Multifractal analysis of ultrasonically machined surfaces of cylindrical quartz crystals: the effect of the abrasive grits

Since synthetic quartz is essential to produce 3-D resonators for numerous applications in precision electronics, in this work the surface topography of cylindrical quartz bars is investigated using the multifractal technique. The cylindrical bars were manufactured with ultrasonic machining using with five SiC grits ranging from 6 to 50 µm. The machined surfaces were initially characterized by contact profilometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The multifractality of the machined surfaces was scrutinized using a box-counting method applied to the images obtained with 500X magnification. The multifractal spectrum indicated that the fractal dimension f(α) and the width of the fractal spectrum Δα are dependent on the grit size, but this dependence is not monotonic. The lowest (negative) value for Δf(α) was found for 25 µm grits indicating that for these grits the lower frequency events (grooves with tens µm width occurring along the USM direction) controls the surface topography much more than high frequency events related to brittle microcracking. The abrasive wear due to the continuous slurry recycling in lateral tool-workpiece interfaces contributed to smooth the groove texture as well as the sharpness of microscopic indentations, which remained observed on the surfaces machined with 50 µm grits. The opposite paths observed for the arithmetical mean deviation of the measured profile (Ra) and Δf(α) parameters with the cutting rate measured for each grit size were valuable to differentiate flat-rough and unlevelled-rough topographies in quartz bars.

Experimental analysis of surface finishing properties in Magnetically Assisted Abrasive Finishing of ASTM B16 Brass

Magnetically assisted abrasive finishing (MAAF) presents an attractive concept of surface and edge finishing by fine magnetic abrasive particles (MAPs). This study aims to contribute an experimental evaluation of the effect of process parameters viz. magnetic field density (MFD), circumferential speed of workpiece, and abrasive grit size on the surface finishing properties in MAAF when experiments were performed for finishing pipes of ASTM B16 brass material with the sintered MAPs. The developed model is based on the obtained experimental data accompanied by “Box- Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM)” analysis. Apart from deciding significant parameters, this analysis also presents the modeling of finishing properties and optimizes the desired performance parameters. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) includes data of standard deviation, coefficient of determination (R2), adjusted, and predicted (R2). MFD and speed show a significant effect on both the responses viz. “surface roughness improvement rate (SRIR) and material removal rate (MRR)”. Analysis has shown that abrasive grit size is the most dominant parameter towards SRIR followed by MFD. The maximum SRIR of 88.12% (minimum Ra 50 nm) and 4.28 mg/min is achieved through multi-objective optimization with 0.8 T MFD, 500 rpm speed, and 300 µm grit size. The mathematical models of SRIR and MRR were also developed using RSM, focusing on varying MFD, speed, and grit size which can be used to predict the desired surface finishing properties. The model generated for SRIR, and MRR has an error of 0.204 % and 2.506 % respectively. Further SEM images were taken to understand the surface appearance of the finished surface.

Multi-scale characterization of material and surface integrity of Inconel 718 when milling by Abrasive Water Jet process: Context of repair application

Inconel 718 (IN718) is a precipitation hardened nickel-base super-alloy exhibiting poor machinability and used in the hot section of aircraft engines. These components are subjected to severe thermo-mechanical loads in a highly corrosive environment, limiting their service life due to cracks and wear. Due to their high added-value, repair of damaged IN718 components is an interesting alternative instead their replacement. Repair process involves material removal of the damaged zone and subsequent cavity refill. Nevertheless, material removal of IN718 by conventional methods is a challenging task. Abrasive Water Jet (AWJ), a non-conventional machining process, offers a potential alternative to mitigate IN718 machining problems. However, research on the impact of AWJ process parameters during IN718 milling on the surface and material integrity is limited in the literature. Furthermore, in repair context, no study proposes AWJ machining as material removal process. The present work focuses on a multi-scale characterization of the influence of AWJ process parameters (pressure, traverse speed, step-over distance and abrasive size) on surface roughness, depth of cut, abrasive embedment and residual stress, during milling of untreated IN718. Surface integrity characterization on the milled surfaces was conducted through 3D optical microscopy, profilometry and SEM techniques. Residual stress measurements were performed in longitudinal and transverse directions with respect to the machining path using XRD technique. The results showed that all milled surfaces presented abrasive embedment and a compressive residual stress state with similar values in both directions. Up to 15% of the area of a milled surface consisted of abrasive embedment. The tool path has not influenced the residual stresses. Furthermore, surface roughness is dependent on pressure and traverse speed; depth of cut is influenced by pressure, traverse speed and grit size; abrasive embedment depends on pressure, step-over distance and grit size; whilst, residual stresses are influenced by traverse speed and grit size.

