Experimental investigation and numerical analysis for machinability of alumina ceramic by laser-assisted grinding

Abstract Alumina (Al2O3) ceramic has been widely used in various fields, but it has certain difficulties in machining as a hard and brittle material. While laser-assisted grinding (LAG), an alternative and novel method for fabrication of alumina ceramic, can utilize laser beam to locally heat the workpiece before the ceramic is removed, thereby reducing fracture toughness and keeping the surface integrity. In this paper, a thermal model is established to study and understand the processing mechanism of the LAG process. Meanwhile, an orthogonal experiment is designed and implemented to optimize the grinding process. Then, by analyzing the surface topography, the advantages of LAG are strongly proved. It is found that the temperature modelling results matches experimental results well. The processing parameter that has greatest impact on surface roughness is laser power, followed by grinding depth and wheel speed, and feeding speed at last. The optimal surface roughness value can be obtained by certain processing parameters. Also, compared to conventional grinding (CG), the removal method of alumina ceramics alters from brittle fracture to plastic fracture. Overall, this study clearly elucidates that LAG of alumina ceramic is a very promising machining method, and can be potentially utilized for various industrial, aerospace and automobile applications.