Effects of Grinding Parameters on the Processing Temperature, Crack Propagation and Residual Stress in Silicon Nitride Ceramics

Micromachines (Basel). 2023 Mar 16;14(3):666. doi: 10.3390/mi14030666.

Abstract

The surface/subsurface damage of engineering ceramics after machining has a great influence on the service performance of parts. In order to obtain a high grinding surface quality of engineering ceramics, and take silicon nitride ceramic as a research object, a series of grinding experiments were carried out. The effects of grinding parameters on longitudinal crack propagation depth and the surface residual stress of silicon nitride ceramics were analyzed by grinding experiments, and the residual stress at the location of crack propagation was obtained. The variation in the grinding temperature under different grinding parameters was explored. The influences of the grinding temperature on crack propagation depth and surface residual stress were clarified, the distribution of residual stress along the depth direction was discussed, and the relationship between the residual stress and crack propagation was revealed. The results show that the residual compressive stress on the surface of silicon nitride ceramics decreases with the increase in the depth of crack propagation and the degree of surface brittle spalling. The residual stress at the location of the crack propagation was residual tensile stress. The crack propagation depth increased with the increase in the residual tensile stress. The research provides a reference for the realization of high-quality surfaces in the grinding of silicon nitride ceramics.

Keywords: crack propagation; grinding; residual stress; silicon nitride ceramics; surface quality.