Ultrasonic-Assisted Cylindrical Grinding of Alumina-Zirconia Ceramics

Abstract

Due to its vast applications and stochastic nature, grinding has been the subject of investigations and modifications for decades. Applying ultrasonic vibration in grinding has been a successful innovation introducing benefits such as reduced forces and temperature, improved surface quality, and making higher removal rates possible. In this work a set-up is developed for utilizing ultrasonic vibrations in cylindrical grinding. This is done by rotating and simultaneously vibrating the workpiece material. The set-up is used for cylindrical grinding of Alumina-zirconia ceramic as a difficult-to-grind and widely used industrial ceramic. Optimized parameters for efficient grinding and surface characteristics of the ground ceramic are investigated and the effects of ultrasonic vibration are declared.