Modelling the wear evolution of a single alumina abrasive grain: Analyzing the influence of crystalline structure

Abstract

The grinding process is continuously adapting to industrial requirements. New advanced materials have been developed, which have been ground. In this regard, new abrasive grains have emerged to respond to the demands of industry to reach the optimum combination of abrasive-workpiece material, which allows for both the minimization of wheel wear and increased tool life. To this end — and following previous experimental works — the present study models in 3D the wear behavior of Sol-Gel alumina abrasive grain using Discrete Element Methods. It is established that the alumina behaves as a ductile material upon contact due to the effect of high temperature and pressure. This model reproduces the third body generation in the contact, taking into account the tribochemical nature of the wear flat, which is the most harmful type of wear in the grinding process. The evolution of the wear during a complete contact is analyzed, revealing similarities in the wear of white fused alumina (WFA) and Sol-Gel (SG) alumina. However, the SG abrasive grain suffers less wear than the WFA under the same contact conditions. The proposed wear model can be applied to any abrasive-workpiece combination.