costs as a result of the high grinding wheel wear. The primary wear mechanism is grain breakout followed by clogging of the grinding layer. This study shows that the efficiency of the grinding process can be increased significantly by applying low cutting speeds and high feed rates. In this case, splintering of the grinding grain is the main wear mechanism.

Clarification of the Mechanism of Pulse Laser Grinding of Nanosecond Lasers Using High-Speed Camera Imaging

“…In the cutting process, a precise and regular-shaped tool edge is an essential factor in determining the machining accuracy and finished surface properties. Generally, the cutting edge is sharpened by grinding using diamond-based grinding wheels [1,2]. However, this might lead to the problem of edge chipping and micro-defects/cracks on the tool surface, which significantly affect the tool lifetime and the quality of the processed surface for highly brittle tools, such as diamond or polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tools.…”

“…However, this might lead to the problem of edge chipping and micro-defects/cracks on the tool surface, which significantly affect the tool lifetime and the quality of the processed surface for highly brittle tools, such as diamond or polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tools. In addition, owing to their extremely high hardness, the mechanical processing of these tools is characterized by high tool wear and high cost [2]. To give full play to their high cutting performance, the laser ablation technique has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years [3][4][5] as a method with high geometrical accuracy and flexibility.…”