Numerical simulation and experimental study of micro-structured surface of sapphire ground by structured grinding wheel.

The efficiency and form accuracy of micro-structured surface preparation can be greatly improved by using structured wheels to grind micro-structured surfaces. In this study, the structural design of the grinding wheel surface was first carried out. Then, the geometric analysis of the designed structured 3D model of the grinding wheel is carried out to establish a numerical model for grinding micro-structured surfaces with structured grinding wheels and to investigate the effects of different velocity ratio, grinding depth and dressing angle on the size and distribution of surface microstructures. Finally, the surface of the grinding wheel is structured using wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) technology, and the microgroove grinding experiment on the sapphire surface is carried out. The research results show that the established numerical simulation can accurately describe the formation mechanism of micro-structured surfaces ground by structured grinding wheels. At the same time, it is found that the shape of micro-grooves on the sapphire surface ground by the structured grinding wheel is basically complete. This further shows that the technology developed in this research can produce the micro-structured surfaces with good quality. • Numerical modeling of microstructure formation mechanism on grinding surfaces of structural grinding wheels. • Preparation of microgroove arrays on the surface of grinding wheels by WEDM technology. • High-quality sapphire surface microstructures prepared using structured grinding wheels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]