Understanding of the effect of wear particles removal from the surface on grinding silicon carbide by molecular dynamics simulations

Silicon carbide (SiC) has become increasingly important for use in the optoelectronics industry due to its unique properties. Achieving higher precision in SiC machining presents a challenge, and understanding the microscopic and dynamic mechanisms conditioning this process is crucial. In this study, we used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate these mechanisms by analyzing different removal intervals of SiC wear particles during simulations of grinding. Our MD model featured multi-grits in four different shapes (cubic, octahedral, cubooctahedral, and spherical), and final ground surfaces were achieved by simulating grinding. The results showed that wear particle removal could improve machinability and alter microstructure evolution, producing a surface with more connective small planes. This wear particle removal also led to a decrease in the magnitude and frequency of variation of the local temperature by up to similar to 24 %, and the tangential and axial forces. The fluctuations in forces corresponded directly to the frequency of the wear particle removal. Although the wear particles could slightly speed up grinding in the middle stage, they were found to be detrimental to the final surface quality. Consequently, this study provides a valuable perspective on understanding abrasive machining of SiC.

Automated summary

This study used molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the removal mechanism of SiC wear particles during surface grinding. The results showed that removal of wear particles improved machinability, altered microstructure evolution, and produced a surface with more connective small planes. This study provides valuable insights into the abrasive machining of SiC.