Analysis of surface integrity for minimum quantity lubricant—MQL in grinding

The quality of machined components is currently of high interest, for the market demands mechanical components of increasingly high performance, not only from the standpoint of functionality but also from that of safety. Components produced through operations involving the removal of material display surface irregularities resulting not only from the action of the tool itself, but also from other factors that contribute to their superficial texture. This texture can exert a decisive influence on the application and performance of the machined component. This article analyzes the behavior of the minimum quantity lubricant (MQL) technique and compares it with the conventional cooling method. To this end, an optimized fluid application method was devised using a specially designed nozzle, by the authors, through which a minimum amount of oil is sprayed in a compressed air flow, thus meeting environmental requirements. This paper, therefore, explores and discusses the concept of the MQL in the grinding process. The performance of the MQL technique in the grinding process was evaluated based on an analysis of the surface integrity (roughness, residual stress, microstructure and microhardness). The results presented here are expected to lead to technological and ecological gains in the grinding process using MQL.     

银粉对PZT压电陶瓷电极表面结构和性能的影响

本文重点讨论不同银粉对PZT（PbZrO3-PbTiO3)压电陶瓷电极表面结构及性能的影响。选择合适的银粉,配制成银浆,可以烧结出结构平整,致密,性能优良的PZT表面银电极。     

Surface and subsurface integrity in diamond grinding of optical glasses on Tetraform ‘C’

In order to investigate the surface and subsurface integrity of diamond-ground optical glasses, a Tetraform ‘C’ machine tool featuring high close-loop stiffness was used to conduct the ultra-precision machining of fused silica and fused quartz assisted with electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID). An acoustic emission (AE) sensor and a piezoelectric dynamometer were used to monitor the grinding process to correlate the processing characteristics with the generated surface and subsurface integrities, which were characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), and nano-indentation technique. Experimental results showed that for optical glasses the fracture toughness value can be used to predict the machinability while its bigger value always means a better surface and subsurface integrity. During the grinding process of optical glasses, the smaller amplitude and RMS values of AE signal, as well as the smaller grinding forces and the ratio of normal force to tangential force, correspond to a better surface and subsurface integrity. With selected machining parameters and a 6–12 μm grain-sized diamond-grinding wheel, nanometric quality surfaces (Ra<5 nm) with minimal subsurface damage depth (< 0.5 μm) can be generated for fused quartz on Tetraform ‘C’.     

An experimental investigation of the effects of workpiece and grinding parameters on minimum quantity lubrication—MQL grinding

Coolant is a term generally used to describe grinding fluids used for cooling and lubricating in grinding process. The main purposes of a grinding fluid can be categorized into lubrication, cooling, transportation of chips, cleaning of the grinding wheel and minimizing the corrosion. On the other hand, grinding fluids have negative influences on the working environment in terms of the health of the machine operator, pollution and the possibility of explosion (for oil). Furthermore, the cost of the grinding fluid, filtering and waste disposal of the metal working fluids is even higher than the tool cost and constitutes a great part of the total cost. Additionally, grinding fluids can not effectively penetrate into the contact zone, are health hazard and their consumption must be restricted. Generally, compared to other machining processes, grinding involves high specific energy. Major fraction of this energy is changed into heat, which makes harmful effect on the surface quality as well as the tool wear. Since there is no coolant lubricant to transfer the heat from the contact zone in dry grinding, surface damages are not preventable. Alternatives to current practices are getting more serious consideration in response to environmental and operational cost pressures. One attractive alternative is the minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) grinding or the near dry grinding (NDG). In near dry grinding an air–oil mixture called an aerosol is fed into the wheel-work contact zone. Compared to dry grinding, MQL grinding substantially enhances cutting performance in terms of increasing wheel life and improving the quality of the ground parts. In this research, the influences of workpiece hardness and grinding parameters including wheel speed, feed rate and depth of cut have been studied on the basis of the grinding forces and surface quality properties to develop optimum grinding performances such as cooling, lubrication, high ecological and environmental safety.     

The total energy and the total entropy of force signals — new parameters for monitoring oblique turning operations

In unmanned CNC turning operations, the accuracy of tool wear predictions is very important for accurate tool replacement policies and avoiding unnecessary tool insert changes. This paper introduces two new parameters, namely the total energy and the total entropy of force signals, for tool condition monitoring. The correlation between the new parameters, tool wear and a wide range of cutting conditions is examined. The experimental results show that the energy of force signal can be reliably used to monitor tool flank and crater wear over a wide range of cutting conditions. However, the total entropy of forces does not appear to be sensitive to feed rate, rake angle and tool wear. The experimental results also indicate that crater wear causes an increase in the effective rake angle resulting in lower total energy of forces. For some particular shapes of worn tool, however, the crater wear results in a decreased rake angle which increases the total energy of forces. The influence of crater wear on forces and the root mean square of acoustic emission (AErms) signals is also observed in this research.     

Surface integrity of finished turned Ti–6Al–4V alloy with PCD tools using conventional and high pressure coolant supplies

 Surfaces generated when machining Ti–6Al–4V alloy with PCD tools using conventional and high pressure coolant supplies was investigated. Longer tool life was recorded when machining Ti–6Al–4V with high-pressure coolant supplies and the recorded surface roughness R_a values were well below the tool rejection criterion (1.6 μm) for all cutting conditions investigated. The micro-structure of the machined surfaces were examined on a scanning electron microscope. Micrographs of the machined surfaces show that micro-pits and re-deposited work material were the main damages to the surfaces. Micro-hardness analysis showed hardening of the top machined surfaces when machining with conventional coolant while softening of the subsurface layer was observed when machining under high-pressure coolant supplies. The later is probably due to lower heat generated, with the consequent tempering action when machining with PCD tools with high-pressure coolant supplies. The microstructure below the machined surfaces had minimal or no plastic deformation when machining with conventional and high-pressure coolant supplies.