Simulation-based approach to modeling the chip formation energy of polishing process

Polishing is one typical material removal process, which is widely used for surface processing of porcelain tiles. Due to complex polishing head structure and kinematics features of polishing machine, polishing for porcelain tile is a high energy intensity process. To improve the energy efficiency by optimizing operation, it is essential to establish an energy consumption model for polishing process. This article divides the total energy of polishing process into constant energy and chip formation energy. Furthermore, this article focuses on modeling the chip formation energy for optimizing operation. Based on the energy conversion mechanism and energy flow characteristics, the chip formation energy of polishing process is further divided into three motion energies that govern the abrasive trajectory over the tile surface. A conceptual framework of simulation-based approach is then proposed for modeling chip formation energy of polishing process by integrating the above calculation algorithm of motion energy. Finally, a case study is implemented to illustrate the validation of the proposed approach, and the results show that it is a feasible tool to model the chip formation energy of polishing process and reveal the influence of different process operational parameters.