Study of material removal mechanisms in grinding of C/SiC composites via single-abrasive scratch tests

As one of the ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide matrix (C/SiC) composites are promising materials used in various engineering applications owing to their superior properties. Precision surface grinding has been widely applied in the machining of CMC composites; however, the material removal mechanisms of C/SiC composites have not been fully elucidated yet. To reveal the material removal mechanisms in the grinding of chemical vapor infiltration-fabricated C/SiC composites, novel single-abrasive scratch tests were designed and conducted in two typical cutting directions. The experimental parameters, especially the cutting speed, conformed to the actual grinding process. The results show that the grinding parameters (feed rate, spindle speed, depth of cut, and cutting direction) have significant influences on the grinding forces, surface integrity, and affected subsurface region. The tangential force is in general larger than the normal force at the same cutting depth. Furthermore, both the tangential and normal forces in the longitudinal cutting direction are larger than those in the transverse cutting direction. The impacts and abrasive actions at the tool tip mainly caused the material removal. The predominant material removal mode is brittle fracture in the grinding of unidirectional C/SiC composites, because the damage behaviors of the C/SiC composites are mainly the syntheses of matrix cracking, fiber breakage, and fiber/matrix interfacial debonding. These results are rationalized based on the composite properties and microstructural damage features.