Laser-assisted grinding of silicon nitride by picosecond laser

• Published in: International journal of advanced manufacturing technology Vol. 93; no. 5-8; pp. 2517 - 2529
• Main Authors: Azarhoushang, Bahman, Soltani, Babak, Zahedi, Ali
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01.11.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Ablative materials; CAE) and Design; Chemical properties; Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD; Cutting force; Cutting wear; Damage; Engineering; Grinding; Industrial and Production Engineering; Integrity; Laser sintering; Lasers; Material removal rate (machining); Mechanical Engineering; Media Management; Organic chemistry; Original Article; Silicon nitride; Surface roughness; Tool wear; Ultrashort pulsed lasers; Creep feed grinding; Laser-assisted grinding; Silicon nitride; Ultra-short pulsed laser
• ISSN: 0268-3768; 1433-3015
• DOI: 10.1007/s00170-017-0440-9

Silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) is a high demanded structural ceramic with exceptional mechanical, thermal and chemical properties. Poor surface integrity and limited material removal rate due to high tool wear and cutting forces are the main problems of grinding this material. A novel laser-assisted grinding process is developed to overcome the current technological constraints in the grinding of Si 3 N 4 . Ultra-short pulsed laser radiations are efficiently applied to create ablation, controlled thermal damages and enhance the material removal rate in the grinding process. Two different laser structures have been produced on gas-pressure-sintered Si 3 N 4 with various laser scan speeds and laser line spans. The high performance of the developed process is shown by experimental results. A substantial reduction in tangential and normal grinding forces and a slightly improved surface roughness have been achieved. The analysis of the surface integrity has shown a damage-free ground surface via laser assistance, where the pattern type of structures had a significant influence on the process results.