Study on the system matching of ultrasonic vibration assisted grinding for hard and brittle materials processing

Ultrasonic vibration assisted grinding (UAG) is an effective processing method for hard and brittle materials. Compared with common grinding (CG), both of grinding force and workpiece surface quality is improved by UAG, but the principle of improvement is still unclear. In order to reveal the mechanism of grinding force reduction and grinding quality improvement in UAG, this paper presents a mathematical model for system matching in UAG of brittle materials. Assuming that brittle fracture is the primary mechanism of material removal in UAG of brittle materials, the system matching model is developed step by step. On the basis of this mathematical model, the mechanism of grinding force reduction and surface roughness forming are discussed. The advantage of UAG processing brittle materials is pointed out in theory. Using the model developed, influences of input variables on grinding force are predicted. These predicted influences are compared with those determined experimentally. This model can serve as a useful foundation for development of grinding force models in UAG of brittle materials and models to predict surface roughness in UAG. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.