Efficiency of Machine Sanding of Wood

We hypothesized that the type of wood, in combination with the grit size of sandpapers, would affect sanding efficiency. Fixed factors were used in the experiment (a belt sander with pressure p = 3828 Pa, and a belt speed of vs = 14.5 m/s) as well as variable factors (three sand belts (P60, P120, P180), six hardwood species (beech, oak, ash, hornbeam, alder, walnut) and three softwood species (pine, spruce, larch)). The masses of the test samples were measured until they were completely sanded. The sanding efficiency of hardwood species is less variable than for softwood species. Maximum sanding efficiency for the softwood ranged from 1 to 2 min, while for the hardwood species, it ranged from 2 to 4.5 min at the start of sanding and then decreased. The average time for complete sanding of the softwood samples was: 87 s (P60), 150 s (P120), and 188 s (P180). For hardwood, these times were 2.4, 1.5, and 1.8 times longer. The results indicate that the factors determining sanding efficiency are the type of wood, and, secondly, the grit size of sanding belts. In the first phase of blunting with the sanding belts, the sanding processes of hardwood and softwood are significantly different. In the second phase of blunting, sanding belts with higher grit numbers (P120 and P180) behaved similarly while sanding hardwood and softwood.

Abrasive wear behavior of Al-TiB2 and Al-TiB2-nano-graphite metal matrix composites

This paper deals with abrasive wear behavior of two different composite materials namely Al-TiB2 and Al-TiB2-nano-graphite. At the time of fabrication, ultrasonic vibration is used along with mechanical stirrer to obtain uniform dispersion of micro (TiB2) and nano (graphite) reinforcement phase. Uniform dispersion is confirmed through SEM images of cast composites. Micro-hardness values are obtained for composites and base alloy. Wear tests under two-body abrasion are performed by a tribological test apparatus where composite pins are being rubbed against a disc holding different grades of SiC abrasives: 240 grit, 320 grit and 400 grit. Operating load is varied between 10N and 30N while sliding speed and duration of sliding are kept fixed. Effects of load, reinforcing phase content and abrasive grit size on abrasive wear and friction behavior have been evaluated. Al-TiB2 composites demonstrate higher wear resistance and better friction behavior in comparison with base alloy under all operating conditions. Addition of nano-graphite phase contributes in achieving better abrasive wear and friction performance of Al-TiB2 composites. With increase in grit size, wear reduces for composites and base alloy while wear increases with load. Worn surfaces of samples and emery papers are studied using SEM micrographs and EDX maps. Wear debris at different operating conditions are studied also using SEM and EDX. Operative wear mechanisms are identified from the experimental results.

Influence of Grit Size and Wood Species on the Granularity of Dust Particles during Sanding

Wood dust poses a threat to the health of employees and the risk of explosion and fire, accelerates the wear of machines, worsens the quality of processing, and requires large financial outlays for its removal. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which the grit size of sandpaper influences the size of the wood dust particles and the proportion of the finest particles which, when dispersed in the air, may constitute the respirable fraction. Six species of hardwood (beech, oak, ash, hornbeam, alder, and walnut), and three species of softwood (larch, pine, and spruce) were used in the research. While sanding the samples under the established laboratory conditions, the following were measured for two types of sandpapers (grit sizes P60 and P180): mean arithmetic particle size of dust and finest dust particles content (<10 µm). Based on the obtained results, we found that the largest dust particle sizes were obtained for alder, pine, and spruce; the smallest size of dust particles during sanding with both sandpapers was obtained for beech, hornbeam, oak, ash, larch, and walnut. The mean arithmetic particle sizes ranged from 327.98 µm for pine to 104.23 µm for hornbeam. The mean particle size of the dust obtained with P60 granulation paper was 1.4 times larger than that of the dust obtained with P180 granulation sandpaper. The content of the finest dust particles ranged from 0.21% for pine (P60 sandpaper) to 12.58% for beech (P180 sandpaper).The type of wood (hardwood or softwood) has a significant influence on the particle size and the content of the finest dust fraction.

Characterization of High-Speed Alumina Abrasive Grinding Wheel

The high-speed grinding wheel can be defined as a self-sharpening composite structural tool composed from abrasive grains held in a specific binder. The main properties of grinding wheels depend on the type of abrasive elements, grit size, grade, binder and the resulting structure, which is influenced by several crucial technological processing steps. Preparation of an initial mixture of abrasive particles together with permanent binder’s mixture and temporary binder followed by pressing and high-temperature sintering is the essential technological step in the manufacturing of high-quality grinding wheels. High demands placed on functionality and quality together with constantly increasing effort to improve existing properties of grinding tools require detailed characterization of all input raw materials. For further research and development is crucial know, how each technological step can influence the final quality of the product. This contribution is focused on the characterization of four alumina abrasives with different grit size and two in chemical composition different binder mixtures which were used for the production of two different high-speed grinding wheels. Initial abrasive grains, binders and metallographic samples of high-speed grinding wheels were evaluated by means of scanning electron microscopy. The porosity of grinding wheels with different binding agents was also determined ustilizing digital image analysis technique.